ON THIS DAY: 19 January – A diamond performance
Reds’ record on the 19th January in the past has been quite impressive with most of our games played at Borough Park……
There was one notable exception in 1952 when our first Football League derby on home soil went the way of Carlisle United. Workington had already won at Brunton Park four months earlier so the Blues were seeking revenge – and they got it!
United’s centre forward at the time was Alan Ashman, who later managed both Carlisle and Workington. He scored twice that day as United emerged 2-1 winners with Danny McDowall netting the Reds’ reply.
Those two would finish top scorer at their respective clubs.
The crowd at Borough Park was 17,165 but social distancing hadn’t been invented then!
Whilst on the subject of regular scorers, two popular Workington marksmen, Billy Robson and Jimmy Dailey, netted a couple of goals each on this day in 1957. Crewe Alexandra were the visitors and they were promptly despatched 4-0, epitomising their poor away record.
Reds finished 4th at the end of the campaign, Alex were anchored to the foot of the table.
The highlight of visits to Frickley Athletic in the seventies and eighties was experiencing the coal fire in the dressing rooms. The warmth beneath the stand didn’t often extend to the pitch and Workington’s 1980 visit to Westfield Lane resulted in a 3-1 defeat.
Barry Diamond scored our consolation goal with another former Carlisle United boss, Mick Wadsworth, finding the target for Frickley.
Mention was made of the gate for the home clash against Carlisle United, but the club didn’t have the same appeal forty years later and only 121 paying spectators witnessed a home clash against Eastwood Town in 1991.
At least the outcome was better for the sparse gathering with Reds ending the afternoon comfortable 3-1 winners.
Keith Sawyers and Graeme Nicholson scored a normal goal apiece with Duncan Armstrong netting direct from a corner in between.
The 2000s have been good for Reds on this particular day and that was certainly the case in 2002 when we inflicted a 4-0 defeat upon Farsley Celtic. Craig Johnston scored his first NPL goal in that emphatic victory, sharing the limelight with Marc Green, Graham Goulding and Matty Lea.
Worcester City was always a favourite away day for the travelling Workington supporters, probably because we never lost at St. George’s Lane.
But we almost left Worcestershire pointless back in 2007 after squandering a two goal advantage. Jonny Wright and Graham Anthony (a twenty five yard wonder strike) had established a clear lead by the hour mark but two Emeka Nwadike goals, in the last ten minutes, meant we had to settle for a point.
It could have been worse because Nwadike scored a third in stoppage time but was rightly flagged offside.
Having never played Rushden & Diamonds before, we met the Northamptonshire side twice during the 2009-10 season, losing to them in the FA Cup before knocking them out of the Trophy in 2010.
An own goal had given us a deserved lead before a sublime Andy Hardman finish doubled the advantage. Diamonds, an EFL outfit for five seasons between 2001 and 2006, reduced the arrears immediately but Reds stayed resilient and went on to record a famous giant-killing act.
Clitheroe gave us a bit of a chasing in a League Cup tie at Borough Park in 2016 yet it was Reds who progressed in the competition.
They were a division below us at the time but dominated a one-sided first half, seeing two efforts rebound off the woodwork before Jonny Jamieson saved a Sefton Gonzales penalty.
We improved after the break and went on to win 2-0 thanks to a Gareth Arnison brace in the final ten minutes.
League points were at stake two years ago with the two Sam’s – Joel and Smith – scoring the goals which helped us get the better of Bamber Bridge by the odd goal in three. Danny Grainger was still a Carlisle United player at the time and he turned out for the Blues at Brunton Park in a 2-0 success against Cheltenham Town.
