Workington Reds captain Conor Tinnion believes his team made some doubters eat their words by grinding out an ugly win at Prescot Cables on Saturday.

Reds came away from the IP Truck Parts Stadium at the weekend with three precious points in a game which was far from the spectacle of free-flowing football that many of their performances have been this season.

But Tinnion admitted he would be happy to grind out results until the end of the season if it meant lifting the NPL North West Division title and was satisfied that his side had silenced some critics who felt they were not capable of winning scrappier games.

“Saturday was particularly pleasing because of the fight in the team,” he said.

“It wasn’t a pleasant game and there wasn’t much football being played but a few people have doubted us this season as to whether we can mix it when it gets tough and I don’t think it’s a fair criticism.

“I think we’ve proved we can do it the horrible way if we have to.

“Pontefract at home and Pickering away were games where it became a battle, and Colne away when the weather was awful.

“I’d take winning every week and playing rubbish until the end of the season because that will mean promotion, although obviously we have the way that we want to play which has got us where we are so far.”

Tinnion, who was handed the armband by manager Danny Grainger in pre-season and has relished the extra responsibility, struck the first of Reds’ goals at Prescot as they took the lead after 25 minutes.

His midfield partner, Brad Hubbold, added the second in added time in the second half to put the game beyond their hosts.

The skipper felt the display was also evidence of the determination in the squad to do themselves justice, bouncing back from a 2-0 loss at promotion rivals Ramsbottom United with a Cumberland Cup in midweek last week against Keswick and a league win on the road at the weekend.

He said: “There is no question over the character of anyone in that dressing room.

“You can’t always do yourself justice on the pitch and we haven’t done in some games this season but it would be easy then for lads to go missing and hiding and we have never done that.”

Reds are second in the league table, two points off leaders Ramsbottom but with a game in hand on them.

Third-placed Marine, who are four points behind Workington, were due to entertain Widnes last night while fourth-placed Pontefract Collieries, five points off Reds, were set to welcome Prescot.