Kendal Town...............................0 Manchester Utd Reserves........1 THE PRE-MATCH forecast of Kendal Town chairman David Willan was that his side would probably need to brick up the goal to keep Manchester out, but in the event his men did him proud.

For 80 minutes the Manchester youngsters floundered not against a blocked-up goal, but against a wall-like defence which they managed to breach only once.

To the surprise of many this could so easily have been Kendal's game.

They created more and better chances than their opponents and late in the second half should have had a penalty if only speedy forward Chris Bennett had not over-egged the pudding in his determination to make sure the referee noticed that he had been fouled.

It was the first half, however, which featured the real contest between the sides.

United fielded three lads who, in the fullness of time might become first team regulars. Jonathan Spector, a rock-solid central defender, inventive midfielder Chris Eagles and the mercurial forward Kieran Richardson. Yet, as befitting their status, the whole side showcased their slick passing and ball skills as they penned Town back in their own half for the first 20 minutes.

By then Kendal were visibly growing in confidence, however, as they realised that for all the show Manchester were creating few scoring opportunities.

In right midfield Town captain Stuart Cliff began to take on and beat his men before launching his forwards into the attack.

On 20 minutes the first real chance fell to Town when Nigel Taylor delivered a curling and dipping fee-kick which keeper Tommy Lee just managed dive to push past his left hand post.

Ten minutes later battling Dene Whittal-Williams turned his man and made a beeline for the box before unleashing a left foot shot which also forced Lee to go full-stretch;.

Town pressed again and Cliff slipped his opponent and delivered an inch-perfect cross to striker David Foster, who, with only the keeper to beat, got his feet in a tangle and could not shape up to shoot before Spector closed him down.

Another chance then went begging as a high through ball brought a collision between Whittall-Williams and the keeper with the ball squirting away to safety.

A few minutes before half-time United had the ball in the net, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake racing round behind the defence to collect a through ball but he was way offside.

Sadly, the close of the first half also marked the effective end of what was shaping up into an intriguing contest for, as is the way with friendlies, the managers chose to use the second half for wholesale substitutions.

Players trooped on and off every few minutes, United at one point changed four men at the same time, including bringing back two who had been substituted earlier.

For Kendal the brightest change was the introduction of Bennett on the left wing.

A natural striker he had no hesitation in taking on and frequently beating the United defence and when he was felled in the 68th minute it looked for all the world a penalty except to the man who mattered.

Instead it was United who sewed the game up when a corner to the far post fell kindly for Kenny Cooper, who found a hole in the much-changed Town defence and blasted the ball past substitute keeper Andy Davies for a scarcely-deserved winner.