Returning Workington Reds veteran Kyle May had never been as nervous before a game as he was at Hyde on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old defender put in a particularly solid performance as Reds earned their first away point of the season from a 0-0 draw.

Afterwards, he confessed: "I was really nervous before the game, more than I have ever been. I just didn’t want to let down Dabba [David Hewson] and Bones [Lee Andrews].

"Once I got out there, I was alright and it was good to be back at that level again. I enjoyed it and I have told them that I will be happy to help out as long as they want.

"I have been playing at Penrith so my fitness levels aren’t bad and I can get even fitter. I will be trying to shed a few pounds as well."

May made 544 competitive starts for the Reds, plus 20 appearances as a substitute. Adding friendlies into the stats, the former Carlisle United player wore the Workington shirt 650 times – easily a club record.

His last appearance for the Reds was in the Cumberland Cup final in May 2017 and midway through last season he was appointed player-manager at Penrith who were in relegation trouble near the foot of the Northern League.

May led them to safety but the team has struggled again this time round and, when they lost 4-0 on Saturday, he parted company with the club by mutual consent.

"It just hasn’t worked out at Penrith which is disappointing but, when I spoke to Dabba on Sunday, I was pleased to agree to a return to a club which is obviously very dear to me," he said.

Joint manager Hewson said: "We knew what we were going to get bringing Kyle back and he showed that at Hyde.

"His experience was exactly what we needed and it was no coincidence we kept our first clean sheet since the first match of the season.

"Overall, it was a good performance and everyone in the team was at it, putting in big shifts.

"When we play like that, we are as good as any team in this league and should not be afraid of anybody. There are some very talented players in our squad."

The point on Tuesday lifted Reds one place in the table and they are now fifth-bottom but don’t play in the competition again until Tuesday when they visit fifth in the table South Shields.

Saturday’s home game with Kidsgrove Athletic is worth £15,000 to the winners who will then be only one game away from the potentially lucrative first round proper of the FA Cup.