Workington Reds 0-0 Sutton Coldfield

A goalless draw was perhaps not the way anyone wanted to finish off the regular season but it was enough to see Workington Reds claim fourth place in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier.

With Borough Park bathed in sunshine, Reds took on Sutton Coldfield, secure in the knowledge that they were in the play-offs. But the exact positioning of all the teams was still to be determined.

Everyone in the ground were keeping up-to-date with games at Spennymoor and Stourbridge, the latter hosting Nantwich tomorrow.

In the end, whatever result Reds came up with would not have altered their position in the league due to the other scorelines. But both sides came out onto the pitch without the benefit of hindsight.

It was a scrappy start with tensions high and a lot left to play for with the Royals still in the relegation scrap at the start of the game.

It took time for them both to settle down and Sutton provided some early scares on the break.

The first real chance for Reds fell to James Earl who found himself in space in the area. He turned and shot but it scraped just across the face of the goal.

It was end to end as Sutton came right back at their hosts. Joshua Venney took a shot at goal but it took a deflection and went over the bar for a corner.

Aaran Taylor came out of his goal into a crowded goalmouth to put pressure on the attackers and Reds managed to clear.

There was uproar from the home crowd when it appeared that Sam Joel had been taken out by Michael Townsend as he tried to take on the defender but the referee waved play on.

Workington were settling into the game and produced one of the best pieces of play when Scott Allison provided a nice little flick off his back heel into the path of Joel.

The youngster’s initial shot was blocked but it came back to Allison who blasted an effort that would have tested the visiting keeper had it not cleared the crossbar.

There was some concern on the home bench when the talented Conor Tinnion had to come off the field after half an hour.

Tinnion looked to be favouring his hip and, as a precaution, his managers immediately replaced him with Dave Symington taking his place among the action.

Sutton Coldfield took advantage of the change as Venney showed his pace racing up to square off with Taylor in the Reds goal but he proved more than capable of dismissing their attack and they came away with nothing.

Max Wright caused some problems throughout the afternoon with his speed and sheer determination, as the Royals battled to keep themselves in the league for another season.

He flew down the right flank and managed to get a cross in but Gari Rowntree stood tall and cleared the danger on two occasions.

Mistakes were coming in from both sides and a loose pass from James Earl was seized on by Wright, again using his pace to try and outfox the defence but the attack petered out by the goalmouth and Reds cleared.

Reds had their chances to get on the scoresheet but it just wasn’t their day. Allison was busy hustling the defence but couldn’t find a clear cut chance.

Jack Ryan got the ball in the area and tried to take it on the half volley but it was a poor shot and went over the bar.

Then, Symington made a great break before slotting it into the penalty area. The ball fell to Ryan and he took his chance but it was blocked by the keeper’s legs.

Into the dying seconds of the half and the Royals had the final say as Birch shot from the edge of the are, it was driven hard but over the target and the scoreline remained at 0-0.

Reds had a good spell of possession at the start of the second half, which led to a chance for Symington.

He turned and shot on the edge of the area but it was partly blocked. It looked as though the ball could have fell to the lunging Allison but the flag was up for offside.

There was a fantastic opportunity for Ryan Robbins at the opposite end as he looked to go round Taylor clear on goal but Taylor cut down his angle and his shot went into the side netting.

Nathan Waterston came into the fray and made his presence felt as he beat his man and got in a great cross which Allison just couldn’t reach.

Mathias Curley was shown a yellow card on 79 minutes as he took a surging Allison out and this time Reds were awarded a free kick.

Rob Wilson, on in place of Earl, curled the ball into the area but Sutton were quick to clear.

The best chance of the game probably came in added time as a great strike from the boot of Matty Douglas forced a superb diving save from James Wren.

Seconds later, there was more anger at the referee as the keeper and Allison tangled with the man in the middle saying Wren had got the ball amidst consternation in the Reds camp.

The final action of the game saw Taylor called back into action as Wright won the ball away from Rowntree and bore down on the keeper but he was up to the task and the final whistle sounded.

There was joy for Sutton Coldfield who realised Corby had lost and their future was secure.

And Reds march on to the play-offs as they aim to reach another final and get another shot at promotion.

Reds: Taylor, Douglas, Rowntree, Smith, Calvert, Wright, Allison, Earl (Wilson 72), Ryan (Waterston 58), Joel, Tinnion (Symington 30). Subs: Cham, Fowler.

Yellow cards: Ryan 58.

Sutton: Wren, Beresford, Curley, Rooney (Webb 58), Townsend, Kelly, Wright, Birch, Howarth (Vincent 64), Venney, Robbins (Njie 75). Subs (not used): Cleet, O’Callaghan.

Yellow cards: Curley 79.

Referee: R Hughes.

Half time: 0-0.

Attendance: 676.