WhiteBallProject » Sat 7th Feb : Workington v Ilkeston : ko 3pm

Matchman · 02/2/2026 9:36 AM

Next up is the long trip to Workington

Workington have only won 3 matches so far this season
Their last win was 3 months ago on 8th Nov when they beat Hyde 3-2 (their only home win)

Workington overall record: P27. W3. D10. L14. F25. A45. Points 19
Workington home record : P13. W1. D 5 . L 7 . F10. A17. Points 8

Despite their abysmal record :
9 of their 14 defeats have been by the single goal and only once have they lost by more than two goals,
They are the 3rd best supported club in the league with an average home gate of 795.

Matchman · 02/2/2026 9:40 AM

.
Due to lack of numbers there is no Supporters Group coach to Workington

There are a limited number of seats for supporters on the Team Coach which leads the ground at 8 45 am.

Matchman · 04/2/2026 7:14 AM

Last season we lost at Workington 2-1 and the season before that we lost 4-1.

Steven W · 04/2/2026 9:31 AM

Is there definitely no Supporters Group coach for this?

After being at Saturday’s game, my dad was under the impression that there was a Supporters Group coach leaving the ground about 8am.

Matchman · 04/2/2026 10:09 AM

Steven W wrote:
Is there definitely no Supporters Group coach for this?

After being at Saturday’s game, my dad was under the impression that there was a Supporters Group coach leaving the ground about 8am.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hi Steven
This is what Richard France posted on Ilkeston Town FC Away Travel

"Workington 7/2
Sorry guys but I’ve cancelled the coach for next weekend. People have dropped out for various reasons and I cannot afford another big loss. “

There are a limited number of seats available on the team bus leaving 8 45am.

Last edited by Matchman (04/2/2026 10:54 AM)

Steven W · 04/2/2026 10:36 AM

Ok, thanks for the reply. I’ll let my dad know.

Matchman · 04/2/2026 10:52 AM

.
This is a last chance to visit the old Borough Park, Workington ground

Date set for football stadium demolition

=inheritIMAGE SOURCE, GOOGLE
Workington AFC said the demolition would mark the start of work on a new £6.4m stadium
Federica Bedendo BBC News, North East and Cumbria Published 7 February 2025

Demolition work on a football stadium will begin in May ahead of the building of a new £6.4m facility. Borough Park in Workington, Cumbria - home to Workington AFC - is due to be replaced with a community stadium called the Cumberland Sports Village. It would become a home for the football club as well as the Workington Town rugby teams, currently based at the Fibrus Stadium across the road. Reds' chairman Phil Norman said the first phase of demolition would see the main club building and west side of the stadium knocked down. He said the club wanted to remain on-site during the redevelopment with temporary facilities installed, although a final decision has yet to be made. The new stadium, due to be ready by August 2026, would house offices, dressing rooms, function rooms, catering facilities and bars, as well as a new stand.

Workington have been based at Borough Park since 1937. Mr Norman said new facilities, which would be open to the community during the week, would enable the club to "increase revenues without the burden of maintenance of old infrastructure".Workington AFC has operated from Borough Park since 1937.

Last edited by Matchman (04/2/2026 11:06 AM)

Matchman · 04/2/2026 8:00 PM

.
After a 4 hour bus ride to Borough Park, it is always going to be difficult for the players to perform at their best so although Workington are bottom of the league, a win cannot be taken for granted.

Workington come into this game having only been beaten once in their last 5 matches. That single defeat was a 0-1 loss at home to league leaders Hebburn. The four draws were against Prescot, FC United, Whitby and Lancaster.

Last edited by Matchman (04/2/2026 8:04 PM)

Matchman · 05/2/2026 10:06 AM

.
It’s interesting that two of the current bottom three (Workington and Hyde) have each drawn a high number of their games suggesting an inability to hold on to a lead.

There are some important matches this weekend affecting the bottom of the league
:
Workington (21st) home to Ilkeston
Stocksbridge (20th) v Hyde (19th)
Morpeth (18th) away to Cleethorpes
Rushall (17th) no match
Whitby (16th) away to Hednesford
Leek (15th) home to Gainsborough
Prescot (14th) away to FC United

Morpeth, Whitby, Leek and Prescot have tough matches and with Rushall not playing, Stocksbridge or Hyde have an opportunity to improve their position.

Curent positions:
Played. Points
12th Cleethorpes 26 34
13th. Ilkeston 28 34
14th Prescot 27 32
15th. Leek 27 32
16th. Whitby 25. 31
17th. Rushall 27 30
18th Morpeth 27 28
---------------------------------------------
19th. Hyde 27 28
20th. Stocksbridge 26 25
21st. Workington 27 19

Last edited by Matchman (05/2/2026 10:38 PM)

kevilsonlad · 05/2/2026 7:38 PM

this is an absolute must win game for us ...... But yet again we are at the bare bones of playing staff , could this our undoing ???? but i have still gone an ilson win . i hope i havent put the mokkas on this though .

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:33 PM

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:33 PM

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:34 PM

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:34 PM

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:35 PM

WhiteBallProject · 05/2/2026 10:35 PM

Matchman · 06/2/2026 9:50 AM

.
Last Saturday L’Varn asked me how many matches he had played in. I can now tell him it’s 85 (69 starts plus 16 as a used substitute)
We have 14 league matches left plus at least 1 Derbyshire Senior Cup match so it’s just possible for L’Varn to reach 100 appearances this season.

Two other players are closing in on 100 appearances very soon are:
Callum Minkley 98 appearances (87 starts plus 11 as a sub)
Sam Parker 95 appearances. (91 starts plus 4 as a sub

So if Mr Reliable Callum Minkley plays at Workington tomorrow it will be his 99th appearance for Ilkeston Town FC.

Last edited by Matchman (06/2/2026 9:55 AM)

Matchman · 06/2/2026 3:58 PM

.
Workington’s Match Preview

MATCH PREVIEW:
Three opponents to overcome

Billy Barr’s team will have three opponents to overcome on Saturday – the weather, the pitch and mid-table Ilkeston Town. The Premier Division fixture at Borough Park (3pm) is, perhaps, more important to us than the Derbyshire Reds but, if anything, that puts a little extra pressure on the hosts who have forgotten how good that winning feeling is.
Remarkably, both teams have lost fourteen league games this season yet the Derbyshire Reds are fifteen points better off than us. The difference is the wins and draws columns, with Ilkeston winning ten of their games and drawing four and Workington registering three wins and ten draws.

They sit comfortably in 13th position and have four away wins under their belt already – Morpeth Town (2-1), Leek Town (2-1), Guiseley (4-1) and Stockton Town (4-0).
Back in September, they inflicted a 3-2 defeat upon us at the New Manor ground and will be keen to complete a first ever league double at our expense. They have won at Borough Park in the past but not in a league fixture.

Their first visit (2004-05) saw them win a League Cup tie here and, in 2015, they emerged winners in the promotion play-off semi after we had beaten them home and away during the regular season.
The head-to-head now reads played fifteen with Reds winning nine of those games and Ilkeston (in their various guises) successful on five occasions.
Billy Barr will revert to his depleted first team squad having rested several players for the midweek Cumberland Cup tie.

Form guide
Workington: DDLLLDDDLD
Ilkeston Town: LLDWDWLWDL

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Interesting statistic above:
Ilkeston have never won a league match at Workington

Last edited by Matchman (06/2/2026 4:08 PM)

Alex · 06/2/2026 4:18 PM

I went to the 1st one in the league cup. If I remember right we won 3-1 and a lad called Paul johnson scored for us. Maybe wrong because it's over 29 years ago

WhiteBallProject · 06/2/2026 9:46 PM

UPDATES 15:00

League One
Mansfield Town 0 Exeter City 0
Port Vale 0 Burton Albion 0

League Two
Bristol Rovers 0 Chesterfield 0
Notts County 0 Barrow 0

National League North
Alfreton Town 0 Buxton 0
Worksop Town 0 AFC Telford United 0

Northern Premier League Premier Division
Ashton United 0 Warrington Town 0
Bamber Bridge 0 Stockton Town 0
Cleethorpes Town 0 Morpeth Town 0
FC United of Manchester 0 Prescot Cables 0
Guiseley 0 Lancaster City 0
Hednesford Town 0 Whitby Town 0
Leek Town 0 Gainsborough Trinity 0
Stocksbridge Park Steels 0 Hyde United 0
Warrington Rylands 0 Hebburn Town 0
Workington 0 Ilkeston Town 0

Northern Premier League East Division
Ashington 0 Emley 0
Bishop Auckland 0 Heaton Stannington 0
Blyth Spartans 0 Pontefract Collieries 0
Bradford PA 0 Blyth Town 0
Matlock Town 0 North Ferriby 0

Northern Premier League Midland Division
Anstey Nomads 0 Mickleover 0
Basford United 0 Bourne Town 0
Carlton Town 0 Belper Town 0
Long Eaton United 0 Loughborough Students 0
Rugby Town 0 Shepshed Dynamo 0

Lowland League
Berwick Rangers 0 Clydebank 0

FA Vase Fifth Round
Coventry United 0 North Shields 0

Northern League Division One
Horden CW 0 Newcastle Benfield 0
Marske United 0 Newcastle Blue Star 0
Shilden 0 Whitley Bay 0
West Allotmant Celtic 0 Northallerton Town 0

United Counties League Premier Division North
Deeping Rangers 0 AFC Mansfield 0
Eastwood Community 0 Skegness Town 0
Grantham Town 0 Clay Cross Town 0
Gresley Rovers 0 Belper United 0
Heanor Town 0 Boston Town 0
Hucknall Town 0 Newark Town 0
Newark & Sherwood United 0 Kimberley MW 0
Wisbech Town 0 Sherwood Colliery 0

Northern League Division Two
AFC Newbiggin 0 Tow Law Town 0
Alnwick Town 0 Prudhoe YC 0
Newcastle University 0 Ryton & Crawcrook Albion 0

Matchman · 06/2/2026 11:26 PM

.
.
As far as I'm aware there is no planned pitch inspection before our match at Workington.so it seems like they are confident the game will go ahead,

Workington weather forecast for tomorrow is showing possibility of light rain.at times, mostly cloudy but some sunshine in the morning, temperature 9C (feels like 5C).

Matchman · 07/2/2026 2:32 PM

I’m having trouble getting online on my laptop. Maybe have to use my phone

Matchman · 07/2/2026 2:45 PM

Workington
1 Mitchell, 2Casson, 3 Leslie, 4 Whitehall, 5 Little, 6 Dickinson, 7 Hopper, 8 Carroll, 9 Rigg, 10 Ogwuru, 11Nugent.
Bench 12 Swinglehurst,14 Allan, 15Palmer, 16 McDonough, 17 McLinden

Ilkeston Town
1 Roberts, 2 Carter, 3Walker, 4 Thornhill, 5 Marshall, 6 Parker, 7 Essien, 8 Dixon, 9 Fox, 10 Kirby-Moore 11 Youmbi
Bench. 12 Brandy, 14Stevens, 15 Whyle, 16Marshall (Alex) 17 Hutchinson.

Last edited by Matchman (07/2/2026 2:51 PM)

Alex · 07/2/2026 2:50 PM

What's happened to minkley

Matchman · 07/2/2026 2:53 PM

Alex wrote:
What's happened to minkley

Had an accident at work. His hand is in plaster. Out for a few weeks

Matchman · 07/2/2026 2:58 PM

Teams are out

Team change Stevens starts instead of Essien.

Matchman · 07/2/2026 3:00 PM

It’s a sticky pitch.

We’re off......

kevilsonlad · 07/2/2026 3:01 PM

Matchman wrote:
Alex wrote:
What's happened to minkley
Had an accident at work. His hand is in plaster. Out for a few weeks

Not good for him or the team ..

Matchman · 07/2/2026 3:05 PM

Fox down following head clash . He’s okay now. Free kick Workington in decent position. Great play by Nugent creates a chance but it’s only a corner. 0-0. 4 mins

Matchman · 07/2/2026 3:12 PM

Keeper just beats Fox to the ball. Youmbi cross is just missed by Fox in good Ilkeston spell. 0-0. 11 mins