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Home Sport

Danny Grainger lost for words after poor Workington Reds performance

by Cumbria Crack
01/04/2024
in Sport
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Aidy Roxburgh battles with Atherton’s Ethan Beckford (Ben Challis)

Workington came into the NPL Premier Division with a roar – but the first season back in the top-flight is ending with a whimper.

The opening day 5-0 win over Ashton United and an early tilt at the top five have long been forgotten.

Now how much of the depressing finish to the campaign can be down to manager Danny Grainger’s announcement he was leaving at the end of the season will be hard to pinpoint.

But this latest 3-2 home reversal to Atherton Collieries, a side going down to NPL West would suggest that the team has lost its enthusiasm and drive.

With the honourable exception of Conor Tinnion, this was a decidedly below-par performance from the Reds who were conceding a League double to their visitors.

Atherton have dropped 46 points this season from winning positions, decidedly vulnerable in the last 15 minutes of games.

It nearly proved to be their undoing again after establishing a 3-0 lead by the 71st minute.

Workington, who had hardly been dangerous up to that point, pulled two goals back to make the score-line a little more respectable but there was no denying Atherton deserved their win.

Greg McCarragher is tackled as he heads in on goal (Ben Challis)

In the first half the Reds only worked keeper Tom Donaghy once. Jake Allen fired in a fierce volley from the edge of the area which Donaghy could only palm into the air before catching at the second attempt.

Mind you at the other end Jim Atkinson only had one noteworthy save to make. He got down really well to turn aside a low drive from outside the area by substitute Oli Putnam.

However from that corner defender Dylan Thomspon was there to score with a well-directed close-range header.

Atherton certainly didn’t look like a bottom of the table side, and at the start of the second half they could easily have scored two more.

Ethan Beckford fired high over the bar when it seemed easier to hit the target and Atkinson made a very timely save with his feet to deny Jordan Scanlon.

But Atherton did double their lead on 59 minutes when Beckford got through and from a tight angle scored with a well-placed shot into the far corner.

Worse was to follow on 71 minutes when Putnam, spotting Atkinson off his line fired in a fine shot from 30 yards,

Reds, who had seen plenty of the ball and generally had passed it around acciurately, were decidedly lacking where it mattered – in the Atherton penalty area.

Jim Atkinson heads in for the late Reds’ goal (Ben Challis)

But they did stage a late rally. The admirable Tinnion saw a shot come back off the bar and substitute Steven Rigg fired home on 84 minutes.

Then deep into the four minutes of time added on Atkinson went up for a Tinnion corner and headed home.

Dramatically Reds could have salvaged a point from their last attack. Greg McCarragher was going through on goal with a great opportunity but some outstanding defensive cover denied him.

Defeats to two of the relegated sides, one after the other, have been hugely disappointing for manager Grainger who was virtually lost for words afterwards.

A disappointing result for Danny Grainger’s Workington Reds (Ben Challis)

“We play four teams fighting for play-off places to finish the season and if we perform like this I shudder to think what the scores will be,” he said.

Mark Fell, who takes over after the final game, was among the 1,029-strong crowd and will hardly have been inspired.

Deep in thought. Incoming manager Mark Fell and assistant Craig Rutherford watch a dire Reds performance at Borough Park.

But it’s a fair bet after watching this that his first aim will be to persuade Conor Tinnion to stay on for another year.

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