MATCH REPORT: Bamber Bridge 1-2 Workington AFC
Good to see the smile back on Billy Barr’s face after his team recorded what is becoming a regular victory at Irongate. For the third successive season, Workington emerged winners by the odd goal in three as Barr’s injury-hit squad got the better of a ‘Brig team, also disrupted by absenteeism.
Barr has admitted he is going through one of the most stressful periods of his long career as Reds’ lengthy injury list remains the topic of conversation.
And after suffering back-to-back defeats, and without a win in four outings, the manager felt this victory would lift the whole club.
Considering the numbers missing, both teams deserve credit for serving up a decent contest on a pleasant Autumn afternoon.
Barr felt his side didn’t start particularly well and the early pressure came from the hosts.
Ashton Cookson was well wide with the first opportunity of the afternoon and Jack Baxter also missed the target with another effort.
Then we saw Reds’ latest debutant, Alfie Scales, deny an ex. Workington player, Jamie Allen, when he made a routine save to collect the latter’s attempted chip.
The latest name added to the ‘unavailable list’ was goalkeeper, Danny Eccles, after he sustained an injury in the Whitby Town game. So how did Barr replace him? The simple answer was to get a goalkeeper from Whitby!
Scales joined the club on loan from Morecambe but he hails from the North Yorkshire town.
And the ‘keeper had an excellent afternoon only to be denied what would have been a deserved clean sheet by the home side’s late consolation goal.
Temi Ajobola sent a close-range header over the bar and squandered another opportunity for the hosts but the Cumbrians got a foothold in the game before the interval.
Their best passage of play culminated in Luke Hunter being thwarted by a smart Charlie Brier save before an off-balance Tom Stephenson steered the rebound wide. Stephenson was denied soon after by a spectacular, but effective, save by the ‘Brig ‘keeper who then dealt with Hunter’s shot on the turn.
Scales kept out reasonable efforts from James Butterworth either side of the interval before Workington moved up a gear.
Talisman Brennan Dickenson saw his first effort brush the foot of the post with Brier beaten but the latter then held a goal bound header from the Reds’ skipper.
The breakthrough came nine minutes after the restart with Stephenson guiding the ball into Hunter’s path and the top scorer doing what comes naturally, sliding the ball beyond Brier and into the net.
They doubled their lead in the seventy-third minute and, although not the best they have scored this season, the goal was greeted by the loudest cheer. Steven Rigg latched on to Hunter’s through ball and bagged his first goal in open play for nearly a year.
And the returning Rigg almost provided an encore late in the day when a well struck effort rebounded off the upright.
It was almost the perfect result but the Preston side scored in the ninetieth minute although, thankfully, Nat Knight-Percival’s header was merely a consolation rather than the inspiration for a late comeback.
Andy Teague saw an earlier header gathered by Scales but the veteran defender was involved in the ‘Brig goal. A cross came in from the left, Teague headed back across goal and home captain Knight-Percival looped his header into the net.
There was still added time to get through but Dickenson & Co managed the closing stages well to obtain three welcome points.
Bamber Bridge: Brier. Cookson (Illingworth, 53), Adubufour (Trickett, 86), Teague, Baxter, Knight-Percival, Allen, Lang, Barkhuizen, Butterworth, Ajobola (Benns, 63).
Workington: Scales, Rigby, Whitehall, Ellis, Barnes, Martin, Stephenson (Jacobs, 70), Thomson (Cueto, 71), Dickenson, Hopper (Rigg, 65), Hunter (McDonough, 86). Substitute – Routledge (not used).
Referee: Mark Reeves, Manchester
Booking: Dickenson (Workington)
Attendance: 526
