It was Workington’s fateful last season in the Football League and Reds were at home to Cambridge United.
In actual fact it was almost 47 years ago – September 25, 1976 – and Alan Ashman was in charge.
Reds actually started that season with little indication of the disaster that was eventually to befall them.
The first game of the season had produced a 1-0 home win over Crewe thanks to a Ray Ellison penalty and that was backed up by a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth and another 1-1 draw at home to Halifax.
In between all this Reds had drawn two League Cup ties with Stockport County, home and away with both finishing goal-less.
The first League defeat had followed at Southend (0-2) before another home draw, 1-1 this time against Hartlepool – five points from five games had them just below mid-table. Only two points for a win back then.
But then it all started to unravel after a 3-1 defeat at Scunthorpe. Cambridge were next up at Borough Park and under Big Ron Atkinson, they had started the season well.
But at least Reds had been unbeaten at home until then with a win and two draws to encourage the long-suffering Borough Park faithful.
Ashman brought in a summer signing Mike Higgins for his debut; Bobby Brown junior came back into the line-up after missing the Scunthorpe game and Martin Harris was on the bench (only one sub in those days).
There were no team sheets presented to the press. You might be given a programme, or bought one, and then had to knock on the dressing room door for the changes. Can you imagine having to do that these days?
Big Ron emerged from the dressing room and when I asked him about team changes, any significant absentees, Christian names or new arrivals he couldn’t have been more helpful.
Unlike a certain Roy Bentley when he was in charge of Reading, proceeded to give an entire team of wrong Christian names. My fellow reporter Bryan Bone was incensed and got him back by referring to him as Dick Bentley (a well known comedian of the time) in his subsequent reports.
Cambridge were a class above the Reds and we were fortunate it was only 2-0 although I do remember Malcolm Moore having a great chance to score right on the stroke of half-time.
The point being that from this particular home defeat – the first of the season – Reds lost their next five at Borough Park before a home draw with Southport and a remarkable 3-2 win over Huddersfield on New Year’s Day.
From then, though, there was only one home more win (1-0 against Scunthorpe) and a shock 3-0 victory at Rochdale on March 19.
By then the die was cast, Reds were in deep trouble and that rare victory was never going to be enough to lift them to safety.
The depressing season ended with just four wins and 11 draws – with Ron Atkinson’s Cambridge lifting the title.
