The Pitmen's second journey up to Cumbria this season also ends in defeat as they follow up their defeat at Barrow on the opening day with a poor display and loss on their first-ever trip to Workington

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After making progress in the F.A. Cup last weekend courtesy of the thrilling 4-3 win at Southern Premier League side Banbury United, player/manager Chris Brindley was able to welcome right-back Ross Adams into the XI after the former West Brom man mad recovered from injury; he came straight back into the side in place of youngster Steve Brannan, who dropped to the bench once more to make way for Adams

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The Reds had been dumped out of the F.A. Cup at the third qualifying round last week after suffering a 2-0 reverse at UniBond Premier League side Burscough. Manager Tommy Cassidy made one change to the side that had lost at Victoria Park as Richard Logan was replaced by Ian Arnold up front. This was the first change to the Reds' starting line-up in four games, dating back to a 0-0 draw against Stalybridge Celtic back in September

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The Borough Park pitch was heavy and uneven ahead of today's game, with both sides struggling to get to grips with the conditions in a low-quality first-half showing.

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The hosts were first to show their hand in the fifth minute as full-back Dave Hewson made a move forwards to match onto a pass from Matt Henney but sliced his angled shot well wide of goal

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In the tenth minute, Workington striker Dan Dillon held off Richard Teesdale's challenge as he ran onto a pass from Henney but struck his ambitious angled drive high over the crossbar and into the crumbling terracing behind Tommy Whittle's goal

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Teesdale was involved at the other end of the pitch for the visitors in the thirteenth minute as he flicked on a Lee Williams corner at the near post and found Colin Hunter lurking, only for the winger to drive his shot over the crossbar from twelve yards out

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Henney was next to try his luck from thirty yards out for the Reds on seventeen minutes, thinking his way past Rob Heath in midfield but shanking his effort high over Whittle's crossbar as the ball took a bobble on the pitch in front of him

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Midway through the half, Hewson made the move forwards to get on the end of a neat passing move that saw the home side switch play from left to right, culminating in the Workington number two driving his low shot wide of Whittle's post from the corner of the penalty area

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The hosts were enjoying the better of the play and looked the more likely to break the deadlock as defender Kyle May went closest of anyone to opening the scoring on twenty-five minutes as he headed tamely wide from Hewson's deeply-struck cross when he should have tested Whittle at his far post

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Colin Hunter - impressive in Hednesford's win over Banbury last weekend - had the Pitmen's first genuine sight at goal three minutes later as he beat two players before lifting his twenty-yard shot over Collin's crossbar

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Collin was called upon to make a save for the home side on thirty-two minutes as Adams sent over a cross from the right that was met by Heath, only to see his headed effort pushed away by the hand of the former Doncaster Rovers man for a Hednesford corner kick

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A quick counter-attack from Workington on thirty-five minutes saw Carl Heiniger hold off a challenge from Grant Beckett and play Craig Johnston away down the left wing with Adams chasing him down. The full-back did enough to jockey the winger out to the corner flag before Johnston pulled the ball back to Lee Hoolickin, whose cross was pushed over the crossbar by Whittle as he looked to lose the flight of the ball momentarily

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On thirty-nine minutes, Dillon did well to play strike partner Arnold into space just outside the penalty area with a neat reverse ball. Barrow did well to halt the attack initially by sliding in and blocking the striker's shot, but the ball ran kindly to Johnston who rifled his rebounded effort just wide of the target

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With half-time fast approaching, the hosts got their noses in front at the perfect time with the game's opening goal in first-half injury time; Barrow crudely brought Dillon down just outside the Hednesford penalty area and was booked for his challenge on the striker. The resultant free-kick from Hoolickin was flicked on by May and into the path of Steve Birks, who had the simple task of nodding past Whittle from close-range

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This late strike will have changed both manager's half time notes, with the Pitmen now chasing the game having not looked a threat in the final third of the pitch; Steve Anthrobus and Andy Bell had been isolated for long periods of the first half and had got little change out of May and Henney so far

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There was an early appeal for a Workington penalty kick just four minutes after the restart as Johnston made his way into the Hednesford penalty area after drifting in from the left-wing and appeared to be pushed by Adams as he beat the defender for pace. Referee Mr Brumwell was less impressed with Johnston's claims however and the game continued

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The Pitmen's response to going a goal down came through the boot of Lee Williams, who spotted up a free-kick won by Bell just to the left of the Workington penalty area on fifty-three minutes; the veteran curled his effort over the four-man wall but also dipped his effort onto the roof of Collin's net

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A minute later, Brannan was brought on as the Pitmen's first substitution of the afternoon as he came on in place of Williams in the centre of midfield to add more pace to proceedings

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Heniniger's free-kick from the right on fifty-five minutes was partially cleared by the Hednesford defence but only as far as Alan Gray, who was lurking just outside the Pitmen's penalty area. His half-volley lacked direction, however, and ended up clearing the crossbar

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Mark Branch's long throw two minutes later found Bell inside the Workington penalty area with his back to goal, with the young striker manoeuvring the ball onto his left boot and squaring the ball to Anthrobus, who scuffed his shot well wide of goal as the ball came to him a little too quickly

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On sixty-two minutes, Beckett's loose pass was seized upon by Gray, who quickly sent the dangerous Johnston away down the left to tease Adams once more with his pace. The winger turned back onto his right foot and crossed towards Dillon, but Whittle spotted the danger early and made the save ahead of the striker

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A minute later, the visitors made a bold double change as top scorer Paul McMahon replaced the ineffective Anthrobus and youngster Craig Marshall came on in place of Beckett

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On sixty-six minutes, good interplay from Dillon and Arnold saw Arnold play Birks into space in behind the Hednesford defence, with the midfielder taking a heavy first touch and allowed Whittle to make a smothering save

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The Pitmen had a glorious chance to level matters with what proved to be their best chance of the game two minutes later as Brannan's long throw from the right touchline found Bell unmarked at the near post, only for Collin to make a flying stop to palm the striker's goalbound effort away

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The Pitmen's corner kick was wasted as Hunter clipped the ball straight into the arms of Collin, who quickly played the ball forwards down the right flank to Hewson, who had already made ground past the retreating Branch. With the Pitmen struggling to get bodies back, Hewson picked out the incoming Henney, whose near-post header somehow managed to squeeze past Whittle and find the net. Question marks against Whittle for both his positioning and handling of the ball as he allowed it to squirm past him

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The Pitmen came straight back at their hosts as they looked for an immediate reply on seventy-two minutes, with Hunter making a late run into the box to meet an Adams cross but saw his rising header go inches over the crossbar from six yards out

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With thirteen minutes remaining, Workington opened up the Hednesford defence with a slide-rule pass from Heiniger into the path of Dillon, only for a late offside flag on the far side of the pitch to deny the striker a clear strike at goal

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On eighty minutes, another offside flag was raised against Johnston as he darted in behind a dithering Adams to reach a pass from Gray, but again the man in red had moved too early to reach the ball

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Whittle partially atoned for his part in Workington's second goal with a fantastic save to deny Johnston two minutes later, diving at full stretch to push the winger's low shot across goal away from the far post and behind for a corner to the hosts

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The Pitmen were living dangerously as a result of pushing more men forwards in search of a goal and were leaving gaps in behind them for the hosts to run into at will. Johnston was again denied by another brilliant Whittle save on eighty-seven minutes as he made another flying save to divert Johnston's long-range effort over the crossbar for yet another Workington corner

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In the final minute, Branch sent Hunter away down the left on a rare foray in behind the Workington defence; the winger got to the byeline and looked to pull the ball back to Marshall, only for May to block the youngster's shot six yards from goal and then deny McMahon on the follow-up

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It had been a frustrating afternoon for Brindley's troops, who had never really got going in a game they always seemed to be chasing. Workington move above the Pitmen into thirteenth place after picking up the points, leaving Brindley's men now starting to look below them in the table as they sit just a point above the clubs scrapping it out in the bottom three of the table. Tuesday night sees Hednesford make the short journey down to Damson Park to face mid-table dwellers Moor Green for the second time inside a month looking for a response to this afternoon's indifferent display

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Workington: Collin, Hewson, Hoolickin, May, Gray, Henney, Heiniger (Golding 82), Birks, Arnold, Dillon (McCluskey 71), Johnston (Gordon 89)       Subs Unused: Hamilton, Summersgill

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Hednesford Town: Whittle, Adams, Branch, Barrow © ▆, Teesdale, Williams (Brannan 54), Beckett (C. Marshall 63), Heath, Anthrobus (McMahon 63), Bell, Hunter    Subs Unused: Brindley, T. Marshall

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