Workington Reds hold a comfortable 2-0 lead over Kendal Town at Borough Park at half time in what has been an entertaining derby clash.

The NPL North West Division's second-bottom side have belied their lowly league position at times with tidy play but Reds' quality told with a pair of well-taken goals and a number of near misses for the visitors.

With five former Reds players in the Kendal line-up and four ex-Town players in the Workington team there were plenty of familiar faces for both sides.

David Symington crafted the first opening when he burst past his man down the left wing and swung in a delightful cross which was hooked clear by Thomas Fagan at the far post.

The winger was in the thick of things again moments later when Scott Allison played him in out wide and looked to get on the end of the return ball but it was cut out.

Seconds after that it was Symington who found the back of the net with a powerful low drive which Kendal goalkeeper Morgan Bacon could do little about as Reds took the lead in the fourth minute.

That could have seen the league’s leakiest defence fall apart but it was the visitors who had the next chance and they really should have scored as Joseph Dickson inexplicably fired high and wide with the goal at his mercy after Emil Jaaskelainen’s lofted cross found him eight yards out.

Town did not look the pushovers some might have expected from the league table in an intense opening period, with both sides looking to move the ball forward quickly on the floor.

A cynical foul on Allison allowed Symington another shot at goal from a free kick in the 17th minute but his fierce drive struck a leaping Kendal defender and ballooned into the arms of the grateful Bacon.

Michael Hodgson was looking lively for the away side and his pace and direct running earned Town a corner in the 19th minute which Dickson whipped in but captain Patrick Allington could only direct his diving header wide.

Bowman earned a corner as the weather deteriorated and wind and rain came sweeping into Borough Park and Bacon was forced to palm over Conor Tinnion’s first high cross before the second swung out past the far post.

Reds were beginning to tighten their grip on the game and a Charlie Bowman flick on almost released Allison in behind but ran too close to the Kendal stopper.

Robbie Hebson, back in the side after a holiday and cutting in from the left after swapping wings with Symington, got his eye in next with a low effort from just outside the box but it drifted wide as the weather again worsened.

Tinnion linked up well with Allison and was the next to shoot, sending the ball way over the bar as Reds continued to push their visitors back but couldn’t quite carve their way into the box.

They did cut their way through in the 40th minute when Brad Hubbold tucked a perfectly-weighted slide-rule pass into the bottom corner, leaving Bacon rooted to his line for his second goal of the season.

Reds almost made it 3-0 immediately when Bacon charged out of his box but lost the ball and Allison’s curling effort from the edge of the area didn’t quite dip enough to nestle in the far top corner.

The rain was now almost horizontal and being whipped into the faces of the Kendal players to add to their woes.

There was still time for Ceiran Casson to draw a fine save from Bacon, who got down well to a strike he can only have seen late before the half time whistle went after the resulting corner came to nothing.