Kendal Town 0 - Trafford -2.

AN OLD ghost came back to haunt Kendal Town's new boys as they crashed 2-0 to Trafford on Tuesday evening.

In football's nervous witching hour when teams wait anxiously for the half-time whistle Netherfield old boy Darren Emmett arose like a spectre from nowhere and blasted a shot from 25 yards which deceived keeper Cyril Sharrock and rebounded in from the left hand post.

The 45th minute strike was a blow from which Town never recovered and truth to tell did not deserve too as they failed to produce a single worthwhile shot on goal in the entire game.

Trafford, inspired by Emmett's strike, got the upper hand and it was no great surprise when they added a second decisive goal on 57 minutes.

A major criticism of last year's squad was that their elaborate passing out of defence often floundered before it could be turned into attack.

An early criticism of the new order is they rarely passed the ball out of defence at all, merely blazing it upfield in the hope that one of the forwards would strike it lucky.

It was a tactic which initially worked on a summer night of miserable drizzle, so gloomy that the floodlights were on for the 7.45pm start.

The visitors remained pinned down for the first 30 minutes by a Town side, which could hardly be faulted for enthusiasm if not for skill.

The most promising moves of the opening spell came from left-back Lee Pennington, who combined some excellent tackles with sprints out of defence and well-flighted balls into the Trafford penalty area.

But keeper Mark Molyneaux always managed to get there ahead of the strikers Stuart Diggle and Mark Cheal, a new signing from Lancaster City.

Trafford, having got the measure of the Kendal long ball, began to make an impression and Lee Wilkinson was unlucky to only find the side netting after being allowed too much time on the ball in the 30th minute, and a snap shot by Joe Murray then forced a good save from Sharrock.

Just when it looked as if Kendal had at least made it to half-time with a clean sheet, up popped Emmett, star striker from the Netherfield side of the mid 1990s, to send them to the dressing room 1-0 down.

Trafford began the second half confidently and a shot from close to the halfway line by full-back Darren Quick was only just over the bar.

For Kendal, winger Stuart Parkinson began to make inroads towards the Trafford box with some defence-splitting runs, but his hopes of success were surprisingly spoiled in the 55th minute when he and Cheal were replaced by Stuart Cliff and Ian Vickers.

The substitutes were barely on the pitch when Town's fortunes took a turn for the worse in the 57th minute.

Trafford's Wilkinson hoisted in another teasing cross which Bobby Jones sent rocketing into the net with a diving header.

As Trafford eased up, Kendal came the closest they had all evening when a cross and a well-flighted free-kick by Neil Reynolds both forced the keeper to make a jump and catch from amid a cluster of hopeful forwards.

Just to complete Kendal's misery Cliff was red-carded in the 75th minute.

Referee Mr D.G.

Cummins failed to see Murray twice elbow Cliff off the ball, but turned in time to see Cliff's retaliatory strike.