Recap

Borough ParkNew Bridge Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2DT

Workington AFC
Borough Park, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2DT
Blackburn Rovers U23
Ewood Park, Blackburn, BB2 4JF
1 - 3
Final Score
Ben Hughes - 1 (29')
Sam Burns - 2 (42', 44')Junior Nsangou - 1 (84')
Game Statistics
0 Yellow cards 0
0 Red cards 0
0 Corner Kick 0
0 Saves 0
0 Shots on Goal 0
0 Shots 0
0%
Pass Accuracy
0%
Shot Accuracy
OFF
0
F
0
SH
0
0%
Pass Accuracy
0%
Shot Accuracy
0
OFF
0
F
0
SH
Game Timeline
KO
KO
Ben Hughes
29'
Trialist 3
29'
Sam Burns
42'
Sam Burns
44'
Trialist 5
46'
Scott Allison
61'
Trialist 4
61'
Jack Burns
72'
Elliot Lowrie
76'
Trialist 6
76'
Scott Paden-Gale
76'
Dan Whitehead
81'
Junior Nsangou
84'
FT

Recap

A stunning goal from Junior Nsangou six minutes from time rubber-stamped a comfortable victory for Rovers as two very young sides clashed in the Borough Park sunshine.

Michael Studholme, Sam Burns, Scott Taylor, Conor Tinnion & Callum Black

He was a good thirty five yards from goal and deliberately drove the ball over Jim Atkinson for a sublime finish.

Reds took a while to get going in their first pre-season outing on home soil but, after a nervous opening twenty minutes, enjoyed a purple patch around the half hour mark.  This culminated in the opening goal, a good one too.

One of Reds’ six players listed as ‘Trialist’ won the ball with the tackle of the match then fed the well placed Ben Hughes who had clear path to goal.  The former Marine man steadied himself then drove the ball into the far corner of the net with Joe Hilton helpless.

But having worked so hard to get into that situation, Reds undid the good work with two defensive blunders in as many minutes and trooped off for the half time break in arrears.

Rovers’ skipper for the day, Sam Burns, netted both goals with confident close range finishes, after forty two and forty four minutes, adding to the hat-trick he bagged earlier in the week.

It knocked the stuffing out of Reds who had gone into battle without half a dozen senior players.

Their starting XI included six players yet to play a league game for the club and the only experience on the bench came in the shape of Scott Allison.  But Danny Grainger, on his return to the club, had no qualms about filling the team sheet with trialists and members of the Development Squad.  

Despite the introduction of nine substitutes at various stages of the second half, Reds competed well but rarely looked capable of grabbing an equaliser although a narrow defeat, in the circumstances, might have been considered a moral victory.

But Rovers made sure of the win with Nsangou’s late wonder goal and, in fairness, should have done so more emphatically.  Dan Pike saw a shot rebound off the foot of an upright whilst the one trialist in blue and white squandered three guilt-edged chances.

Nevertheless, Workington boss Grainger had every right to feel satisfied with the spirited overall performance against a well drilled, talented Blackburn outfit. 

Rovers’ marksmen Sam Burns and Junior Nsangou

Workington: Atkinson (Paden-Gale), Clarke (Trialist), Trialist (Whitehead), Wordsworth (Howarth), Lightfoot L, Trialist (Burns), Hughes (Lowrie), Leslie, Reilly (Allison), Trialist (Trialist), Tinnion (Trialist) 

Blackburn Rovers U23: Hilton, Pike, Cirino, Weston, Saadi, Annesley, Baker, Harlock, Burns, Wood, Nsangou.  Substitutes – Pratt, Montgomery, Gent, Trialist (all used).

Referee: Scott Taylor, Carlisle

Attendance: 409

Matchday photos: Ben Challis

 

 

 

Details

Date Time Season Full Time
02/07/2022 15:00 Friendlies 22/23 90'

Ground

Borough Park

New Bridge Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2DT

Results

Club1st Half2nd HalfGoals
Workington101
Rovers213

Workington

1Jim Atkinson 21 Goalkeeper
2Matty Clarke 17 Defender
3Trialist 1 18 Defender
4Dan Wordsworth Defender
5Liam Lightfoot Defender
6Trialist 2 15 Midfielder
7Ben Hughes 19 Midfielder 29'
8Keelan Leslie Midfielder
9Lewis Reilly 12 Forward
10Trialist 3 20 Midfielder 29'
11Conor Tinnion Midfielder
12Scott Allison 9 Forward
14Trialist 4 10 Midfielder
15Jack Burns 6 Midfielder
16Aidan Howarth Defender
17Trialist 5 2 Defender
18Dan Whitehead 3 Defender
19Elliot Lowrie 7 Midfielder
20Trialist 6 10 Midfielder
21Scott Paden-Gale 1 Goalkeeper

Rovers

1Joe Hilton Goalkeeper
2Dan Pike Defender
3Lenni Cirino Defender
4Charlie Weston Midfielder
5Jalil Saadi Midfielder
6Louie Annesley Defender
7Alex Baker Forward
8Jared Harlock Midfielder
9Sam Burns Forward 42', 44'
10Harrison Wood Midfielder
11Junior Nsangou Forward 84'
12George Pratt Defender
14Kristi Montgomery Midfielder
15Georgie Gent Defender
17Peter Thomas Midfielder
Peter Thomas Midfielder
Don`t copy text!