BOSS Michael Stringfellow insists his Kendal Town side must learn to manage leading situations better after his team succumbed to their third defeat on the bounce away at Bamber Bridge.

The Mintcakes have taken the lead in each of their last three games but have nothing to show for it with two defeats in the Evo-Stik First Division North and in the FA Trophy Preliminary Round.

After the returning Jordan Connerton scored early on away at the Sir Tom Finney Stand, Bamber Bridge hit back with two goals in five minutes before the break before adding a third in the second forty five. Kieran Pickup scored late on but Kendal could not find an equaliser.

After the game, Stringfellow, who has picked up 11 points since he took charge in late September, called on his team to take control of the game when in front.

"If you concede three goals you look at the goalkeeper and defenders but Bamber Bridge have got some good players in midfield and we found it hard to deal with them," he said. "We've got to manage games better. When we go one-nil up we've got to try and keep possession to relax us a bit but I think we went too quickly from back to front.

"Our game plan tried to isolate their centre-halves early on which we did and got the goal but we took our foot off the gas and conceded two quick goals. We are doing that quite a bit and that is something we have got to do better.

"We are still a work in progress and are not the finished article. I've brought in a few players and they are still gelling. I'm not making excuses but we've got to start performing better.

"We need to try and manage the situation when we score a goal and ask can the more experienced players keep the ball for 10 minutes, keep it moving and try and probe.

"I got in the dressing room afterwards and was frustrated. I think we deserved a draw. It was an end-to-end game and good to watch from a fan's point of view but as a manager it was quite sloppy."

Last week Stringfellow brought Connerton and Zach Clark back into his squad as he looks to provide strength in depth as a busy period of games approaches.

The Mintcakes have eight games in November, starting at the Lancaster and Morecambe College Stadium on Saturday when Salford City make the trip up the M6.

Connerton returns to the club for the fourth time after a spell playing for Doncaster Rovers in Melbourne.

And Stringfellow expects his new acquisitions will add extra firepower to a team who have racked up 26 goals this season - the joint-seventh best in the league.

"He was absolutely outstanding," said Stringfellow. "He is going to be a constant threat and he's only going to get better and better."