FA Cup: Ten men turn on the style (From The Westmorland Gazette)

FA Cup: Ten men turn on the style

8:25am Friday 10th September 2004 in Sport By Dennis Aris

KENDAL cleared the first FA Cup hurdle despite an atrocious refereeing error that reduced them to 10 men for much of the second half.

Final score: Kendal Town 4 - Eccleshill 1.

After the match, referee Mr C. Buxton admitted that he had made a mistake in dismissing central defender Nigel Taylor for handball when it was keeper Mark Thornley who had palmed away an Eccleshill shot.

Sportingly, beaten Eccleshill also offered to write to the FA in a bid to save Taylor from any suspension.

Throughout the first half the North East Counties League side had little to offer but effort and it was no great surprise that Town reached half-time 2-0 up.

When a corner was headed back across the box Dene Whittal-Williams blasted in the first goal on 37 minutes and a couple of minutes later Kenny Mayers rifled in a through ball from Russ McKenna, who had an excellent game as midfield playmaker.

It looked like a springboard for a big score in this FA Cup preliminary round encounter, but five minutes after half-time a rare Eccleshill attack saw a shot rebound from the cross bar to be palmed away, not by Tylor but by the keeper, and in error the referee awarded a spot-kick.

Eccleshill's Scott Price slammed in the resulting penalty and for a moment there were fears that Town would crumble.

Instead ten-man Town turned on the style with a 40-minute display of controlled football and quality passing.

Whittal-Williams dropped back to fill the gap caused by Taylor's dismissal leaving Mayers as the lone striker, yet Town's attack rate actually stepped up with left-back Paul McMenney in particular making some telling forays forward On 70 minutes manager Tony Hesketh brought on Chris Bennett in place of tiring James Sheppard and three minutes later the winger wormed his way into the Eccleshill box and squared the ball across goal for McKenna to apply the finishing touch.

With Town in total control in defence and midfield 3-1 would have been enough, but there was to be a final twist.

In added time Peter Smith, who had worked tirelessly down the right wing, was clumsily floored in the penalty area by Gary Tyson, who was promptly sent off for a second yellow card.

Mayers slotted the spot kick to the right and although keeper Craig Bates got a hand to it he could only divert it into the top corner.

Victory earns Town a home tie with UniBond League Premier Division side Prescot Cables in the first qualifying round on September 18.

How they rated: Thornley 7; Rigby 7, McMenemy 8, Burrow 7; Taylor 6; Mercer 7; Smith 8; McKenna 9, Whittal-Williams 7; Mayers 8; Sheppard 7 (Bennett 8 from 71min).