After more than a year away from Harrison Park, Leek Town celebrated their return home and the first game on their new 3G pitch with a hard -fought victory over Kendal Town.
The Mintcakes came into the game bottom of the table. having had a point deducted this week for playing an ineligible player. In addition, their manager and coaching staff had left to join Penrith Town and the chairman had indicated that he wanted to step down from the role.
Kendal therefore came into the game as almost sacrificial lambs to the slaughter on a day of celebration for Leek Town, but the game didn’t turn out that way.
The Blues made just one change in the starting 11 from last week’s win at Widnes with Rob Stevenson starting and Jack Wakefield dropping to the bench. Lewis Short continued at left back with Louis Keenan on the bench.
An expectant crowd of 556 got the start that the majority wanted after just five minutes when Saxon went down the left and tried a cross shot. The ball appeared to hit Parra before finding the corner of Lombard’s net but Saxon was credited with the goal. At this stage Leek were well on top and a second goal could well have caused Kendal to crumble, but Leek were unable to take their chances. Saxon headed at Lombard when a strike either side of him would surely have brought a second goal.
Further opportunities were spurned by Leek and gradually Kendal got a toe hold in the game, without troubling Danny Roberts. Jordan Scott, the new Kendal interim player manager worked hard in the midfield while Zama and McCaragher battled away against Ryder and Harrison without being a goal threat.
Close to half time a ball into the Kendal box did cause problems for their defence and, in diving to punch clear. Lombard collided with Parra. In the process he injured his right leg which would cause repercussions later in the game.
By half time Leek were looking a little frustrated as they had had far the best of the possession without being able to make that final defence splitting pass.
The beginning of the second half followed the pattern of the first with Harrison heading over from a corner after he leapt above a static Kendal defence.
Lombard had come out for the second half in the Kendal goal but it was clear that he was struggling and when Leek gained another corner he sat down in his six yard box, After treatment he left the field and, with no goalkeeper on the bench, Wraighte took over the goalkeeping duties for Kendal.
The Leek crowd who had perhaps expected a goal feast after the lightning start, were becoming increasingly as frustrated as the players and it almost went from bad to worse as a mistake by Ryder almost let in Zama for a shock equaliser. Harrison and Roberts between them managed to block the opportunity but this was a warning to Leek of what could happen if they didn’t make the game safe.
On 78 minutes that opportunity finally arrived when a run down the left by Short, followed by a low cross into the penalty area, was tucked away by Tim Grice past the stand-in keeper. At this point Kendal heads dropped, sensing that the game was lost. By his standards Dan Trickett-Smith had had a quiet game but he showed his quality on 84 minutes. He allowed a pass from his left to run across his body before opening himself up to pass the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.
Leek were then able to give a rest to a few players by making substitutions with another game on Tuesday night in mind. They finished the game in total control of a game in which Danny Roberts didn’t have a serious save to make.
Afterwards, Leek manager Neil Baker told Moorlands Sport that he was happy with the three points in a game where it would have been easy for emotions to take over on such a special day for the club. He added that Kendal had defended very well and that this was only the third time that his players had used the new pitch. It would take them a little while to get used to pitch and he didn’t rule out watering the new pitch in order to make the ball run more freely.
Final Score:
Leek Town 3 Kendal Town 0
