Recap
Chris Willcock’s side increased their lead at the top of NPL West to five points after a dominant performance at Borough Park.
They swept aside a timid Newcastle outfit following an excellent team display which included a wonderful individual cameo from man-of-the-moment, Dav Symington. He went home with the match ball after a stunning hat-trick with goals after 40, 55 and 57 minutes.
Five years on from his first and only threesome for the Club, Dav took his personal tally into double figures with the manager now expecting him to reach the 20 goal mark for the season.
His previous hat-trick against Mickleover Sports included two from the penalty spot but, on this occasion, it was a trio of typical ‘edge-of-the-box’ finishes, two via the right foot and one from the left which stunned everyone on the ground.
Connor Gaul went close to opening the scoring when his low shot was blocked by Town ‘keeper, Joseph Slinn’s legs after good approach work from Reds down the right.
Then, after twenty three minutes, Reds did go in front and the outcome was never in doubt from thereon. Symington’s involvement in the opener was minimal but his corner was met by Sam Smith whose mishit shot was way off target only for Brad Carroll to the return the ball across the face of goal. Reuben Jerome was first to react and turned the ball into the Derwent End net.
Carroll was then twice denied by Slinn who caught a close range header from the Reds’ skipper before pushing away a fiercely hit angled shot with the save of the match.
Five minutes before the interval, the hosts doubled their advantage following a well worked corner routine.
Gaul played the ball short to Symington and he got beyond two defenders on the edge of the box before sliding the ball to the right of Slinn for a well taken second.
Soon after the restart, Symington thundered another effort high and wide of the target but, after fifty five minutes, he was celebrating once more. From a central position his left foot strike from all of twenty five yards seemed to dip under the bar at the last second to leave Slinn helpless once more.
And two minutes later the hat-trick was complete. Carroll provided the assist and Symington’s cross shot came to rest in the far corner of the net.
The remaining thirty five minutes became a damage limitation exercise for the Staffordshire side with Keelan Leslie, Steven Rigg and Matty Clarke all seeing shots blocked, Scott Fenwick and Ceiran Casson sending efforts wide and that man in the number seven shirt seeing a late ‘dipper’ just clear the bar.
There were a couple of James Atkinson’s involved in the game, Workington’s goalkeeper of that name having a trouble free afternoon with namesake assistant referee certainly the busier of the two!
On a normal day, the likes of Jerome, Carroll and Casson would have emerged as man-of-the-match contenders but this was Dav’s afternoon.
Workington: Atkinson, Harrison, Clarke, Wordsworth, Smith, Casson, Symington, Carroll (Rigg, 59), Jerome (Fenwick, 67), Hubbold (Leslie, 66), Gaul. Substitutes – Bowman, Eccles (not used).
Newcastle Town: Slinn, Kirnon, Jarman, Vale, Askey, Dennis, Berks, van der Laan T (Vare, 70), Pociask, Chimenes, Lloyd. Substitutes – Walsh, van der Laan J, Morley (not used).
Referee: Shaun Taylor, Preston
Bookings: Gaul (Workington), Chimenes (Newcastle Town)
Attendance: 763
