18^th February 2023, Runcorn Linnets FC v Workington : 1-3 Sponsored by 'In memory of Doreen & Harry Thompson'

Linnets' February return to winning form would face a stern test, with a fourth home fixture in eleven days bringing Pitching In NPL West play-off rivals Workington to the APEC. 

It could be argued that Workington won the game when they won the toss, and elected to play downfield with a strong wind at their backs.

They made the most of it, and aided by a lacklustre Runcorn showing, the Reds went in at half-time with a 2-0 advantage that frankly could have been greater.

Linnets made a much better fist of the second half, and a late Ryan Brooke goal prompted dreams of a famous late comeback.

But they were shortlived, as Workington re-established the two-goal margin within seconds of the restart, to secure the three points.

A knee injury to Danny Taberner had caused Dave Wild to recruit former Macclesfield and Mossley 'keeper Liam Lovell from Bacup Borough, and his first job as a Linnet was to pounce on the ball after Sam Heathcote intercepted a Greg McCaragher cross, in the fifth minute.

Sam intervened again to block a corner, and the next one bounced between everyone and out on the far side.

Early Runcorn attempts to make progress at the clubhouse end were coped with calmly by Workington's centre-backs, and as high Linnets clearances swerved back towards them on the wind, it appeared increasingly that the home team would have to spend the first half weathering the storm.

David Symington cut in from the left and shot, well wide, from 30 yards. He was down for some time after landing awkwardly on his right ankle.

In the 14th minute, a tricky Eden Gumbs run through the Reds' half set up Ollie McFadyen on the right. His cross from just inside the goal line narrowly evaded the heads of Ryan Brooke and then Jamie Rainford. That was to prove the nearest thing to a Linnets chance in the entire first half.

Two minutes later, Eden's push in the back on McCaragher gave Workington a free-kick, within ten yards of the right corner flag. It surely had to be defended like a corner, but the Linnets rearguard marked up well forward, in preparation for a ball into the middle of the penalty area. 

An in-swinging shot on the wind was a no-brainer for Conor Tinnion, and it soared over Liam Lovell into the far corner, to put the visitors ahead.

The elements had served Workington well so far, and they continued to exploit them. On 18 minutes, Tinnion had a dig from left of centre, 35 yards out.

It was well wide of Lovell's dive, but luckily for Linnets, also a distance beyond the left post.

David Symington was the first name into the referee's notebook, for a late challenge on Ally Brown, inside the Runcorn half.

Within seven minutes of the opener, Workington were 2-0 up, and this time they didn't need the wind to help them.

McCaragher and Kai Nugent joined forces to win a loose ball on the right, and via Bobby Carroll, it found its way to Scott Allison, who was unmarked six or seven yards from the far post. He had the easiest of jobs to tap it in.

The Cumbrians were on the crest of a wave, encouraged by the fact that a relatively small cohort of their fans behind the Forest End goal were making all of the noise among the crowd of 681.

Lovell caught a wind-assisted free-kick by his opposite number Jim Atkinson, who'd had nothing else to do during the first 29 minutes, but Liam was fouled in any case, by Dan Wordsworth's charge. 

There was dissent among the Linnets defence, as Ally Brown voiced his displeasure with his colleagues in the home back five. There was more unrest in front of the home dugout, where Dave Wild was shown a yellow card, presumably for some frank comments, reported to referee Declan Brown by his assistant on that side.

Ten minutes before half-time, Louis Hayes also saw yellow, for a trip on Carroll after the Workington man had beaten him to a loose ball.

Five minutes of continuous Workington pressure ensued, not least via McCaragher and Nugent, who were being policed only by Eden Gumbs.

He was making a manful job of it, but there was only one of him.

A very rare attacking phase at the other end, in the 43rd minute, involved a Brooke ball to Gumbs on the left. The latter's deep cross was won in the air by Lewis Doyle from Bobby Carroll. But Carroll's collapse in a heap too easily persuaded Mr Brown that Lewis had fouled him.

The referee faced some vocal criticism from Runcorn fans as he departed the pitch at half-time, but it was surely a stretch to blame him for the fact that their team had not registered a single attempt on goal in 45 minutes.

Linnets would need to exploit the wind in the second half as Workington had in the first, but in the event, its force abated considerably after half-time. 

In truth, that was probably no bad thing. A tailwind rarely helps Runcorn with their preferred modus operandi of setting off wide players in pursuit of quick balls up the wings, followed by crosses for the target men in the middle.

And Linnets did come into the game far more after the break.

Ally Brown was first to menace the Workington area, running in from the right after 47 minutes to deliver the first Linnets shot of the game. It was blocked, conceding a corner which was met by Sam Heathcote's head near the far post, but cleared.

Ollie McFadyen slalomed through a backpedaling defence to pass to Jamie Rainford, who needed two attempts to control the ball, then prodded it past the left post.

In the 50th minute, Tom Moore passed to Lewis Doyle, who in turn found Ollie McFadyen. He sidestepped two defenders before bouncing a shot off the bar.

Linnets had achieved far more promise going forward in five minutes than they had in the preceding 45.

They continued to press, and Jamie Rainford expressed extreme displeasure with the referee's assistant on the stand side, convinced that he had been wrongly flagged offside for the third time. 

A two-handed push in the back on Ryan Brooke by Ceiran Casson led to an Eden Gumbs free-kick, which was headed over the bar by Sean O'Mahony. 

When Workington progressed towards the Runcorn goal, which they were now doing far less frequently, a serial battle was developing between left wide man David Symington and his marker Tom Moore.

The Reds' No.7 got the better of Tom in the 56th minute, and cut inside to deliver a shot which Lovell did well to save with his shins.

Workington had two more efforts from the rebound, but the ball was ultimately cleared by O'Mahony.

Nugent received a caution for a nasty swipe at Ryan Brooke, as the Runcorn man broke away up the left in his own half, and the referee did well to quell the ensuing mass shoving contest without dispensing any more cards. 

With 25 minutes remaining, Eden Gumbs gave way to Linnets captain James Short, having already done enough to secure the Dron & Dickson-sponsored man of the match award.

Jamie Rainford took umbrage once more with the assistant, for a highly- dubious offside flag which came belatedly, and appeared to be prompted only by appeals from the visitors.

A three-man Workington assault by Reuben Jerome (who had replaced Allison at half-time), Symington and Nugent, ended with a selfish shot by the latter that ran tamely wide. Both of his team mates were better placed to beat Lovell.

Nugent's replacement by Lewis Reilly, with 20 minutes remaining, was probably coincidental. Jaime Rainford, whose bad mood had been mostly provoked, was probably fortunate to end the game without a yellow card - not least after swinging a kick at Wordsworth, prompted by a high elbow from the Reds' No.4, moments earlier.

Reilly was set away on a solo run into enemy territory by Carroll's through-ball, but he was several yards offside.

With 15 minutes remaining, Workington were a little fortunate that Sam Smith's headed intervention, meeting James Short's corner into the six-yard box, cleared the far post, when it could easily have found the net. The corner kick from the other side cleared everybody, and ran out beyond the far post.

Runcorn had applied more pressure than their opponents since half-time, but they still hadn't overworked Atkinson in the Workington goal, and the clock was running down. 

The visitors replaced Bobby Carroll with Steven Rigg, inside the last ten minutes, and the change coincided with a period of greater possession from the Reds. Reilly had the ball in the Runcorn net, with eight minutes remaining, but he had long since been whistled offside.

The Murdishaw Massive had found their voice durting the second half, and were drowning out the away fans, who had now joined them under the clubhouse end roof.

They were hampered in their quest to encourage a goal from their team, by being situated unusually at the opposite end of the ground from Linnets' attacking efforts.

But Runcorn were on the front foot, and Sam Heathcote headed narrowly wide of the far post after Ollie McFadyen had won a corner with a sprint and cross from the left.

The Workington defence had allowed little time or space for Linnets to take advantage of a much better second-half performance.

But with a minute of normal time remaining, Jamie Rainford did have the luxury of sufficient time to weigh up his options in the away area. 

Rather than attempt a shot, he laid the ball back outside the area, for Ryan Brooke to charge forward and deliver a blistering shot beyond Atkinson and into the right corner of the net.

It was a spectacular finish which did justice to Brooky's tenth goal of the season, and more notably, to his elevation to eighth place in the Linnets all-time top scorer rankings, with 48.

Hopes of a memorable turnaround lasted seconds rather than minutes. 

Immediately from the restart, Workington decided that attack was a better option than defence to take the points back to Cumbria, and substitute Reuben Jerome was allowed the luxury of space on the right in the Runcorn area.

He was able to pick his spot beyond Liam Lovell to find the bottom left corner, rendering Brooky's belter a false dawn.   

The final whistle cemented Workington's third place in the table, three points behind Leek Town.

Linnets retained their prospective play-off place in fifth, thanks to Mossley's 2-1 defeat at Clitheroe, who leapfrogged Runcorn to fourth, on goal difference. 

Linnets will regroup and go again in seven days, for their first away fixture in five, albeit just a short hop down the road to Barnton's Townfield, to face 1874 Northwich. 

Runcorn Linnets:Liam Lovell, Ally Brown, Eden Gumbs (James Short 65), Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Louis Hayes, Lewis Doyle, Jamie Rainford, Ryan Brooke, Ollie McFadyen.  Subs not used: Isaac Turner, Josh Roberts (GK), Matty Birchall. 

Attendance:681.

NB. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Runcorn Linnets FC or its Board.