Kendal Town 0 - Morecambe 1 (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kendal Town 0 - Morecambe 1

9:04am Friday 4th August 2006

• Print
• Email
• Share

AN INJURY to defender Craig Redhead gave Tony Hesketh a selection headache after Tuesday's pre-season friendly with Morecambe ended in a 1-0 defeat.

Redhead was carried off the pitch 20 minutes into the second half after turning an ankle quite badly.

Deputy boss Barry Stimpson was in charge on the home bench as Hesketh arrived before the half time and sat in the main stand.

He saw an own goal from midfielder Paul Osborne five minutes from the end spare Morecambe's blushes as Town pushed their Conference neighbours close.

Although Morecambe boss Sammy McIllroy did not deploy his main fighting force, there was a sprinkling of first-teamers throughout the side to ensure a competitive edge to exchanges.

Triallist goalkeeper Ross Baxter, got a start for Town when Mark Thornley suffered a thigh problem in the warm-up and was unlucky not to keep a clean sheet.

In an entertaining first half Town more than matched the visitors, who were allowed to pose little threat.

Instead solid work in the centre of midfield by Ian Kilford and Paul Osborne and good inter-linking on attack had Morecambe on the retreat, with Mike Kewley twice getting into dangerous positions in the box but unable to fashion a telling shot.

While Morecambe had failed to test Baxter from a twice-taken free-kick, Town went close from a corner 10 minutes from half time.

Ged Smith's cross picked out Dene Whittal-Willams at the far post and his downward header was scuffed away by the diving Ryan Robinson.

Scott Redhead flicked the ball back in and Tosin Onibuda's shot hit the upright before bouncing clear.

Morecambe felt aggrieved going up to half time after striker Adriano Rigolioso chased down a through ball and Baxter appeared to handle after racing out of his area to clear.

A raft of substitutions during the second half affected Town's rhythm but again they had the better chances, Andy Hill's glancing header from Smith's corner drawing a diving finger-tip save from Robinson on the hour.

A minute later, Scott Redhead worked a shooting opening on the arc of the box but Robinson again proved equal to the curling shot.

Morecambe pressed forward more urgently and full-back Scott McGiven probed forward at every opportunity, but the sum total was Paul Jarvis's deflected drive, which Baxter saved athletically Craig Redhead's injury forced a reshuffle in defence and Lee Ashcroft made his first appearance this season shortly afterwards and strode out freely following his recent surgery.

Another Whittal-Williams header from a Smith corner forced a scrambled block from Robinson, and the draw looked likely until Osborne's misdirected header from Rigolioso's cross flew past Baxter into his own net.

Town: R. Baxeter, P. Sparrow, C. Redhead, A. Hill, D. Whittall-Williams, P. Osborne, Tosin Onibuda, I. Kilford, S. Redhead, M. Kewley, G. Smith. Subs: R. McKenna, L. Ashcroft, C. Ward, W. Cropper, J. Forbes (all used).

Morecambe: R. Robinson, S. McGiven, S. Gray, D. Meadowcroft, S. Cudsworth, K. Walmsley, P. Lloyd, F. McCloughlin, D. McNiven, A. Rigolioso, P. Jarvis: Subs: J. Smith, D. Wilson, T. Pickering, A. Langford, J. Davies, M. West.

• Print
• Email
• Share