MATCH REPORT: Hebburn Town 2-1 Workington AFC

This was a right mixture of a performance – good, bad and indifferent as Reds slipped to a sixth league defeat.

And, for the second time this year, they opened the scoring against Hebburn only to leave Tyneside empty handed.

On New Year’s Day they scored first but finished well beaten and, on this occasion, started brightly but, ultimately, ran out of steam.

A positive opening twenty minutes promised so much with Reds aggressive from the kick-off and taking the game to Hebburn in the third league meeting between the teams.

Steven Rigg opened the scoring with a seventeenth minute goal and that came after Harrison Bond had pulled off two fine saves to thwart Luke Ellis and David Symington.

Rigg’s third goal of the season owed much to the striker’s persistence as he looped a header over Bond after seeing his original effort, and one from Symington, parried by the ‘keeper.

When Hebburn eventually grew into the game, Reds were committed to more work in their defensive third and seemed to be coping well with Town’s sporadic attacks.

Until a handling error from Alex Mitchell in the twenty-seventh minute changed the complexion of the game somewhat. What should have been a routine catch appeared to be fumbled by the Reds’ ‘keeper and Campbell Darcy swivelled and tucked the ball into the net in one swift movement.

The remainder of the half was even and both, one assumes, reached the interval reasonably satisfied with their efforts.

Reds again started with purpose after the break but some decent crosses from both flanks went begging. Half chances fell to Jordan Little and Rigg but both saw headers drift wide and saved respectively.

And Reds only other chance of note was from Sharif Deans who cut in from the right and shot, only to be denied by Bond.

Most of the play was at the other end of the pitch and Reds, to be fair, were showing great resilience to stay in the game. They survived a string of corners and crosses into the danger zone, Mitchell made three decent stops and some last-ditch tackles and the woodwork compounded Hebburn’s frustration.

But the hosts kept going and probably earned the slice of luck that produced their winner.

Skipper Symington lost possession in the Hebburn half and the hosts countered to grab an eighty-ninth minute winner. Kai Charlton had just entered the fray as a substitute a few minutes earlier but struck a shot from the edge of the box and the ball ended up in the net, albeit fortuitously.

Mitchell was out of luck again because he appeared to have Charlton’s shot covered until a deflection off Charlie Barnes sent the ball away from the unfortunate ‘keeper.

Jack Dickinson missed his first game of the season and his absence and that of Kai Nugent, Ceiran Casson and Tom Stephenson paved the way for an emotional debut for on-loan recruit, Dan Hopper – son of former Reds captain, the late Tony.

Dan Hopper

Young Dan is making good progress in his own career and can help Reds, and enhance his own development, over the next few months.

But the need to start collecting points is the priority at the moment and, hopefully, Reds can reproduce more of the good and eradicate the bad and indifferent at the weekend!

Hebburn Town: Bond, Heywood, Oliver, Donaghy, Elsdon, Wood, Darcy, Murray, Martin, Posthill (Charlton, 82), Thompson (Da Silva, 42). Substitute Turner replaced Da silva, 90. Cameron and Moore (not used).

Workington: Mitchell, Barnes, Leslie (Hopper, 79), Fitzpatrick, Swinglehurst, Little, Symington (Park, 90), McGladdery (Chapman, 90), Rigg, Ellis (Deans, 68), Galloway. Substitute – Martin (not used).

Referee: Glen Hart, Darlington

Bookings: Darcy, Martin (Hebburn Town), Barnes, Swinglehurst (Workington)

Attendance: 311