ON THIS DAY: 29 December – League double over the green & whites and blues
Workington’s results on the 29th December in past years have, generally, been favourable but they experienced defeat two years ago at South Shields…….
Without half a dozen squad regulars and only able to name three substitutes, Reds travelled to South Shields for a first ever fixture at Mariners Park. It was not the day to be short on numbers as Shields’ home record was very impressive.
There was no surprise in the outcome, a 4-1 defeat, with the lads giving a gallant display in difficult circumstances. Despite a fine individual performance from Conor Tinnion, who scored our late consolation goal, Reds remained in the relegation zone after a twelfth defeat of the season.
We were also on duty in the north east in 2007 for a National North game and two second half goals helped us secure a 2-0 success at Blyth Spartans. Graham Anthony and Jonny Wright found the target as we completed a league double over the green and white stripes.
Our record at Guiseley was poor, with defeat suffered in all four of our previous visits, so a 3-3 draw there in 2001 was regarded as a good result. However, having been 3-1 ahead and in control of the game, we allowed the hosts to salvage a draw.
Goals from Matty Lea (2) and Graham Goulding put Reds in the driving seat but we faded and Guiseley netted two late goals to snatch a point.
A case of two points dropped rather than one gained.
We arrived at Nethermoor to be greeted by a snow-covered pitch with the hosts switching to their yellow change shirts instead of their normal white. The referee also insisted we played with a coloured ball.
And although Reds only finished 16th at the end of the ’59-60 season, they were above Barrow (18th) and United (19th) in the Fourth Division table.
The former St. Johnstone, Everton and Newcastle United player, Jim Pearson, had joined us in 1984 and he scored our goal at Marine, helping us to a 1-1 draw.
Borough Park staged three Football League matches on this day – all in the fifties – with the three games attracting 6,000 plus attendances.
Bob Morrison’s eleventh goal of a productive personal campaign helped us beat Carlisle United 1-0 in 1959, completing another league double against the Blues in the process.
Reds’ best win as Football League club on the 29th was the 1956 success over Rochdale. We emerged 5-0 winners that day with Billy Robson and Jimmy Dailey scoring twice and Jackie Bertolini getting the other in a one-sided affair. It had been a much closer contest when we played Rochdale five years earlier with both teams settling for a point following a 1-1 draw. Danny McDowall scored for Reds that day.
