MATCH PREVIEW: Pragmatic approach working

Billy Barr has been in the Borough Park hot seat for a month now and his pragmatic approach to the task in hand seems to be working.

Although still at the foot of the Premier Division table, Reds have shown a noticeable improvement recently and one defeat in six outings is a marked improvement on the half dozen matches prior to that.

Reds won at Stocksbridge, under the final game of Brian Dawson’s tenure, and have added another six points under Barr’s watch.  With a bit of luck, that could quite easily have been ten after dominant performances against Warrington Town and Leek Town finished all square.

But, as Billy rightly pointed out, there is still much to do and, what has been a good starting point, has to be extended over the next few months as we continue to play catch-up.

Bamber Bridge head for West Cumbria on Saturday (3pm) and, after two wins and a draw in their last three visits, will travel with confidence.  They will also be keen to avenge Reds’ victory at Irongate back in September – Darren Edmondson’s first, and last, win of his second spell as manager.

Steven Rigg vs Bamber Bridge

’Brig are currently in 13^th position and have 22 points to their credit – seven more than us.  It will be the eighteenth meeting under the Northern Premier League banner and the head-to-head records six wins for Workington but eight for the Preston side.

In cup-ties, the teams have met a further five times and Workington have won and lost against them in the FA Cup, lost both FA Trophy ties between the sides and also lost a League Cup encounter.

Billy lives just twelve miles away from Bamber Bridge so will be hoping to get one over his neighbours, in what will be his fourth home game.

Links between the clubs have become stronger in recent times with Wayne Harrison having managed both clubs whilst Jamie Allen, Kofi Moore and Fin Wallbank are three of the dozen or so players that have worn both Workington red and Bamber Bridge white.