Workington Reds missed the chance to go back to the top of the NPL West table last night.
They were held 2-2 in atrocious conditions at Borough Park by a Bootle side that arrived late.
The kick-off had been put back half an hour to accommodate half a dozen members of the squad who had been delayed en-route.
The Bootle players had all travelled by car and traffic hold-ups en-route left two vehicles late in getting to west Cumbria.
There was a suggestion that referee Helen Conley would start the game without the stragglers if they had not arrived by 8pm.
That occurred recently in Portugal, but the referee who was in charge of the Women’s FA Cup Final on Sunday, did not have to take that step at Borough Park.
She and her assistants, as well as all the players involved, deserve credit in seeing out the contest on such a dreadful night.
Reds had to face the elements – strong wind and driving rain – in the first half and although they had opportunities to lead by the break, turned round 2-1 down.
Bootle took the lead on 19 minutes when a corner was headed into his own net by Sam Smith.
Three minutes later Reds were level when Brad Hubbold sent Dav Symington on a run down the middle.
He held off a strong challenge to fire low past Rob Jones into the bottom corner.
But another three minutes later and Bootle were back in front when Tom Pedersen, their hard-working centre-forward crashed home a fine shot from 25 yards.
Reds could have gone ahead b y the break but twice Conor Gaul had close-range shots kicked off the line.
Unfortunately Reds didn’t play as well with the wind and rain behind them in the second-half.
They did not work keeper Jones enough with too many passes over-hit or shots rising well over the bar.
It became a frustrating evening for the players, management and fans with the score unchanged until the 83rd minute.
Then Symington fashioned space for a shot from the left and it was touched home by Nico Evengelinos to level-up proceedings.
Reds couldn’t create another decent opportunity in the time that remained and battling Bootle had earned their first draw of the season.
Workington manager Chris Willcock was understandably disa[ppointed with the result and overall performance.
“It was a horrible night and conditions were very poor but it was the same for both teams and we didn’t apply ourselves well enough.
“We did well enough in possession against the wind, and had our best opportunities but I wasn’t happy with the two goals we conceded.
“When you look at other teams near the top we are trailing them on goals scored. Our defence has been good for the most part, but the lack of goals is a concern and we need players to step-up in all areas of the field,” he said.
Reds return to action on Saturday when hey travel to City of Liverpool who now play at Vauxhall Motors ground, where the Cumbrians have had success in the past.
