9:10am Friday 14th July 2006
By Dennis Aris
CARLISLE United provide a tough opening pre-season match for Kendal Town this weekend, but manager Tony Hesketh says fears that he could lose many of his players to bigger clubs have largely evaporated.
At one time he looked like losing up to seven of the players who last season helped win promotion to the UniBond League Premier Division, but on Wednesdy he said: "I am delighted that we look like keeping the hard core of players who had been tapped up by other clubs.
"Ged Smith (winger), Lee Ashcroft (striker), Ian Kilford and Ricky Mercer (both midfielders) have all at this stage agreed to come back and are keen and raring to go. Lee Ashcroft's operation for a back problem has been considered a success, but he will not be in action in the early part of the pre-season."
Goalkeeper James Salisbury, who was a big influence on last year's campaign, has left the club, however, to go back into full-time football and Hesketh is still considering his goalkeeping options.
Highly-experienced Mark Thornley, who was Town's first choice keep the previous season has had a successful exploratory operation for the spinal problem which put him out of the picture last year and is training with the club: "but I am not quite sure how that is going to pan out at the moment," said Hesketh.
Meanwhile 16-year-old keeper Matthew Ward, from the Leyland area, has been impressive in training at Kendal. "He will not feature as our main keeper, but is someone we will probably take on as back up," said Hesketh.
The club's three hard training sessions so far have also featured a trio of players who have left Conference North side Barrow.
Strikers Scott Redhead anD MIKE Kewley along with utility player Andy Hill all featured in Barrow's first team last season.
"Michael Simpson who was at Wrexham last year has also joined us on trial although he has some other options to consider," said Hesketh.
"If we can add around three more players to the key players of last year's squad we can continue to take the club forward," said Hesekth.
Tomorrow (Saturday) match with Carlisle kicks off at 2pm and is followed on Wednesday evening (7.45pm) with the visit of Barrow to Town's Planet Conservatories Stadium, Parkside Road.
Cup matches KENDAL have been drawn to play either Daisy Hill, Winterton Rangers or West Auckland Town away in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday, September 16.
Daisy Hill are based in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester and play in the North West Counties League second division.
Winterton Rangers, from Scunthorpe, and play in Division One of the Northern Counties East League.
West Auckland Town, from County Durham and play in Division One of the Northern League In the FA Trophy Kendal have a home game to Unibond Division One side Buxton on Saturday,October 21.
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