MATCH REPORT: Stockton Town 6-0 Workington AFC

This was Workington’s heaviest defeat on the road since……their last visit to the MAP Group Stadium ten months ago.

Last time, they kept it down to five and probably deserved the sympathy vote because they had to play seven teenagers, but the excuses on this occasion have no validity as Workington were ripped to pieces by a vibrant Town team.

Both teams seemed to opt for a three-five-two formation but that’s where the similarity ended. Stockton displayed a hunger, desire, passion, boundless energy, were good on the ball, direct, powerful and efficient in everything they did.

Workington offered none of the above.

The upshot was the most one-sided encounter imaginable and it might have been a few goals worse were it not for Alex Mitchell’s heroics. He pulled off at least half a dozen outstanding saves including an incredible passage of play just before half-time when point-blank stops thwarted Glen Butterworth, Josh Scott and Amar Purewal in quick succession.

The contest was already over at that stage with Town comfortably two ahead.

Josh Scott had opened the scoring in the eighth minute when a diagonal ball found Kevin Hayes who passed square and Scott converted from six yards.

It was 2-0 after twenty minutes with Jake Petitjean finishing in some style from the edge of the box having being found by Amar Purewal’s clever knock-down.

In between those goals, there was a very unfortunate incident which saw John Gallacher bundled into the perimeter fence by a wild challenge from Luke Ellis.

The referee was very lenient to the Reds player, producing just a yellow card, whilst Gallacher was stretchered out of the ground for further treatment.

Reds stemmed the yellow surge for a twenty-minute period at the start of the second half but, at no stage, looked capable of getting back into the game.

The onslaught resumed in the sixty-fifth minute when Michael Sweet had time and space to convert at the far post following a corner routine.

Three ‘goal of the season’ contenders then had the Town fans on cloud nine but the quality of the finishes would have to be downgraded slightly, simply because of the distinct lack of a defensive challenge for each.

Kevin Hayes powered home a free header to make it four after seventy-nine minutes, Jamie Bramwell’s meandering run and finish made it five, four minutes later, and the sweetest of strikes from Sweet concluded the half dozen just before the end.

Workington did manage two attempts at goal and won a corner in each half but the players, staff and shell-shocked supporters will be trying to forget this one as quickly as possible.

Stockton Town: Harker, King, Gallacher (Sweet, 9), Petitjean (Painter, 68), Bramwell, Coulthard, Hayes (McHugh, 84), Butterworth, Amar Purewal, Scott (Spears, 75), Thompson (Arjun Purewal, 66).

Workington: Mitchell, Galloway, Leslie, Casson, Dickinson, Swinglehurst, Symington (Chapman, 83), McGladdery (Park, 35), Dawson (Bell J, 72), Ellis, Reid. Substitutes – Eccles, Nugent (not used)

Referee: Alex Clark, Gateshead

Booking: Ellis (Workington)

Attendance: 648