And so a lengthy journey to West Cumbria and a first ever visit to Workington for the Northern Premier League Division One North West clash between Workington AFC and Ramsbottom United.
Football in Workington has a very long history. Close by and adjacent to Borough Park, home of Workington AFC, the folk game of "Uppies and Downies" is still an annual event. There are records about the game from 20 April 1775 in the Cumbrian Pacquet which is one of the earliest reports of a football match ever.
Association football was
introduced to Workington in the 1860s and became more popular when a group of
1,500 steel workers migrated to the town from Dronfield. They were workers of
the Charles Cammel and Co steel works that arrived in the town in
1884. 'Dronnies', as the people of Workington called the newcomers, formed
Workington AFC in 1888.
The original Workington AFC
was one of the founder members of the Cumberland Association League in
1888 and played at Lonsdale Park. In 1894 they moved to the Cumberland Senior
League, and in 1901 joined the Lancashire League. However, the league closed
two seasons later, and they returned to the Cumberland Senior League. In 1904
the club was admitted to the Lancashire Combination, but in 1910-11 season they
decided to economise and join the North Eastern League. However, after only one
season, the club folded.
The new Workington AFC was
born in 1921 and immediately joined the North Eastern League. During the 1933–34
season, the club managed its best ever FA Cup performance, reaching
the 4th round, before losing to Preston North End. Later in the decade,
the club moved to its present home, Borough Park. In 1951 the club
was voted into the Football League, replacing New Brighton.
The first season in the
Football League was a sign of things to come - rock bottom and only improving
by one place the season after. But things improved - the club was managed by
Bill Shankly, played the Busby Babes in the third round of the FA Cup a month
before the Munich disaster, reached the League Cup quarter finals twice and was
promoted to the Third Division in 1964.
However relegation in 1967
was the start of a lengthy decline; in 1974 and 1975 the team finished next to
bottom, and in 1976 Workington propped up the league. This was replicated the
season after, in a campaign with only four wins, and The Reds were voted out of
the Football League, replaced by Wimbledon, being the penultimate team to
fail to gain re-election (Southport were the last in the year after).
The club dropped into the
Northern Premier League with further relegations to Division One in 1988 and
the North West Counties in 1998. However the title was won the following season
concluding with a final 14 game winning streak and Workington were
promoted to the Conference North in 2005.
After two unsuccessful play
offs the Reds were relegated back to the Northern Premier League in 2011 and
last time out finished 21st out of 21, following North Ferriby's
liquidation, and were demoted to Division One North West.
Rammy United
were founded in 1966 and in true fairy tale fashion, one of its founders, Harry
Williams had a stint as manager and is still now the chairman 53 years on.
He has overseen the move from a parks pitch to a stadium named after him in
2010/11 (without his knowledge at the time). The ground adjoins Ramsbottom
Cricket Club and the East Lancashire Railway, and has flooded badly several
times when the adjacent River Irwell has burst its banks.
The Rams started out in the Bury Amateur League before moving to the Bolton Combination in 1969. They stayed there for 20 years until they transferred to the Manchester League. A successful application to join the North West Counties Football League followed in 1995.
Williams' bold appointment of joint managers, Bernard Morley and Antony Johnson (subsequently of Salford City fame) in 2009/10, at the ages of 26 and 25, raised eyebrows but paid off with promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One North in 2012 and after a dreadful start to the 2013/14 season, the Rams reached the play offs in fifth place on the last day of the season and then won both away games to be promoted to non-league's third tier for the first time.
United were relegated for the first time ever in 2016 but reached the FA Trophy 3rd Round Proper last season, beating Workington en route and holding eventual winners AFC Fylde to a 5-5 draw before losing the replay. The Rams finished fifth last term but lost out in the play offs semi final to Radcliffe who were ultimately promoted.
So on a
miserable Saturday morning a brief walk on the tow path of the Bridgewater
Canal and more narrowboats at rest - 'By Ecc', 'Pond Skater' and 'Molly Roger'.
Then the M56 before joining the M6 and marvelling at some imbecilic driving -
heavy rain, dreadful visibility so no lights but put them on when it all
clears... Some odd numberplates too - S1T UP, S5 OWNR (yes an Audi and a driver
clearly with more money than sense), L11RGY and, incredibly, DOD6Y - say no
more....
Before Preston it's just possible to make out in an adjoining field a plastic giraffe stood atop a shipping container advertising South Planks - bizarre !! Then as I approach Lancaster the weather clears and the cathedral comes into view. Shap Summit and signs for Ullswater Steamers and an Alpaca Centre plus some stunning views of the Cumbrian countryside.
I bypass Keswick, travelling alongside the huge Bassenthwaite lake and, reluctantly, miss out on this weekend's Cockermouth Food Festival. Through Threlkeld and Scales, the landscape littered with wind turbines, the A66 takes me into Workington, past the Helena Thompson Museum.
Then the Washington Square shopping centre, Henry Bessemer Picture Theatre (Wetherspoons), the Woolly Mammoth (wool, knitting and baby items - the stress being on Mam), The Pink Banana (tattoos !!) and The Mad Scientist (cocktail bar - what else ?). This brings me to the railway station, a right turn and just round the corner is Borough Park; I park at Tesco across the road.
Borough Park has been well maintained from its League days, although capacity has been reduced to 3,101. £10 at the gate via the Black Path and inside steep banks of terracing, covered in the near corner, before I reach the main covered grandstand, behind which is the River Derwent. Across the way is the bar and a smaller covered stand, behind the dugouts, specifically for directors and sponsors; beyond is the A597, Tesco and Derwent Park, home of Workington Town RLFC.
The teams
enter to the background of the Z Cars theme music, Workington, naturally, in
all red and Rammy in change white shirts and purple shorts and socks. Glorious
sunshine, in stark contrast to the earlier driving rain, and a moderate
breeze, a female referee (who does very well) and a healthy crowd of 469 await,
in Reds' manager Danny Grainger's words 'a six pointer': Workington are top,
the Rams sixth seven points behind but with four games in hand.
It's an inauspicious start for the Rams as keeper Tom Stewart can't make his mind up to catch or punch and ends up fumbling and then handling outside the box. The free kick comes to naught but on 6 minutes Reds' Dave Symington races down the left flank and cuts the ball back to Scott Allison, drawing a decent save from Stewart, but the ball falls to Brad Carroll who can't miss and Workington lead 1-0.
It's one way traffic thereafter as the Reds play some gorgeous football; little surprise then that on 17 minutes Allison controls the ball, back heels and then curls it left footed into the bottom corner magnificently for 2-0. His 100th goal for the club and one to savour.
Chances come and go and there's a penalty shout before a through ball plays in Charlie Bowman and he finishes emphatically to make it 3-0 on 29 minutes. Ten minutes later Symington again sprints down the touchline and this time chooses to go it alone, ending with a drilled shot across Stewart to make it four.
Three minutes later Rammy make their only contribution to the half. Nic Evangelinos picks up a loose clearance and squares to Jamie Rother who gambles on the near post and the net ripples beyond Jim Atkinson to leave it 4-1 at the break.
A triple substitution by the Rams at the break as they change to a back three - their largely anonymous number nine Anointed Chukwu is one of those sacrificed. It matters little as the Reds continue to fashion chances, in particular Allison's wayward shot, and have a clearer penalty shout.
Evangelinos scuffs just wide in a rare Ramsbottom attack and they come even closer on 75 minutes from a corner with a Workington defender diverting the ball onto the goalframe and the follow up cleared off the line.
This seems to galvanise the Reds and three minutes afterwards sub Brad Hubbold somehow comes off best against three Rams, and plays in fellow sub Nathan Waterson who scores his first ever goal with aplomb.
Waterson and Allison contrive to spurn further gilt edged chances to leave it 5-1 as the referee blows her whistle for full time. 'Best I've seen them play in years' is one comment as the Workington faithful depart. Vintage Red(s) indeed......
