Reds on the first day of the season
Reds will kick-off their 37th season of Northern Premier League Football on Saturday and, naturally, will be hoping for a good start when Ashton United travel to Borough Park.
Twelve months ago, it wasn’t quite the result we were hoping for with Mossley grabbing a 96th minute winner in soaring temperatures. But that was our first opening day defeat in a while with five wins and two draws seeing us obtain points in the previous seven seasons.
In our thirty-six seasons as members of the NPL we have recorded 13 wins (8 home, 5 away), 12 draws (5 home, 7 away) and suffered 11 defeats (4 home, 7 away) on the opening day of the campaign.
Workington’s best ever start to a season was recorded twenty years ago when a vibrant Reds performance inflicted a 7-0 defeat upon Ossett Town. Ten years earlier, facing Yorkshire opposition again, we suffered a 6-2 thumping at Guiseley.
Scott Allison has netted on the first Saturday four times in the past and it would be some achievement if he managed to do so again. However, win, lose or draw the outcome will not have too much influence on what lies ahead….there will be another forty-one matches to be played after Saturday!
| Season | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers |
| 78-79 | Buxton | Away | 4-0 | Barry Donaghy, Graham Gill (2), Dave Lonsdale |
| 79-80 | Buxton | Home | 4-1 | Barry Donaghy, John Reach (2), Graham Gill |
| 88-89 | Congleton Town | Home | 2-0 | Chris Collins, Gary Messenger |
| 97-98 | Whitby Town | Away | 3-2 | Steve Hodgson, Terry Green, OG |
| 99-00 | Flixton | Home | 1-0 | Mathew Henney |
| 01-02 | Ossett Albion | Away | 3-0 | OG, Gavin Manchester, Graham Goulding |
| 03-04 | Ossett Town | Home | 7-0 | Brian Dawson (2), Robert Ennis, Mathew Henney (2), Ian Arnold, Tony Hopper |
| 04-05 | Matlock Town | Home | 4-0 | Ian Arnold (2), Gary Cohen, Mark Eccles |
| 16-17 | Rushall Olympic | Away | 2-1 | James Earl, Scott Allison |
| 17-18 | Halesowen Town | Home | 3-1 | Jack Ryan, Scott Allison, Sam Smith |
| 18-19 | Stafford Rangers | Home | 1-0 | Jason Walker |
| 19-20 | Pickering Town | Home | 4-1 | Dav Symington (2), Brad Hubbold, Ceiran Casson |
| 21-22 | Kidsgrove Athletic | Away | 1-0 | Brad Carroll |
| Season | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers |
| 82-83 | King’s Lynn | Away | 0-0 | |
| 85-86 | Bangor City | Away | 1-1 | Billy Gilmour |
| 87-88 | South Liverpool | Home | 2-2 | Carl Burdon, Gordon Dick |
| 89-90 | Farsley Celtic | Home | 3-3 | Kevin Rowntree, Gary Messenger, Roy Heaney |
| 90-91 | Harrogate Town | Home | 2-2 | Gary Taylor (2) |
| 91-92 | Farsley Celtic | Away | 2-2 | Graeme Nicholson, Mark Pearson |
| 92-93 | Great Harwood Town | Away | 2-2 | Peter Harbach, Sean Sunderland |
| 95-96 | Radcliffe Borough | Home | 1-1 | John Holliday |
| 00-01 | Lincoln United | Away | 2-2 | Mike Hodgson, Barry Irving |
| 02-03 | North Ferriby United | Away | 1-1 | Robert Ennis |
| 15-16 | Sutton Coldfield Town | Home | 1-1 | Scott Allison |
| 20-21 | Pickering Town | Away | 2-2 | Scott Allison, Reuben Jerome |
| Season | Opponents | Venue | Result | Scorers |
| 77-78 | Stafford Rangers | Home | 0-3 | |
| 80-81 | King’s Lynn | Away | 0-2 | |
| 81-82 | King’s Lynn | Away | 1-3 | Martin Harris |
| 83-84 | Burton Albion | Away | 0-3 | |
| 84-85 | Gainsborough Trinity | Away | 2-3 | Allan Carruthers, John Reach |
| 86-87 | Burton Albion | Away | 1-3 | Wayne Harrison |
| 93-94 | Guiseley | Away | 2-6 | Paddy Atkinson, Gary Messenger |
| 94-95 | Worksop Town | Home | 1-3 | Paul Campbell |
| 96-97 | Lincoln United | Home | 2-4 | John Holliday, Simon Parry |
| 14-15 | Stamford | Away | 1-2 | Kyle May |
| 22-23 | Mossley | Home | 0-1 |
