On the face of it, a third Division Four game of the season at Borough Park in August 1961 had very little to commend it.
Workington were hosting Gillingham but they had gone into the game after a win and a draw on the road at Chesterfield and Doncaster and 4,540 fans were at least hopeful.
It remains one of my favourite memories of Reds’ League days if only because of the exploits of one man – Mike Commons.
Signed during the summer from Lincoln City he had not played in the two away games so was brought in for his debut against the Gills. It turned out to be one of the most remarkable debuts by any Workington player in all the time they played League football.
He wore number seven, and played for the most part on the right wing as expected at the time. But he gave a hint of what was to come by more often than not popping up in a more central position where Tommy Dixon was clearly struggling through injury.
Commons scored four goals that day and all four were famously captured by photographer Alec Scott.
The fifth goal was actually a rare strike from Keith Burkinshaw, with a shot which arrowed into the top corner from 30 yards.
Commons’ quartet were more poacher’s finishes, although I recall one being a header and for a slightly built forward he could certainly get off the crowd as his career with the Reds went on to demonstrate.
We all suddenly had a new hero at Borough Park and Commons went on to score 20 goals that season, comfortably Reds top scorer and the only one to reach double figures.
Indeed, before me moved to Chesterfield, Commons played 84 times for the Reds and for someone with as many games had a great strike rate with 42 League and Cup goals.
There was talk at one stage of a swap deal between Reds and Chester for Commons and Ron Davies who went on to have such a great career with Norwich, Southampton and Portsmouth among others, as well as 29 Welsh caps.
It didn’t happen and Commons’ career rather petered out after Chesterfield which was a shame after being such a popular player with Reds – and after such a stunning debut.
There is a postscript, too. Some years after Commons’ departure I met Kevin Commons, newly appointed magistrates clerk at Workington.
Kevin became a friend, playing for our midweek cricket team (a more than useful left arm seamer) and it transpired he was Mike’s cousin. Tragically, Kevin was one of the 12 victims of Derrick Bird in 2010.