[W]orkington Reds’ dreams of cup glory and a place in the Buildbase FA Quarter Finals will now depend on a 680 mile round trip to the borders of Kent and South London on Tuesday night after the Reds held Bromley to a 1-1 draw at Borough Park in an entertaining encounter which saw the Reds go ahead from a Phil McLuckie goal and hold the lead until the seventy ninth minute when the Vanarama National League challengers finally broke through Workington’s defence and captain Jack Holland scored.
With nearly nine hundred people though the turnstiles, including a coach load of Ravens fans, the crowd made it a busy and noisy Borough Park, and spectators were treated to a captivating and end to end first fifteen minutes which saw the Reds attack from the start, with Connor Tinnion drilling a shot just wide of the visitor’s goal just a minute into the game.
But Bromley were big, strong, quick and were always dangerous on the counter attack, with Aaron Taylor diving at the feet of Josh Rees and Luke Wanadio at the other end to block a Bromley strike. Just two minutes later and seven minutes in Taylor and Matty Douglas somehow managed to block and then clear a close range effort from Omar Bugiel, and then Taylor blocked a powerful George Porter strike.
On fifteen minutes the Reds’ Nathan Waterston had the chance to put the Reds into the lead when he attacked down the left wing and shot from a tight angle, with his strike beating the purple clad David Gregory in the visitors’ nets, only to see his shot hit the far post and glance away.
The first half pulsated with energy, but it was the Reds who looked more likely to score with Tinnion, Waterston, David Symington, Jordan Holt and Scott Allison all repeatedly attacking the Bromley box.
At the other end, Brandon Hanlon, Porter and Bugiel were all menacing when attacking the home side’s box, but in defence Red’s captain Gari Rowntree, Matty Douglas and McLuckie along with Taylor in the nets held firm and repelled everything and anything the visitors threw at them, including a break from Porter that set up a Rees shot that went straight at Taylor. With Rowntree picking up a yellow card for pulling a yellow shirt, the clocked ticked down, and the first half ended all square at 0-0.
The Reds came out in the second half knowing they were more than a match for Bromley, and next forty five minutes began with Workington on the attack again, and this time their efforts paid off after four minutes when Symington set up Waterston on the right wing, who picked out McLuckie in the Bromley box and McLuckie fired home a powerful shot past a stranded Gregory into the bottom right hand corner of the net, to a huge cheer from the home crowd.
With man of the match Tinnion and the ever busy Holt keeping Bromley busy on a heavy and slippery pitch which was cutting up badly as a cold rain came down, and Josh Calvert and Anthony Wright effective in the midfield, the Reds kept pushing for a winner. Allison had a good chance but his shot went out for a corner, Symington shot high over the bar, and Tinnion shot wide. But repeating the first half, any Reds mistake was punished as the visitors broke, and broke quickly, and Hanlon and Wanadio both shot just wide at the other end as Reds fans held their breath.
Bromley brought on Jordan Higgs for a fresh pair of legs, the change paid off, and on 79 minutes the visitors did score when Bromley’s Holland headed home in a packed goal mouth from a stinging corner from Frankie Raymond to level the scores to the delight of the visiting Bromley contingent. In the final minutes Rob Wilson came on for Symington and and Sam Joel for Scott Allison as Reds legs tired, but neither side could find that elusive winner.
The Ravens manager, Neil Smith, paid credit to the Reds telling the Kentish Football website “They won too many second balls for my liking but we’re still in it, so I’ll give them that one” adding “I’ve got to give full credit to Workington. They were outstanding to a man and they gave everything they’ve got and for us to come away with a draw it gives us a second bite and it also does for them and we have to make sure it counts on Tuesday.” Proud Workington Reds manager Lee Andrews said “Their goal was a bit sloppy from our point of view but I can’t be negative on the way we have performed today. Overall, we contained them well and we’re still in the competition.”
The Reds must now travel to Bromley and they will meet on the 3G pitch at Hayes Lane on Tuesday night after a 340 mile journey, and on the artificial surface and with home support, Bromley must now be favourites – but the Reds are still in it, and still dreaming.
Workington AFC: Aaran Taylor, Phil McLuckie, Gari Rowntree (C), Matty Douglas, Josh Calvert, Anthony Wright, David Symington, Jordan Holt, Scott Allison, Nathan Waterston, Connor Tinnion. Substitutes: Sam Joel, Rob Wilson, James Earl, Sam Smith, Jamie Mellen.
Bromley: David Gregory, Tyrone Sterling, Luke Wanadio, Josh Rees, Ben Chorley, Jack Holland (C), George Porter, Frankie Raymond, Brandon Hanlan, Luke Woolfenden, Omar Bugiel. Substitutes: Max Hunter, Jordan Higgs, Dan Johnson, Roger Johnson, Frankie Sutherland
Match Officials: Matthew Dicicco, Alan Hull, Matthew Sowerby, Daniel Locker.
Cumbria Crack Man of the Match: Connor Tinnon.
