MATCH REPORT: Workington AFC 1-2 Whitby Town

A stoppage time winner from the visitors was tough to take on the opening Saturday of Workington’s thirty-ninth season in the Northern Premier League.

Reds didn’t do enough to win but did they deserve to lose?

But lose they did, falling to Connor Smith’s close-range finish in the ninety-fourth minute which completed a good comeback by Gary Liddle’s side.

With eight debutants representing the club for the first time in the NPL, four players unavailable and a delay of over an hour for the Workington players to deal with, disrupting their pre-match routines, there were mitigating circumstances.

Significantly, though, Whitby edged a close game after Reds lost the cohesion they had displayed in a positive first half.

Was Steven Rigg’s sliced volley just before half time the turning point? Or was it Luke Ellis’ injury which forced him to retire early in the second half?

Both were contributing factors but the arrival of Matty Tymon seemed to swing the balance in Town’s favour.

They were more structured when he replaced the injured Jake Charles and Reds couldn’t deal with his hold-up play, intelligent lay-offs and headers which pinned us in our own half time and time again.

Fifteen years ago, Tymon was scoring for Reds in an opening day Conference North win over Gloucester City and must have enjoyed his latest cameo. He still spends his working week in West Cumbria and probably knows the A66 better than most as he commutes from east to west on a regular basis.

Matty Tymon

Kick-off was pushed back half an hour due to problems with Whitby’s coach and they didn’t arrive at Borough Park until a quarter to three.

The early chances fell to David Symington, who dragged his shot wide, and Donald Chimalilo, who couldn’t repeat his Derwent End goal for Ashton United at the end of last season.

Chimalilo remained a threat throughout, though, but the Reds skipper endured a frustrating afternoon.

Steven Rigg was put through by Sharif Deans’ clever assist but Nathan McGinley and Alex Nelson blocked his two shots on goal.

It took a set piece to break Town’s resistance on the half hour mark. Symington’s corner was delivered long and headed back goalwards by Jack Dickinson with Ellis forcing the ball between Shane Bland and the post for the opener.

Layton Watts could have equalised soon after but lobbed the ball over the bar from a good position.

Reds concluded the half with a decent passing move but Rigg mistimed his volley and the one goal interval lead didn’t seem enough.

Whitby began the second half well and Reds’ cause wasn’t helped when Ellis was substituted.

Their equaliser on the hour seemed inevitable, albeit rather fortunate. Michael Woods’ shot deflected off a Workington defender, wrong-footed Alex Mitchell and bounced over the line via the crossbar.

Reds responded but a Symington effort was partially blocked and easily gathered by Bland and then James Bell had a great chance to restore the lead, only to be thwarted by Nelson’s timely tackle.

Both teams seemed content with the draw as the ninety minutes elapsed, and Workington would have been happy with the point, but credit to the Seasiders who pressured until the end and got late joy.

The ball was pinging around the edge of the area but eventually found Smith and he took advantage of his yard of space and, gleefully, blasted home the winner.

Workington: Mitchell, Galloway, Leslie (Bell, 65), McGladdery, Barnes, Dickinson, Symington, Ellis (Chapman, 53), Rigg (Reid, 72), Park (Nugent, 65), Deans (Dawson, T 81).

Whitby Town: Bland, Smith, Collins, Nelson, McGinley, Woods (Gell, 74), Watts, Hawkins, Charles (Tymon, 32), Chimalilo, Harrison (McGrath, 60). Substitutes – Whelan, Dawson H (not used).

Referee: Dominic Jackson, Huddersfield

Bookings: Leslie, Nugent (Workington)

Attendance: 841