Town make it three on the spin at Chorley (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Town make it three on the spin at Chorley

2:02pm Wednesday 28th December 2011 in Football

Evo-Stik Premier League
Chorley 2
Kendal 3
OUTSTANDING Kendal Town made it three matches unbeaten as they derailed big-spending Chorley’s Evo-Stik League Premier Division promotion push with a stunning first-half show on Boxing Day.

As former Premier League stars Lee Ashcroft and Garry Flitcroft went into dugout battle, it was Ashcroft’s Cumbrians who came out on top after taking the Magpies to the cleaners in the first period.

That dynamic first half performance saw the Cumbrians take a deserved 3-0 lead into the break, and despite a spirited comeback from the Magpies, the visitors did enough to ensure they took the three points back up the M6.

In front of a four figure attendance Chorley paid the price for a terrible first half, in which Kendal looked more composed, more organised and more dangerous.

The home team had the first sight of goal on seven minutes, but Dale Whitham’s volley missed the target.

Soon afterwards, fine work from Ciaran Donnelly down the Kendal right came close to opening up the Chorley defence, but the his cross eluded his onrushing team-mates.

A quickly taken free kick near the halfway line led to Kendal’s opening goal on eighteen minutes, as the ball was worked down the left and into the path of Danny Wisdom, who made no mistake from near the penalty spot.

Jordan Connerton then blazed over, but, ten minutes after opening the scoring, Kendal were gifted a second goal when Ally Brown conceded a corner, from which Shaun Gray powered in an unstoppable drive.

Before half time, it was 3-0, as the Chorley defence opened up and Wisdom’s shot had just enough pace to beat a despairing lunge on the goalline from Mark Ross.

It could have been even worse for Chorley, as Ashley Dunn’s header came within a whisker of making it four just before half-time.

The Magpies began the second half in search of a Christmas miracle, yet it was only when John Cunliffe replaced Matt Walwyn that their attacks began to carry any threat.

A delightful through ball from the substitute saw Steve Foster race beyond the Kendal defence and expertly guide the ball home.

Cunliffe was involved again in a great team goal which was finished by Whitham, who turned in Roscoe’s pull back from close range.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Chorley sensed they had sufficient time to grab an equaliser but they did not really threaten the visiting keeper.