Workington 0 - 2 Clitheroe

(Picture Credit - https://twitter.com/CumbrianGeoff/status/819148425400909825)

Integro League Cup - Second Round

If this had been a steeplechase, the going would have been heavy to a bit heavier, but all credit to both teams and to the ground staff for serving up a good competitive game.

As it was, Clitheroe totally dominated the game for long periods and limited the home team to one credible shot on goal. The Blues could have taken the lead on two minutes when Kurt Willoughby burst through the defence, as he left his marker floundering, and skimmed the bar with his shot.

The first goal was not long in coming as Brad Carroll wriggled on the edge of the box and slipped George West through behind the defence. His clinical finish at the near post was unstoppable. 0 -1.

Other chances came and went as both teams adapted their style to the surface, but Clitheroe (and your correspondent) thought the lead had been doubled on 34 minutes when Willoughby spun on the edge of the box and fired at goal. The keeper parried and Mitch Bryant followed up, but the goal was declared fractionally offside.

The Blues started the second half as they ended the first and within one minute, a through ball from Chris Churchman was neatly finished by Bryant. 0-2.

On 57 minutes, the lively Bryant got behind the defence and as he aimed his shot for the far post, the keeper parried again, with the ball falling to Charlie Russell, whose attempted lob was thwarted by both the keeper and the pitch. On 60 minutes, West crossed to Willoughby, whose header was clean but just devoid of power as he was slightly off balance, and the keeper saved comfortably. On 65 minutes, Russell skipped through a forest of defenders, and as he shot and the net billowed, the Blues’s fans thought he had scored, but instead he had hit the side netting.

The home team’s only chance came on 72 minutes when a deep cross saw uncharacteristic hesitation in the Blues’ defence and the following shot hit the post, with Chris Thompson saving the follow up effort.

When the referee blew for time, the general feeling was that the Clitheroe machine may have changed a couple of its component parts, but that it was still firing on all cylinders. All eyes now turn to Farsley as the club looks to end a sequence of dismal performances there. This is the side to do it.

Team: Thompson, Bromley, Cattermole, Ellison, Roberts, Russell, Churchman, Carroll, Willoughby, Bryant, West.
Subs (used) Newby, Mitchell, Bolton
Sub (not used) Tuanzebe