Guisborough Town 1-2 Kendal Town (Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round Replay)

Match Report

Guisborough Town crashed out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle losing 2-1 to Cumbrian side Kendal in their keenly anticipated replay at the Kevin Edward KGV Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Priorymen got a brilliant boost when they took a 5th minute lead when Bradley Mills won a penalty in the Kendal box, and big striker Jason Blackburn drilled home the spot kick off a post.
After the game Guisborough Manager Steve Bell pinpointed the telling reason for his side’s FA Cup exit – failing to take more of the plentiful chances that they carved out on the night.

“We must have created seven or eight really good chances but scored only one goal from the penalty spot, whereas Kendal had three decent chances and converted two of them. You just can’t win games if you don’t take your chance – simple as that.

“It’s so frustrating when you compete and play so well, but it counts for nothing if you don’t put away those chances. So annoying when we played well enough to have deserved to win the tie outright when we played Kendal at their place on Saturday,” added Steve ruefully.

With the teams meeting for the third time within eight days, Guisborough got off to a flying start after only five minutes when Mills made a great run on the left of the Kendal penalty area but was upended and the referee immediately pointed to the spot for a penalty to the Priorymen.

Cue Blackburn to step up and score with a shot which clipped the inside of Kendal’s left hand post but thankfully the ball ricocheted across the goal and into the right hand side of the net.

DOMINATE FIRST HALF

After that Guisborough proceeded to dominate the first half and created a succession of chances with Joe Pickett, Joey Smith, Blackburn, Kurtis Howes and Mills, who saw an attempted hook back across the Kendal post hit the post.

Kendal threatened only once when a long ball upfield found Kendal striker James Bailey but Guisborough ‘keeper Robert Dean saved well.

As often is the case for a team who dominate the majority of the match but squander their chances, Guisborough surrendered their slender one-goal lead two minutes into time added on in the first half.

Dean brilliantly pushed a fiercely struck Ryan Winder round the post but from the resulting corner Kendal snatched an equaliser they barely deserved when the ball came over and unfortunately struck Guisborough striker Kyle Davis and into his net for an unlucky own goal.

In the second half, the Priorymen continued to press hard but it was easy to lose count of the near-miss chances they carved out, principally from Blackburn, Davis, Howes (twice) and a Frazer header.

But Kendal were coming more into the game with some neat and effective passing movements and they took a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute when Guisborough keeper Dean dived to push out a longish range shot and the rebound fell kindly to Kendal striker Brandon Crosker-Robinson who swept the ball home from an acute angle.

The Priorymen made a big effort to force and equaliser late on with attempts by Nick Hood and Jack Bailey but Guisborough’s best chance by far fell to substitute Dylan McAvoy who charged forward and got in a great position but he lifted his shot narrowly over the Kendal bar.

The crowd was a healthy 342 – exactly the same as the Kendal crowd the previous Saturday – and the Guisborough spectators among them must have gone home rueing the catalogue of closely missed chances by the Priorymen.

Report: Bill Perfitt