Workington 2, 1874 Northwich 2
Workington still lead the NPL West and remain unbeaten – but only just after a fine Northwich fightback.
The visitors dominated the second-half after being 2-0 down at the break and scored twice in the last 13 minutes to earn a deserved point.
They could even have won it with the last kick of the game. Substitute Aaron Smith fired in a 30-yard free kick which hit the bar with keeper Jim Atkinson well beaten.
The Reds had started well and took the lead after only three minutes when Conor Gaul set up Steve Rigg who finished with a crisp shot into the bottom corner.
Northwich then had a good spell when Atkinson saved well from Callum Gardner but it was Workington who scored again on 19 minutes.
Gaul cut inside before finishing clinically with a curled shot beyond keeper Nasakhare Aghayere.
Northwich had most of the possession in the second half without troubling Atkinson but on 77 minutes they got a fortunate break.
A shot from Matthew Woolley hardly looked as if it would trouble Atkinson but it struck the arm of Sam Smith, and although clearly not deliberate, referee Alex Bennett awarded the penalty.
Wooley beat Atkinson easily from the spot and seven minutes later they grabbed the equaliser.
A scramble at a corner saw Atkinson scoop out the ball but the linesman flagged it had crossed the line with substitute Jake Parker claiming the finish.
Then came Smith’s fine effort from the free kick and as the ball rebounded high into the air the referee blew for time.
Not only did Reds drop two vital points but they suffered another injury in this unprecedented run of setbacks.
Brad Hubbold, a key member of the mid-field, limped out of the game on seven minutes with a hamstring injury and during the week Iyrwah Gooden and Donae Lawrence both picked up training injuries which kept them out of the game.
“We get Conor Tinnion and Dan Wordsworth back for the bench and then we lose two in training and a third in the game, it’s just unbelievable.
“I don’t think we deserved anything more than a point out of the game. It was very frustrating and disappointing but it looks as though the injuries are catching up with us,” said manager Chris Willcock.
