IN A battle of summer signings Gresley Rovers' youthful new faces were marginally more successful than Kendal's experienced old hands on Bank Holiday Monday.

The visitors' speedy forwards Justin Rowe and Aaron O'Conner, both aged 20, in the end proved too much of a handful for a Town side which had too few attacking options.

Kendal resorted to lofting long balls into the box in the hope that their own influential close season signing Kenny Mayers, who hit four goals in the opening two matches, would again do the business. Top of the league Gresley were having none of it, however, and although Mayers went close on eight or nine occasions he could not make the breakthrough.

Central defender Nigel Taylor could not be faulted for a plentiful supply of free-kicks and accurate long balls into the Gresley box, nor could the high work-rate of winger Peter Smith who pulled back several tempting crosses from the bye-line, but alternative ways of prising open the Gresley defence were in short supply.

Gresley could afford to sit and wait when they knew they had Rowe and O'Connor to unleash at any time.

Town lost further impetus midway through the first half when their high-profile new-signing Lee Ashcroft limped off after a collision.

While Town were still re-organising, right back Paul Rigby was forced to make a goal-line clearance when a shot by Andy Simpson took a wicked deflection.

It was not until five minutes into the second half that the deadlock was broken when Rowe cut into the Kendal box from the left and unleashed a shot which Thornley could only palm into the path of Sean Gummer, who slotted the ball into the open goal.

Shortly afterwards a good cross from Smith brought the best of the many Mayers' headers, an effort which needed keeper Dale Belford to go full stretch to save.

Kendal's fighting spirit brought an equaliser in the 66th minute, although Ricky Mercer's full-bore volley appeared to be aided by a deflection from a defender.

Hopes of a revival were dashed just four minutes later, however, when a lightning-fast attack and shot by O'Conner forced Mayers to head out from the six-yard box. The ball fell for Jamie Hood, however, and he lashed it back in to make it 2-1.

With time running out Mayers headed a Taylor free-kick just over the top and a minute later smashed a volley against the crossbar, but there was no way back for Town despite five minutes of added time.

How they rated: Thornley 6; McMenemy 7, Taylor 8, Burrow 6, Rigby 8; McKenna 6; Mercer 6; Whittal-Williams 6; Smith 8; Ashcroft 6 (Bennett 6 from 29 minutes) Mayers 8.