MATCH REPORT: Workington AFC 1-1 Lancaster City

Jan 2
3 min read

They say winning football matches becomes a habit but not winning games is also habitual and, no matter what they do, Workington cannot buy a victory at the moment.

And to come so agonisingly close to breaking the mould is compounding their frustration as another two points slipped away in time added on to the time added on!

City deserved their equaliser on the balance of play, no doubt, and credit to them for persevering long after the regulation ninety minutes, and the near eight of time added, but the agony the home faithful had to suffer is beyond human tolerance.

Battled scarred after five months of failure, Reds, thanks to the calming, knowledgeable influence of Billy Barr’s management, haven’t given up on finding an escape route but fortune has to swing slightly in their favour.

A cobbled together team is nowhere near the finished article but the effort, desire and commitment against a backcloth of constantly changing personnel keeps the hope flickering.

Getting a team on the pitch every week is certainly a challenge for the levelled headed manager but having that eleven there at the finish is just as much a problem. Injuries, suspensions, work commitments and even seeking pastures new will be the usual rituals the manager will have to sift through before the next game.

Reds had reached the 97^th minute of a feisty derby and were still 1-0 ahead, thanks to Steven Swinglehurst’s brave header just before the interval. So, to be pegged back by Dom Lawson’s equaliser well over an hour later was tough to take.

Most Reds fans would have settled for a point beforehand but a positive result feels like a defeat when the opposition score so late in the contest.

And yet the goals weren’t the major talking points with two controversial incidents, one in each half, going in City’s favour.

Christian Sloan’s eighteenth minute tackle on Luke Ellis was, perhaps, a Barrovian tradition of wishing each other a ‘Happy New Year’ but a lenient referee punished the former with a yellow card when a red would have been justified.

And Reds’ ‘keeper Danny Eccles, another Barrow boy, needlessly raced sixty yards to add his protest and was rightly booked for his part in the flashpoint.

Then, eight minutes from the end of ‘normal’ time, Brad Carroll propelled himself into a tackle, showing slightly more control than Sloan’s earlier flight, but was promptly shown a straight red card for his challenge. In terms of fair play, a poor decision but another costly suspension after Workington’s fifth red. That became six when goalkeeping coach, Billy Redden, was sent off after the final whistle!

Back to the first half and Jack Wright headed City’s first chance over the bar, Ellis’ shot was easily saved by Brad Kelly after Kai Nugent had created the opportunity and both Lewis Mansell and Tom Stephenson saw goal bound headers cleared off the line.

Steven Yawson did manage to get the ball into the Workington net after breaking clear down the left but he had strayed offside and the ‘goal’ was disallowed.

Workington were penned in their own half for much of the second period but for all their crosses and corners, City rarely looked like scoring and a firmly struck shot from Aaron Bennett was one of the few on target but Eccles gathered the ball routinely.

But Lawson had the final word and his late, late strike sent the Dolly Blues into ecstasy and left Workington to contemplate what might have been.

Workington: Eccles, Casson, Leslie, Whitehall, Little, Swinglehurst, Stephenson (Galloway, 80), Carroll, Rigg (Palmer, 88), Ellis (McCaragher, 68), Nugent. Substitutes – Hopper and McDonough (not used).

Lancaster City: Kelly, Bailey S, Thompson, Amison, Wright, Sloan (Moonan, 83), Bjork (Caine, 75), Bailey C (Clarke, 75), Mansell (Lawson, 65), Craig (Bennett, 65), Yawson.

Referee: Nat Cox

Bookings: Eccles, Swinglehurst, Leslie (Workington), Sloan, Bennett (Lancaster City)

Red cards: Carroll, Redden (Workington)

Attendance: 1,219