Workington Reds 1 Grantham Town 4: Billed as a massive game for both clubs, the loss and the size of it was a shattering blow for Workington Reds.

The west Cumbrians slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season, a result that leaves them entrenched in the relegation zone, seven points from safety.

The extent of the reversal was made worse by the fact that Grantham hadn’t won since September 29 and had been in apparent free-fall before Saturday.

What was particularly hard to take was that, for the opening half-an-hour of the game, very few people on the ground would have predicted a Grantham win, and nobody the extent of it.

Reds had started positively on the front foot, forcing four corners in the first seven minutes and testing goalkeeper Jordan Wright with a couple of early efforts.

From the second corner of the game, the ball was only cleared to the edge of the area and, although Scott Allison scuffed his shot, Wright still had to get down smartly to turn it round the post.

Wright then had to produce another diving stop to turn away a low shot from Conor Tinnion which was heading for the bottom corner.

With possession, territory and pressure, Reds just needed the breakthrough but it never came – and there were a couple of warnings of what might happen if they didn’t get their noses in front.

Once Brad Hubbold was covering well to deny Max Watters a certain goal and then Tom Siddons shot wide when, at the very least, he should have hit the target.

So, there was a general sense of dismay both on the field and on the terraces when Grantham took the lead on 32 minutes.

They broke quickly down the right, took advantage of some slack defending, and when Danny Durkin produced a pinpoint cross, Watters had stolen in for a simple close-range finish at the near post.

There were a couple of good efforts before half-time, particularly a curling free-kick from Tinnion which Wright dived full length to turn behind for a corner, but the damage had been done.

A pattern has emerged throughout the season of Reds conceding and then apparently lacking the steel or resolve to get back into the contest.

In this case, it turned into an absolute disaster as three goals in the first 16 minutes put Grantham in cruise control and Reds in disarray.

Durkin, who had re-signed for the Gingerbreads in midweek, had a second debut he won’t forget, for after creating the first goal for his side, scored the next two and then made the fourth.

His first on 50 minutes was a bit special. He nutmegged Gari Rowntree near the byline and then, giving himself a better angle, fired a fine shot beyond Aaron Taylor into the far corner.

Two minutes later, he seized on a poor headed clearance by Kyle May to hold off desperate attempts to make amends before drilling the ball into the same bottom corner of the net.

Then, to complete a successful afternoon for the young striker, he threaded a ball through the Reds defence for Watters to collect, skip round Taylor and slot home.

Workington were like rabbits trapped in the headlights and the fact that they pulled one back was only a statistical note on a dismal afternoon.

Jason Walker, who had been Reds best player, was bundled over in the area on 72 minutes but after two successive misses didn’t get up to take the spot-kick. Allison took over the role and promptly smashed the ball home as Wright dived the other way.

In a low key finale, however, Reds never got close again and the feel-good factor following the five-goal midweek romp against Newcastle has been quickly extinguished.

Match Facts

Workington: Taylor, Mellen, Rowntree, Smith, May (Calvert 58), Hubbold, Joel (Mossop 64), Holt (Cowperthwaite 53), Walker, Allison, Tinnion. Subs (not used) Maguire, Casson.

Goal: Allison, pen (72)

Grantham Town: Wright, Barrows (Charlesworth 86), Luto, Fletcher (Curtis 77), Bird, Ward, McGhee (Thompson 89), Bell-Toxtle, Durkin, Siddons, Watters. Subs (not used) Nassunculo, Bastos.

Goals: Watters (32, 61), Durkin (50, 52)

Referee: Pete Shacklady

Crowd: 352

Star Man: Jason Walker