A complete team performance earned Workington Reds another away win to hoist them back to second place in the table.

The run of injuries may have cost them top spot to Marine, but there have been signs in the last two games that things are coming back to where they were.

After disposing of Mossley two weeks ago, this was probably the Cumbrians’ best performance of the season so far to follow up.

Solid in defence, clever in their build-up and clinical in how they finished, it was enough to outplay their hosts for much of the game.

Yet happier Chris Willcock’s men had to do it with ten men for the last 35 minutes after Ruben Jerome had been shown a straight red card.

In truth, though, they controlled the vast majority of the game, playing some excellent football in a fine all-round team display.

There have been concerns that the stop-start nature of Reds' recent programme would affect performances, but more time spent on the training ground has ironed out issues that had been affecting them.

The clean sheet, to back-up the one recorded in the 1-0 win at Mossley, was the other bonus as manager Willcock affirmed.

“I thought we did particularly well at Mossley when we didn’t have the ball," he said.

“But how we played in possession against Colne was better and all round I couldn’t have been happier. There were excellent performances throughout the whole team and that’s what we are looking for."

Reds had taken the lead on 24 minutes when one of their star players Brad Hubbold went on a tricky run into the box before curling a shot against the post.

It came back across goal where keeper Hakan Burton couldn’t claim and Conor Tinnion was there to thump the ball into the net.

Eleven minutes later, from a Dav Symington corner on the left, Tinnion made a late run from deep to collect and cut in before unleashing a wickedly swerving shot which Burton couldn’t reach.

It had been a convincing first half for Reds but ended worryingly when Brad Carroll went down after a corner in the last minute.

He stayed down for five minutes and was taken to hospital for attention to a nasty cut over his eye.

Conor Gaul took over in the second half and after a slow start Reds seemed to have a fight on their hands when Jerome was sent off on 55 minutes. He put in an awkward, late tackle and referee Jacob Graham produced a red card.

But within two minutes Reds had scored a third.

Play was moved smartly out wide to Symington, who went outside the last defender before thumping a powerful low shot across the keeper into the bottom corner.

Some solid game management saw Reds through, with the only moment of alarm coming five minutes from time when Reece Webb-Forster fired against the post from just inside the area.