Five-star Chorley make it 10 defeats in a row for Kendal Town as Black and Whites embark on busy week of fixtures

8:02pm Monday 1st April 2013

By Scott Kirk

IN-FORM Chorley knocked five goals past Kendal Town as the Black and Whites’ Easter period went from bad to worse with a lacklustre display at Victory Park.

Kendal looked to have one eye on their busy period of games coming up, with trips to Hednesford Town, Whitby Town and FC United of Manchester on Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday respectively, and that was reflected in the eight changes to the starting line-up from Saturday’s defeat to FC United.

It took Chorley just three minutes to open the scoring when Adam Roscoe was one of three unmarked players in the six-yard box following a Tom Baker corner, and the striker converted a simple opportunity to make it 1-0.

After 13 minutes the Magpies doubled their advantage when the Chorley winger got past full back Adam Freeland, and Kevin Brown missed the clearance, allowing Cameron Darkwah to bundle the ball home off keeper Craig Dootson and a post.

The home side dominated the midfield and possession from start to finish, and Kendal couldn’t live with their opponents as they fashioned chance after chance.

Dootson made a great save with his feet after a superb sidefooted volley from left back Andy Russell midway through the first half, while Kendal’s keeper was forced to punch clear an awkward, looping free kick from Dale Whitham just after the half hour mark.

Kendal’s only chance of the half, and the entire match, came when the returning Tom Williams’ free kick was expertly saved with a diving, one-handed stop by Chorley keeper Jack Cudworth in the 35th minute.

But normal service was resumed in the 39th minute when a Roscoe half-volley on the edge of the box went wide.

One minute into the second half and the game was put to bed when the unmarked Whitham was handed the simplest of headers when the ball was crossed in, and Chorley took a 3-0 lead.

Williams hit the sidenetting with an effort in the 52nd minute, while Mike Barron shot high and wide from a corner moments later, but those were the only attempts registered by the Black and Whites in the second half.

Freeland defended very well with a Chorley player breathing down his neck near the goalline when Keil O’Brien flicked a header on from a corner by the impressive Baker, before Maison McGeechan headed a Whitham header off the line from the resulting corner in the 71st minute.

It was almost like shooting practice for Chorley, who had efforts from Darkwah, Paul Jarvis and substitute Tom Walker charged down two minutes later.

Dootson made a superb double save with nine minutes remaining after a great free kick from Baker, before he came out and bravely met Darren Stephenson in the six-yard box, but the Chorley substitute was ruled offside.

But he was powerless to prevent Chorley from scoring a fourth when Baker rasped a low, 35-yard strike in off the post with Kendal’s keeper at full stretch.

And there was time for the Victory Park outfit to add a fifth in injury time when Stephenson glanced a Walker cross beyond Dootson to round off a routine victory for the home side, and leave Kendal wondering where their next points are going to come from.

Jack Cudworth, Mark Ross, Andy Russell, Andy Teague (c) (Tom Walker 66), Keil O’Brien, Dale Whitham, Paul Jarvis, Tom Baker, Cameron Darkwah, Adam Roscoe (Darren Stephenson 60), Porya Ahmadi (Tom Ince 60)

Craig Dootson, Adam Freeland, Jamie Hastings, Jack Cook, Kevin Brown (c), Martin Grundy, Maison McGeechan, Mike Barron, Aaron Taylor, Tom Williams, Zach Clark

Subs: Rob Wilson for Grundy (66), Callum Hoctor for Clark (72), Liam Shields for McGeechan (81)

Key man: Craig Dootson: Not at fault for any of the goals, and the scoreline could have been even worse were it not for Dootson’s efforts.