ONE moment of individual magic from David Foster was all that Kendal had to cheer about on a day when the relegation noose significantly tightened round Town's neck.

Final score Kendal Town 1- Matlock Town 3.

Going into the match manger Peter Smith said that three points were vital but after just 16 minutes the home side were in trouble thanks to a soft goal by Matlock right-winger Kevin Noteman.

Noteman picked up a long ball over the defence and lobbed it goalwards.

Normally reliable keeper Lee Ward made no attempt to back-pedal, presumably thinking it was well over, but the ball dropped sharply under the bar.

It was a goal Matlock scarcely deserved for the mid-table team seemed to have little interest in attack, merely sitting back and smothering the Kendal attacks.

A surprise starter for Kendal was striker Kevin Barnes, who departed to Fleetwood Freeport, with former manager Mick Hoyle, but was persuaded by manger Peter Smith to help out as he was still on Kendal's UniBond register.

Although Barnes showed the high work-rate he produced early in the season at Parkside, poor delivery from midfield gave him scarely any chance to show his finishing skills, his only real opportunity coming early in the game when he collected the ball in the area, but was hustled out of his attempt to turn and shoot.

Another chance went begging when Kyle Hayton, racing in, just failed to get his head to the ball with the goal open before him.

Midway through the half the lively Foster hit a volley just over then produced another fiece shot which keeper Kevin Tye did well to turn round the post.

Twice James Shepherd and Barnes produced sparkling inter-changes of passes, but on both occasions the delivery into the box was poor.

Early in the second half Smith rang the changes by removing right-back Billy Billsborough and bringing on Dave Burrow and it was Burrow who launched the ball forward for the attack which brought Kendal's equaliser.

Stuart Cliff passed it on into the box where Foster chested it down, juggled the bounce on his knee then volleyed well out of Tye's reach.

Hope restored Kendal pushed forward with Shepherd, Stuart Cliff and Barnes combining in a move that was forced out for a corner.

Form that corner midfielder Phil Hodgson got above the defence, but headed wide.

But misery returned as Noteman broke down the left in the 65th minute and finished with a well-taken shot into the roof of the net.

Ironically it was only Matlock's second shot of the game.

At the other end a long free-kick from Cliff was well met by Barnes, but his header went over.

Minutes later Hodgson denied Noteman his hat-trick by heading his shot out for a corner.

Two more chances fell to Shepherd and Foster, but they both toe-poked the ball off target.

As time began to run out Ward had to dive to his left to make a good save from a snap shot by Will Davies and good defence by Burrows forced Noteman to shoot wide, but Matlock had the last laugh when on 90 minutes striker Steve Taylor beat Burrow, collecting the ball on the turn and slamming a shot well out of Ward's reach.