29^th April 2023, Workington v Runcorn Linnets FC : 2-1

Linnets made the season's longest Pitching In NPL West Division journey for the biggest away game in their 17-year history. It emulated their biggest game of all, as it was their second consecutive promotion play-off final, after losing out to Marine on home turf twelve months earlier.

It was also the third Runcorn trip to Borough Park this season, and represented a high stakes 'best of three'.

Linnets had won 2-1 in the FA Trophy in September, but suffered an agonising 1-2 reverse in the league a month later, to two goals scored in added time, in horrendous storm conditions.

The result was a 2-1 scoreline once again, and it was Workington who took the prize of a place in the NPL Premier Division, with a scrambled close-range goal, in the 10th minute of extra time.

Linnets dared to dream, when Lewis Doyle gave them an early lead, as he had done in the semi-final at Leek Town, four days earlier.

After a cagey start spent mostly in the middle third of the pitch, a poor Workington clearance allowed Cam Rooney to pass forward to Lewis outside the area.

He took three paces across the 18-yard line and had half of the goal at his disposal as he slotted it home past Jim Atkinson.

Sean O'Mahony and Sam Heathcote put a stop to two Workington attempts to hit back quickly, but a pattern soon started to emerge.

Linnets defended solidly against attacking efforts from the Reds, and would continue to do so all afternoon, but too often they lost possession through untargeted clearances.

Workington were prevented from making inroads in the middle of the pitch, but were quickly given the chance to try again.

When Linnets got forward, usually via Rooney and Gumbs on either wing, and found Brooke and Doyle in the middle, successful Workington defending usually saw the hosts retain possession.

Ally Brown and James Short delivered a number of threatening crosses each, but again, interceptions from defenders in red kept their team in possession. And Workington are good in possession.

That made it all the more irksome to Linnets fans that some of them demonstrated a predilection for falling over in vocalised pain at every challenge. During the first 25 minutes, demands for free-kicks in such circumstances had been rejected by the referee three times each to Greg McCaragher and Reuben Jerome. 

If they weren't fouls, they were surely examples of simulation, but Mr Kennard-Kettle saw no reason to stem the tide by producing a yellow card, or even issuing any warnings.

There were also no recriminations for Workington centre-half Steven Rigg flattening Danny Taberner, long after he had palmed away a corner kick. That had come from Tabs pushing Charlie Birch's header over the bar, from a David Symington cross.

Symington was the greatest thorn in Runcorn sides all afternoon. Tom Moore was detailed to prevent him from taking dangerous possession wide on the Workington left, and he often did.

But when the Reds' No.7 came out on top, he was lightning fast, advancing up the wing to deliver dangerous crosses, or cutting inside himself to seek out a shooting opportunity, or to find Scott Allison or Reuben Jerome in the middle.

After McCaragher had failed again to convince the referee he had been fouled when James Short beat him to the ball, Linnets broke away through Eden Gumbs and Ally Brown, but the advance resulted only in a Workington goal-kick.

That led to a freak of an equalising goal, after 30 minutes, when Kai Nugent launched a cross from close to the left corner flag.

Sam Heathcote met the ball at the near post, but rather than prodding it left of the post for a corner, as intended, he sliced it right, taking Danny Taberner by surprise and finding the net. It took a moment for everyone, including the Workington players, to realise that he had.

It had taken a frustrating 25 minutes for the hosts to draw level. Now that they had, their tails were up, and they maintained attacking possession with confidence.

After Tabs had held on to a high corner, Sam Heathcote's day took another bad turn when he was barged into a post by Steven Rigg, sustaining a head injury that required attention.

The referee summoned Rigg back from his own half to discuss the incident, but still didn't see any need to produce a card.

An increasingly rare Runcorn chance, built by Rooney, Brooke and Short, led to a cross that was a fraction too high for Cam Rooney's leap. The ball was scrambled away before Brooke could pounce.

In the closing moments before half-time, a 35-yard Workington free-kick produced a Jerome shot well over the bar, and at the other end, Tom Moore headed wide of the left post, from a corner conceded by McCaragher blocking Rooney's cross.

The game would in effect start from scratch after the break, but there was a definite feeling that Workington were on top. Both sides were being required to defend quickly and in numbers, but when Workington did so, they usually came away in possession.

Linnets defending, while it limited Reds chances, looked more like firefighting, and resulted in loose balls mostly picked up by the opposition.

After a sprint up the right wing that required Atkinson to charge out of his area and boom the ball over the stand, Ally Brown left the field limping, to be replaced after 51 minutes by Jamie Rainford.

Symington and Allison exchanged passes outside the Linnets area, and were held at bay by Heathcote and O'Mahony. It was pulled back for a long shot by Kai Nugent, which didn't stretch Taberner.

A similar attrempt by Lewis Doyle, after Jamie Rainford had controlled in the Workington area while shrugging off the attentions of Rigg and Wordsworth, failed to stretch Atkinson.

Spells of Workington possession were lengthening, with more and more Runcorn effort focused on defence, and Tabs made an excellent save from Nugent, before Symington found the side netting with another shot.

Tom Moore missed a hooked clearance from Atkinson on the left touchline, enabling Symington to take possession and sprint away, beating Taberner's fingertips with a shot which rebounded off the bar.

Linnets were surviving.

Ryan Brooke and Cameron Rooney were engaged largely in defensive endeavours, along with Louis Hayes and Lewis Doyle, and it left Jamie Rainford as a solitary figure in the opposition half, when Linnets managed to get the ball forward.

Frustration at Workington readiness to go to ground and stay there, in a game where they probably should have been ahead, but weren't, was aggravated by Mr Kennard-Kettle's increasing readiness to agree with their contention that they had been fouled. Defending against free-kicks provided an expanding workload for Linnets.

Jerome's header from Symington's cross was destined for the top left corner, until Sean O'Mahony headed off the line, and another Workington free-kick was slammed into the defensive wall.

With 20 minutes remaining, Jamie Rainford's solo run into the Reds' half was halted by Carroll attempting to remove his shirt from behind. Apart from stifling the squabble that resulted, the referee took no action. Play resumed with a Workington throw-in.

Ryan Brooke controlled the ball at the corner of the Workington penalty area, and after laying the ball back for Cam Rooney, he was upended from behind. The referee waved play on, but if Brooky hadn't been fouled, then he must have dived. If it wasn't one thing, then surely it had to be the other?

The non-decision allowed Workington to break again, but from Nugent's through-ball, Allison ballooned the ball high over the bar.

Brooke was finally adjudged to have been fouled, when he leaped to head away a Workington corner.

James Short blocked Rigg's shot to concede another, from which the same Workington player headed wide of the far post. 

Ryan Brooke's season came to an end with 14 minutes remaining, when he gave way to Raheem Hanley, while Workington replaced Nugent with Brad Hubbold.

Raheem got involved in proceedings quickly, and Workington breath was held as five minutes of the most consistent Runcorn pressure so far suggested that a smash-and-grab Linnets victory wasn't out of the question.

Hanley delivered balls in from the left which led to a powerful Jamie Rainford shot curling wide of the left post, and a Louis Hayes effort clearing the top right angle.

In the final minute of normal time, Carroll picked up a loose ball from James Short's tackle on Jerome, but he dragged his shot wide.

In added time, Hanley made a great run into the area along the goal-line, after out-running McCaragher. Both he and Rainford attempted close-range shots, but Wordsworth and McCaragher managed to scramble the ball away.

The final chance to decide matters in normal time fell to Workington.

Danny Taberner turned a Hubbold shot around the post for a corner, from which Carroll's effort was blocked by O'Mahony, and the referee's whistle extended the season by another 30 minutes.

Linnets boss Billy Paynter introduced the fresh legs of Jamal Crawford, who had been battling back from an injury sustained at City of Liverpool five games previously, in place of Cam Rooney.

The feeling among Linnets around me was that extra-time would be about survival, as most of the previous 45 minutes had been. They didn't doubt that their players would continue to fight every last step of the way, but Workington had been on the front foot for most of the preceding hour.

A cagey beginning to extra-time is the norm, and the ball spent most of the first nine minutes in the middle third. But it was Workington who looked like they were awaiting an opening, more than trying to prevent one.

And it was Workington who made the decisive breakthrough, albeit via a defensive error that proved that lightning does strike twice in the same place.

Bobby Carroll crossed from the same spot on the left that Nugent had on 30 minutes. Tom Moore's head blocked it, just inside the six-yard box, but the ball spun back over his head towards the near post. 

Tom didn't know where the ball had gone. I, for one, screamed 'It's behind you!', and while he didn't reply 'Oh, no, it isn't!' there was a degree of pantomime in the contest between Wordsworth and Lewis Reilly, who had replaced Reuben Jerome just four minutes earlier, to force the ball inside the post. Wordsworth had to content himself with smashing the ball into the roof of the net in celebration, after Reilly had scored the final goal of the NPL West season.

Danny Taberner pounded his fists into the ground, echoing the frustration of the fans behind him.

There were 20 minutes still to go, but it is doubtful that the ball was in play for as much as ten of them.

It became apparent that there had perhaps been method in the madness of Workington players spending so much time on the floor, during 99 minutes in which they had never been ahead. It added credibility to their continuing to do so, now that they were. They were further encouraged to waste time when the referee had no opinion to express about Atkinson taking two minutes over a goal-kick.

Runcorn were mostly on the front foot for the rest of extra-time, but Workington were never going to make it easy for them to turn possession into an equaliser. They replaced Bobby Carroll with Ceiran Casson for the final 15 minutes.

Centre back Sam Heathcote was now playing almost entirely in the Reds' half, and when he controlled the ball in their area from James Short's cross, and tried to turn for a shot, he was tripped from behind. Halfhearted appeals for a penalty were made more out of obligation than expectation.

Jamal Crawford kept possession under heavy pressure on the right, and pulled back a pass for a distant Eden Gumbs shot. It was worth a try, but it flew well high and wide.

Raheem Hanley was cautioned for a late challenge on Symington, but the greater punishment was that it provided the No.7 with an excuse to spend yet more time on the ground.

Louis Hayes played through the man to get to the ball, and the resulting free-kick set up Symington for a shot which rattled the crossbar, bounced down on the line, and out. Had it crossed the line, it would have warranted the comment 'They think it's all over… it is now'.

Symington was soon down again and receiving attention, without there having been any from an opponent. He took an age to limp gingerly to the touchline, but when permitted to do so, he sprinted back on with the same pace he had employed on the ball all afternoon. 

Timewasting is a way of life, and all teams do it, but it is annoying when a referee encourages it via unquestioning tolerance.

In the last minute of 120, Casson controlled the ball with an arm to prevent Lewis Doyle getting the better of him in a race into the Workington third. I instinctively shouted 'handball!', but the voice of reason behind me resignedly advised me to 'forget it'.

In added time, a great Sean O'Mahony run up the left wing set up Raheem Hanley to cross, but Wordsworth got his head to it inches ahead of Jamie Rainford.

Danny Taberner came up to attack the resulting corner, but it was Tom Moore who headed it just over the bar.

Linnets twice passed back for Tabs (by now back near his own goal) to launch the ball as far into Workington territory as he could, but the home side resisted, and the last whistle of the season announced their return to the NPL Premier Division, after an absence of four years. 

  An extra-time defeat in a play-off final is always going to be huge disappointment, but it was sad that after two hours of football at the end of a long, hard season, Linnets fans were denied the opportunity to immediately thank their players for a great season, or even to applaud Workington for a deserved victory.

The 400 Runcorn fans were all situated at the uncovered end of the ground, and they were confronted for several minutes by substantial numbers of home fans, who had ignored their own team entirely, in  order to charge to the away end to deliver a prolonged volley of aggressive abuse.

It was left to a number of Linnets players, as well as two Runcorn security staff who had travelled with them, to restrain a few Linnets fans who reacted to the abuse by crossing the perimeter fence, and those of the Workington contingent who showed a desire to turn their verbal threats into something more physical.

It left a distinctly sour taste, which disgraced the occasion, and was an insult to the majority of Workington fans, their team and their club.

It should be a relief to other clubs in the NPL Premier Division to know that few if any of the perpetrators are likely to be present at Workington games next season, especially away from home. 

Many genuine Workington fans expressed their disgust at these events, in contrast with reports and comments on the game from both Workington AFC and the local police, which made no reference to them at all.

The Linnets fans eventually had the opportunity to extend their personal appreciation to their players, management and coaching staff, and vice versa. They would look forward to doing so again, unhindered, at the end of season awards evening.  

Runcorn Linnets:  Danny Taberner, Ally Brown (Jamie Rainford, 51 mins), James Short, Tom Moore, Sean O'Mahony, Sam Heathcote, Cameron Rooney (Jamal Crawford, 91 mins), Louis Hayes, Ryan Brooke (Raheem Hanley, 76 mins), Lewis Doyle, Eden Gumbs.  Subs not used: Kieran Nolan, Elliot Wynne.

Attendance: 2,506.

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