DIRECTOR of rugby Steve Whitehead insists his Kendal side do not hold the psychological edge over fellow promotion chasers Kirkby Lonsdale.

Whitehead was speaking after Kendal battled to a hard-fought win over Wilmslow - a result which saw his team leapfrog the Underley Park outfit into second place and within touching distance of leaders Birkenhead Park.

"Anyone can cause us damage so we need to look after ourselves," he said. "One of the three will go up automatically but I think it's in our hands as much as it is in Kirkby's hands.

"If there was ten points between us I would be saying it gives us a comfort buffer and we can go after Birkenhead with a bit more about us but the reality is we can't; we have just got to keep grinding the wins out.

"I am sure Kirkby will continue winning and we need to do the same."

The Mint Bridge club were made to work hard for their win over Wilmslow and only took the lead for the first time with ten minutes left on the clock.

But Whitehead is adamant he always expected his side to overcome the challenge.

"I was always confident we would win," he said. "I knew it would be a tough game where they brought a lot of their own emphasis but also knew they would scrutinise our strengths.

"In the end we managed to work that out and compete but it did take us a long time. I was pretty annoyed at half-time but we have the character, resolve and answers for when it gets tough to pull through."

He added: "They are a very well-drilled outfit and have got one or two very good key individuals which put us under pressure. It took us longer than I would have liked to vary our game and attack the areas where they were a little bit less competent.

"I think it comes off the back of a spell of less competitive games where we have been able to get more dominance easily so when you are put under such close scrutiny for long periods of time you haven't been used to working it out.

"There are periods like that every week and you get used to adapting and being a bit more dynamic but with having things our own way recently we have probably taken a few things for granted."

Whitehead, whose men travel to Vale of Lune this weekend, praised the qualities of openside flanker Dan Greenwood, as well as the points scoring contribution of winger Chris Park and nerve of Glen Weightman, who, under pressure, kicked a mammoth penalty from inside his own half.

"Dan was a stand out performer in the first-half when things weren't going our way," he said. "He was very prominent and some of his defensive intelligence was first-class. He committed himself and was a large part of what kept us in touch.

"Chris kicked impeccably but when it was out of his range Glen stepped up to hit a real belter. When you've got strength in depth it helps when you are not necessarily firing on all cylinders."