Workington boss not giving up in relegation fight after fourth win of campaign

It was just their fourth win of the campaign, and it came via a Stephen Rigg penalty on the stroke of half-time.

The pressure of a penalty to give his side the lead was too much for Barr to watch, but the Workington boss was happy to see the home crowd rejoicing as it went in.

“I didn’t even know who took them,” joked Barr post-match, who hadn’t seen his side awarded a penalty since he joined the club in November.

“I don’t watch penalties: I look away and watch the crowd. 

“I said to an elderly gentleman, ‘I’m watching you, and I want you to smile’, and thankfully he did.

“I’m pleased for the group, not just the lads who played or the ones who were on the bench. We all celebrated together today. Well done to them all, but we’ve still got 12 [games] to go, that’s the big thing.”

Workington ended a 12-game winless run against Ilkeston and, in doing so, cut the gap between themselves and safety to seven points.

As Barr stressed, the job is far from done, but the three points should give the Reds some confidence going into the final months of the campaign.

Workington have just lost one of their six games in 2026, and if they can turn more draws into wins, the side that was seemingly down and out in the relegation battle may find themselves staging a great escape.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for it, and it feels amazing,” Barr said on Saturday's win.

“I was really pleased with the effort and endeavour that went into it. But I’ve said to the players, 'enjoy tonight, but we’ve still got 12 to go'.”