A KENDAL Town Reserves side featuring three first-team squad players swept to a 7-0 victory over an under-strength Coniston in the Talbot Insurance Westmorland League on Saturday.
Iain Swan, Peter Ferris and Seb Beckett, who have all played at Unibond League level this season, were in the starting line-up and Kendal put the visitors under the cosh with their touch-and-go passing movement.
After 20 minutes Kendal's Stephen Ellwood began the scoring when his shot took a deflection off the Coniston right back into his own goal. Town went 2-0 ahead 12 minutes before half time with a fine solo effort from Ferris, who picked the ball up wide on the flank and cut inside the Coniston left back before unleashing an unstoppable rising shot.
Coniston battled away but were thwarted with some well-organised defending from Hodgson, Towler and Swan. Three minutes before the break, Ellwood punished some lax defending when he intercepted a bad pass and slotted home into the far right corner of the goal.
Turning round with a 3-0 lead, Town added a fourth early in the second half when Ferris scored his second, shooting wide of the flat- footed keeper.
Coniston tried to rally but struggled to produce the flowing football of which they are capable, and Ellwood supplied the fifth on 70 minutes to complete his hat-trick.
Hodkinson came on for Ellwood on 72 minutes and with his first touch of the game looped a far-post header over the keeper to score Town's sixth. Cross made it 7-0 on 82 minutes in Town's best performance this season, with contributions from all, in a comfortable victory Keswick secured their third semi-final appearance of the season after defeating Ibis 3-0 in the High Sheriff's Cup.
After last week's Senior Cup win over Kendal County, Keswick were without both strikers from that game and then lost stand-in forward Adam Macrae to a recurring hamstring injury.
Positional changes had to be made but failed to hinder Keswick's poise and Andy Frampton went close with a first-time volley that hit the post.
Keswick opened the scoring when a long throw was flicked on and David Gaskell, making his first team debut this season, pounced on the loose ball and fired into the roof of the net from six yards.
Keswick were reduced to ten men when Frampton was dismissed after reacting when fouled.
Ibis felt they had a chance, but Keswick turned in their best spell and scored twice in quick succession to kill off their opponents' hopes. Gaskell finished well from eight yards after a goalmouth scramble, but they saved the best until last when Hilton and Gaksell played a one-two before Hilton placed the ball past the stranded keeper.
Cup and league setbacks lately were forgotten as Division 2 leaders Kendal County Reserves got back to winning form with a 5-0 win at home to Windermere SC Reserves.
Second-placed Carvetii Utd are five points adrift but have four matches in hand, but still have to play County twice in an intriguing final twist to the run-in.
A Dan Ferguson header from a corner got County off to a positive start on Saturday and other goals before half time followed from Steve Robinson and Anthony Pearce, who both broke through and lobbed the keeper in similiar fashion.
Lee Moffatt came off the bench to score following a free kick and Ryan Wallace headed home to complete the tally.
Ambleside are handily placed in third position, fighting for a promotion place in Division 2 and although they did not play well at Ullswater United on Saturday, they still emerged with a favourable result, a 4-0 victory.
Despite their lowly standing, Ullswater had a couple of influential players and a missed first-half penalty did not help Ambleside's case as they also spurned other chances.
A switch-around for the second half saw the goals come with Andy Ford, Dan Nevinson and Matt High on target and also a debut goal for Matt Parkinson, who came off the bench after his recent signing from Windermere, just before the transfer deadline.
Shap Reserves became the first team this season to beat Division Four leaders Kendal United with a 2-1 win.
A Peter Lightburn header from an Ian Fleming corner put Shap ahead ahead and Darren Rylands struck the bar and Paul Edmondson had a close-range effort ruled offside.
United equalised but Shap substitute Sam Wood bagged the winner from a free kick after he was fouled.
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