A BRACE from Emil Jaaskelainen was enough to steer Kendal Town to a narrow 2-1 victory over Burscough in their first pre-season outing.

In a hard fought encounter, the Parkside Road men had to come from a goal down, after falling behind in the first period.

With a host of new faces in their ranks, Kendal hit back in the second half thanks to Jaaskelainen's double.

Kendal Town vice chairman Jay Rossi was delighted with the result and the contribution from The Mintcakes' new signings.

He said: “The club was very pleased with how the first game went.

“We started out looking rather nervous and tentative but with a lot of new players and this being their first game it was completely understandable, but to be fair to Burscough they took advantage of this with a very clinical finish to give themselves a the lead.

“Thankfully, the team has a newfound self-belief and determination, and after half time they settled down and composed themselves leading to some really nice football being played.

“The penalty won by Jack Rossi and converted by Emil Jaaskelainen to level things up at 1-1 gave the lads another boost and allowed them to find another gear, which finally led to the 2-1 winning goal which was created by Lewis Wainwright whose deflected cross was read by Emil who finished the chance with a great headed finish.

“All in all, a very pleasing result for us against a very good Burscough team."

And he also praised the positive energy that new boss Chris Humphrey has brought to the club.

He added: "The character and belief that the lads now have in themselves has to be credited to the manager Chris Humphrey, who has been a breath of fresh air for the lads and is rubbing off on everyone involved with the club.

“Hopefully once we are allowed to let the supporters through the gate, they too will appreciate the positive energy around the team and help push the lads along with their support on this new journey we are currently on.

“The new players did a great job, and are settling in really well."

Despite an early goal from Burscough, the opposition were frustrated by new goalkeeper Luke Camacho, who produced a string of fine saves throughout the match.

Camacho said: “It was a fantastic game, and a really great chance to get out there with the team.

“Burscough were a tough side, but we managed to keep the pressure on them. I think overall we definitely had more possession throughout which kept us in good standing.

“I felt great playing, especially being the first match since before lockdown. The team gave it their all, it was a tough match, but we secured the win nicely.

“We made a mistake at start which let in a goal, but then we thought about it and were able to keep that from happening again. We had good possession and deserved the win.”