Kendal Town were back in action in the Bill Robson Cup as they look to blow off the cobwebs following the extended break enforced by Covid-19.

The Mintcakes’ latest game ended in defeat as they succumbed to a 2-0 loss to West Lancashire League Division Two side Furness Rovers in the Bill Robson Cup.

They were initially due to play Millom before the fixture was changed in what turned out to be the battle of the top two, with Kendal leading the way on goal difference.

However, it was a bad night for Kendal who struggled against a resilient and stubborn opponent who matched them all the way through the game.

Despite putting on their usual strong performance, they found difficulty in breaking through the Rovers defence and holding them at bay from their own net.

Kendal, who fielded a mixed squad which consisted of first and reserve team players, made a good start and created a couple of early chances from Hugo Rodriguez.

The opening of the game allowed the Mintcakes to gather some initial steam which put pressure on their opponents.

Furness got into the game soon after and began to apply pressure on the Kendal defence before opening the scoring when Jordan Chubb fired the ball home from close range after capitalising on a mistake.

Kendal, for the rest of the first half, had lots of possession with Rodriguez and Sheldon Mossop creating some opportunities while Seydou Bamba had a free header which went wide of the post in an otherwise uneventful first half.

The Mintcakes were in the ascendancy at the start of the second half, applying more sustained pressure for longer periods while boss Chris Humphrey – who started the second half – began to launch a number of searching deliveries and the visitors did well to avert the danger.

The pressure put on them by the former international player turned manager kept Furness engaged, but they were able to stand their ground.

Rodriguez, J’nai Butterfield Steed, Jack Patrick, and Sheldon Mossop caused more danger to the opposition goalkeeper as Kendal continued to apply pressure.

Despite leading the game, the opposition knew they were far from safe.

However, Furness later began to retain the ball and were able to achieve a 2-0 lead.

It was Max Green who made a run through the Kendal defence.

He was then able to clinically place the ball past Morgan Bacon which hit the back of the Kendal goal.

Despite being on the backfoot, Town reminded their opponents not to get too comfortable when they launched counter-attacks in their half, while the Kendal goalkeeper remained on his toes.

Kendal pressed for a way back into the game, forcing a number of saves, while Furness defended well and caused problems of their own before the game fizzled out with Kendal falling to defeat.

Furness Rovers are now top of the Bill Robson competition, with Kendal in second place.

The team have this weekend off with more fixtures in the future will be announced in due course.