Recap
Mark Fell’s side are limping towards the end of a frustrating season and, for the seventh time, dropped points from a winning position. Eighteen points have slipped from their grasp, after taking the lead, with the latest of those setbacks handing Basford an unexpected life line as they, Mickleover and Matlock Town battle to beat the drop.
Unlikely as it seems, one of those teams could survive the threat of relegation and that would drag Whitby Town, Bamber Bridge or, whisper it quietly, Workington back into the equation.
It seems unthinkable after the steady progress Reds have made over the last three months but the Premier Division table says Workington are currently the seventh worst team in the division and the hope is that situation doesn’t deteriorate any further.
And this loss left the Reds boss frustrated and angry. His frustration was aimed at his players for gifting Basford a stoppage time winner, his anger towards the referee who, he felt, was inconsistent in two incidents involving Steven Rigg.
Rigg had been poleaxed by Jamie Williamson earlier but the incident went unpunished then, in the seventy-second minute, the Reds centre-forward sought retribution and challenged the Basford player with a raised elbow and was promptly shown the red card.
I don’t think there was much doubt about the dismissal but Workington felt harshly treated after the earlier incident.
And Reds believed that was the turning point of the game. In truth, though, they shot themselves in the foot – not once but twice. From a position of comfort at half time, they were poor throughout the second period and two late goals proved their undoing.
Both were ‘sloppy’ on the strength of defensive analysis and what should have been a hard-fought 1-0 away win quickly became a potentially damaging defeat.
Workington had looked good, or at least better, in the opening twenty minutes than they did in the last twenty and a cracking goal after fifteen minutes should have paved the way to a positive outcome.
Dav Symington sent over an inch-perfect cross from the left and Connor Pani volleyed home a sublime opener at the far post. And, moments later, Symington cut inside and his fierce shot was finger-tipped over the bar by veteran ’keeper, Saul Deeney.
Deeney also saved more routinely to deny Ruben Grewal and Basford’s response was two efforts from skipper Matt Thornhill one of which was saved, the other cleared the bar by some distance.
There were fewer chances created in the early stages of the second half but Basford were trying to get forward and were delivering crosses into the Reds area, to no avail.
Williamson became the central figure, much to the delight of the home support. He had, of course, been involved in the two incidents with Rigg, plus an earlier ‘naughty’ challenge and then, frustratingly, headed United’s eighty-second minute equaliser.
Workington were caught out by a corner which appeared to have been badly delivered but the ball struck the foot of the upright and wrong-footed everyone. Basford reacted quickly to the situation, Reds didn’t and, when the ball was re-cycled, the unmarked Williamson headed into the empty net.
A draw would have been a disappointment at that late stage but, deep into stoppage time, it got a whole lot worse for the Cumbrians.
They lost possession deep into Basford territory and were undone by the efficient transition. Daniel Adiefeh’s diagonal pass found Rhys Sharpe on the left flank and his well-timed assist was neatly converted by substitute, Brad Gascoigne, with blue-shirted defenders conspicuous by their absence.
It completed a strange day at the foot of the table with three clubs in the relegation zone winning and the three immediately above the drop zone losing.
Basford United: Deeney, Anderson (White, 90), Chapman, Thornhill (Gascoigne, 74), Stewart, Williamson, James (Palmer, 59), Adiefeh, Goodman (Dacres, 59), Gratton, Sharpe. Substitute – King (not used).
Workington: Barrett, Clarke, Fitzpatrick, Pani, Swinglehurst, Ambrose, Symington (Galloway, 86), Jake Allan (Nugent, 59), Rigg, Grewal (Little, 77), Jamie Allen (Stephenson, 84). Substitute – Strachan (not used).
Referee: Alex Rolfe, Walsall
Bookings: Dakers, Gascoigne (Basford United), Nugent, Swinglehurst (Workington)
Red card: Rigg (Workington)
Attendance: 374