A third successive 1-0 home win gave Workington’s survival hopes a timely boost on a day when their nearest rivals all dropped points.
And after spending the majority of this season at the foot of the NPL Premier Division table, the narrow victory against Rushall Olympic has got them within touching distance of the four teams above them.
But Reds boss Billy Barr will not look further than the next game and knows there is still much work to do.
It is a well-used cliché, of course, but a sensible approach considering Workington had just nine points when he took over in November.
They are now unbeaten in five which could be down to their strong team spirit and togetherness and it was that bond which compensated for the lack of quality.
The only goal of this encounter came as early as the fourth minute when Dan Hopper rose in a crowded area to meet Kai Nugent’s corner and head home his fourth goal for the club.
Steven Swinglehurst was denied a second soon after when Jake Davies-Manton routinely gathered the defender’s header via a free-kick.
Rushall created very little throughout the game and their best chance fell to Osaze Okuonghae but his downward header, after meeting Sam Unitt’s well delivered free-kick, was parried to safety by a smart Alex Mitchell save.
Reds had late chances to double their lead but Isaac Whitehall and Josh Palmer were both thwarted by Davies-Manton whilst Palmer had a second effort cleared off the line.
Manager Barr was delighted with the team spirit shown by his depleted squad but was also full of praise for the ground staff who had worked tirelessly to get the pitch playable after the mudbath conditions of the previous week.
Barr also thanked the 800-plus fans who attended the game.
Next up for the Cumbrians is a trip to mid-table Guiseley on Saturday, who became the first team to beat Barr’s Workington in November.
Hear Barr’s verdict on the game below:
