THOROUGHLY beaten on their home ground a fortnight previously, Shepshed came to Parkside with thoughts of holding Kendal to a draw utmost in their mind.

This strategy coupled with a rash of team selection problems for Town boss Tony Hesketh, made for a dour match which only sparkled in the last 10 minutes as Kendal pressed for a winner.

With ace striker Kenny Mayers still to serve the last of his three games suspension and influential left side attacker Lee Ashcroft out with a hamstring injury and utility player Dene Whittal-Williams unavailable, Hesketh sought to solve his striker shortage by sending versatile Russ McKenna forward to partner David Foster.

Hesketh's plan lasted just 15 minutes until solid central defender Nigel Taylor limped off after coming off worse in a 50-50 challenge.

Russ McKenna dropped back and thereafter played a fine game at right back, while Lee Clitheroe switched wings so that left winger Ged Smith could take up the second striker role.

Meanwhile, Peter Smith came off the bench to his accustomed right wing position, where his combination with right back Paul Rigby gave the Shepshed defence a torrid time.

Although the first half saw Ricky Mercer head over from a corner and put Foster through for a couple of half chances, neither side had much to offer up front. Town produced several spells of fine passing football, but the attacks floundered on an efficient defence and several debatable offside decisions.

One such decision denied Town a goal in the 53rd minute when Ged Smith netted a neat through ball from Foster but was ruled to have timed his run a fraction early.

In the 80th minute Michael Jack was replaced by Stuart Cliff, out for the past six months with a serious injury, and the classy midfielder nearly made a dream return when his header drifted wide after just 30 seconds on the field.

Anxious to secure the points, Town threw defender Paul McMenemy forward as an extra striker and it nearly cost them as a rare Shepshed attack found the gap and forced keeper Mark Thornley into a fine save from point-blank range.

By contrast McMenemy then had a header cleared from the line, a goalbound attempt by Mercer was also hooked out, a free-kick by Ged Smith just curled over the angle and with the last kick of the match Chris Bennett's narrow-angled shot came back of the keeper's legs when perhaps a pull backl to the unmarked Peter Smith would have been a better option.

How they rated: Thornley 7, Rigby 8, Woodruffe 7, Taylor 6 (P. Smith 7 from 15 minutes), McMenemy 7; Mercer 8, Jack 5 (Cliff 7 from 80 minutes); Clitheroe 7, Foster 6 (Bennett 6 from 70 minutes), McKenna 8, G. Smith 7.