Kendal Town 0, Shepshed Dynamo 0.
Injuries and suspension forced Town boss Tony Hesketh to field a much-changed side against Shepshed and, although the revamped side regained passages of flowing football that were absent a week ago against Bishop Auckland, the cutting edge was absent.
Early in the match Hesketh was forced into yet more changes when solid central defender Nigel Taylor limped off after coming off worse in a 50-50 challenge.
Russ McKenna dropped back from second striker and thereafter played a fine game at right back, while Peter Smith came off the bench to his normal right wing position where his combination with right back Paul Rigby gave the Shepshed defence a torrid time.
Neither side had much to offer up front and it was not until the last 10 minutes that the match came alive.
Then Town keeper Mark Thornley made a vital save from point blank range.
At the other end substitute Stuart Cliff nearly had a dream return after six months out with serious injury. He had been on the field less than the minute when he got on the end of a cross into the box, but his effort went marginally wide. With the last kick of the game Ged Smith, who had been put clear down the left opted to shoot himself from four yards only to see his effort rebound from the keeper's legs. Perhaps a pull back to the unmarked Peter Smith would have been a better option.
The biggest plus for Hesketh is that the match marked the end of the three-match suspension of star striker Kenny Mayers and influential Lee Ashcroft should be recovers from his hamstring injury before next Saturday's UniBond League Division One away trip to Ossett Albion.
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