Workington Reds boss Billy Barr missed Tuesday’s County Cup win to watch an NPL Premier Division game.
Barr watched Gainsborough win 3-0 at Ashton United to move seventh in the table, with matches in hand of all the teams above them.
The Reds manager admitted he was impressed: “Off the back of that game I would say that Gainsborough are the best team I’ve seen in the league since I came, just above FC United.
“We go there on February 14 so obviously that’s going to be a tough one for us.”
But before then Reds are at home on Saturday to Ilkeston who are 13th in the table, but if the Cumbrians hadn’t thrown away 14 points from the 85th minute they would be a point and a place behind them.
Barr watched a video of Ilkeston yesterday and says that will influence how he conducts tonight’s training session.
“I have a better idea of what they are about after watching that and the main thing is continuing to work on us and creating more opportunities.”
Ilkeston beat Reds 3-2 back in September with all the goals coming in the first-half when the hosts took the lead after just 23 seconds. They trailed 2-0 before Dav Symington and Luke Ellis pulled them level and then Ilkeston scored a third to win the game.
At the time it was described as an abject display by the Reds who could have no complaints about the result.
- Tyler Magliore, Reds’ former centre-back, was on the bench for Port Vale on Tuesday night but didn’t come on in a 1-0 home defeat to Wimbledon.
