POOR finishing, great goalkeeping and dubious officiating conspired to cost Kendal dear in this relegation dogfight.

Because keeper David Newnes was injured with a gashed leg, Ryan Yeomans was drafted in to desputise as a one-match stop-gap with FA consent.

Both sides struggled for a rhythmn but Kendal opened the scoring on 30 minutes when Carl Osman headed home a Paul Byrne corner. A minute later Osman could have doubled the lead but blasted over the bar.

After a torrential downpour in the lead-up to half time Kendal managed to not only lose their lead but go 2-1 down.

Firstly, Barraclough scored on the break to equalise and then in the 45th minute Paul Riley put the home team ahead against the run of play.

Kendal restored parity in the 52nd minute when Osman scored his second goal of the night, but eight minutes later Barraclough made it 3-2 when he netted at the back post.

Osman struck a lovely drive that looked destined for the corner, but Richmond's diving save denied him a hat-trick.

A mistimed challenge from Neil Murphy saw him, rather harshly, shown a a straight red card, and moments later Matlock went 4-2 ahead as Callum Warburton skewed an attempted clearance into his own net in the 81st minute.

Kendal kept pressing and Paul Byrne was clean through but Richmond pulled off another terrific save, and Paul Fildes had an effort cleared off the goal-line.

In the last minute as the Kendal players were running back downfield from a corner, Michael Cole accidentally ran into the referee and was shown a straight red card.

It was an amazing decision that upset the Kendal Town bench so much that manager Lee Ashcroft was ordered from the dug-out. With only two matches remaining, Saturday's home match - again against Matlock - is a 'must-win' before finishing with a tough task at play-off seeking Guiseley a week later.

HOW THEY RATED: Yeomans 7, Murphy 7, Byrne 7, Kilford 7, Standley 7, Cole 7; Osman 8, Warburton 7, Ashcroft 7 (Fildes 70min, 7), Hobson 7 , Mulvaney 7 (Henry 78min, 7). Subs: unused Forbes.

O Star Man - Carl Osman: His two goals deserved a better result.