Workington Reds Ladies got the new year off to a fine start with a hard fought 3-2 win over Morecambe Ladies at Maryport RL Club.

It was a bright start for Morecambe putting Reds on the back foot early on but then Reds got a hold of the game and started to control the match.

With only 13 minutes on the clock Reds broke down the wing with Hayley Bracken driving towards the box before squaring the ball to Megan Hay who placed the ball into the corner past the Morecambe goalkeeper.

After 24 minutes the score turned to 2-0 after Morecambe’s goalkeeper failed to clear the ball as Sophie Birkett applied the pressure on a Morecambe back pass.

The keeper miss-hit the ball and Birkett guided it towards the goal where it rolled across and went in off the far post.

Morecambe came back at the Reds working the ball down the wings, pushing Eleanor Hope and Leah Cottier back while leaving Hannah Geen and Birkett tracking back in cover rather than charging forward.

It was Morecambe’s wing play that got them back into the match. A ball into the middle of the Reds box produced a scramble - leaving Willow Gray on the floor and Chloe Henderson on the wrong side - as the Morecambe attacker took the opportunity to curl it past Laura Miller into the corner of the goal.

Morecambe started the second half in the same fashion they ended the first and got an equaliser to square the match up at 2-2. But Reds got back on top and it looked likely they would prevail and they did.

Bracken went one-on-one with the keeper, the keeper who just managed to stop it from going in but Hannah Geen was quickest to react and calmly slotted the ball home for 3-2.

Next week Altrincham FC Ladies are the visitors in the Argyle Cup.