By Martin Morgan

Last updated 10:06, Tuesday, 17 June 2008

Workington Town 50 Blackpool Panthers 12: Town blew away the Panthers with a power-packed second-half display in which they netted 38 unanswered points to set up one of their most impressive wins of the campaign.

• Video: watch match highlights

Shaun Lunt touches down for Town

At one time, racking up a half-century against Blackpool was as routine as rain at Wimbledon.

But new boss Martin Crompton is fashioning a competitive side and a win yesterday would have been their fourth in 11 league games and could have seen them overtake Town in the NL2 table.

At half-time there looked to be a possibility that a Blackpool win might be on the cards, as the match looked braced for a tight second period, with the hosts 12-8 up.

But from the moment Aussie scrum-half Bryce Poisel dummied his way over the line on the first attack of the second-half, on his home debut, Town were in command.

On their next set, they were in again, Brett Smith benefiting from a rebound off a kick to touch down under the posts.

Blackpool’s calamitous start to the half continued on 48 minutes when second-row Kris Ratcliffe flattened Poisel as he chased his chip.

He was sin-binned, as the home crowd demanded a red card. Poisel had to leave the field for treatment, but the nuggety No 7 was quickly back in the action.

If the Panthers thought that losing their playmaker would knock Town out of their stride, they were mistaken, as Matthew Tunstall powered over on 50 minutes.

Carl Forber was then on the end of Shaun Lunt’s flat pass to increase Town’s advantage.

Smith scythed through effortlessly for his second try after the powerful Chris Young had been held up over the line. And Aussie Young then collected his second try, off Forber’s pass.

The match took a nasty turn when loose-forward Andy Wallace spear-tackled James Robinson to earn a red card. The Town sub was also forced off with an apparent shoulder problem.

Yet the hosts simply rolled on, and there was no stopping Stephen Dawes when he intercepted an ambitious Blackpool pass out wide, Forber’s seventh conversion bringing up Town’s half-century.

The visitors kept plugging away, and their persistence was rewarded in the dying seconds when winger John Gillam squeezed over in the corner.

But it was scant reward for a Blackpool side who had opened the match brightly.

They had scored the first try on four minutes, a long pass out wide to Darryl Kay catching Town short of numbers.

The second-row cut inside the cover to touch down, Ashe coverting.

Workington showed their potential with a neat five-man passing move, which broke down in the shadow of the Panthers’ posts following a forward pass.

Ashe, meanwhile, increased Blackpool’s lead thanks to a penalty goal resulting from interference in the tackle.

The eight-point advantage lasted only three minutes, however, thanks to great work from Town’s props. Young took a return pass from Burgess and was able to stretch out his arm and plant the ball on the line.

Yet Blackpool were still causing their share of problems and David Llewelyn went close to scoring after collecting a bomb on the Town line.

But full-back Jay Duffy did enough to cause the centre to fumble. Duffy’s switch to the No 1 jersey to accommodate Poisel may yet prove a masterstroke.

He was outstanding yesterday, revelling in the extra space at the back and constantly willing to inject himself in to the attack.

Town could have easily slotted a penalty goal after Duffy suffered interference on the back of Lunt’s break.

But they elected to run to ball, and Lunt was bundled over the dead ball line.

Minutes later, the hooker made amends in great style, however. Taking Tunstall’s offload around 35 minutes out, he left a string of defenders grabbing thin air as he waltzed over.

Wallace blew a gilt-edged chance in the closing moments of the half. He broke the line but failed to react to unmarked centre Damian Munro on his outside, and the opportunity went begging.

A try at that point might have changed the course of the game. But with Town in such devastating second-half form, I doubt it.

Match Facts

Town: Duffy, Dawes, McCully, Mossop, Marshall, Forber, Poisel, Young S Lunt, D Burgess, R Campbell, Marsh, Smith. Subs: Kmet, Tunstall, Robinson, Benjafield

Tries: Young 2, Lunt, Poisel, Smith 2, Tunstall, Forber, Dawes

Goals: Forber 7

Panthers: Leather, Gillam, Munro, Llewelyn, Weed, Ashe, Ashton, Warriner, Clough, Fairhurst, Kay, Ratcliffe, Wallace. Subs: Tunstead, Barton, Boland, Cocka

Tries: Kay, Gillam

Goals: Ashe 2

Referee: Jamie Leahy

Attendance: 548

Star Man: Chris Young