Kendal Town vs Newcastle Benfield match preview
Newcastle Benfield travel away to Kendal in a 208-mile round trip in the Ebac Northern League Division One.
Last time out…
Benfield’s unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Easington Colliery. The visitors took the lead through Luke Pearn with just ten minutes remaining, but The Lions responded minutes later with James Wilson getting the goal to set the game up for a grandstand finish.
With only a few minutes left, The Colliers were awarded a penalty which was scored by Brad Hird to seal the win for the away side and give Andy Ferguson’s side a hammer blow.
Previous meeting…
The sides met in October in a tightly fought contest between two good teams where either could have gone on to win it. Kendal struck first through winger Steven Yawson with just under half an hour to go, The Lions got the equaliser in the 80th minute with Aidan Haley and it finished 1-1.
Where the sides sit…
The Lions are in seventh on 66 points with 39 games played. The Mintcakes sit one above in sixth after 39 with 67 points.
Kendal lost their last game at home to Newcastle Blue Star 1-0 which was a massive win for the away side and all but confirmed their spot in the playoffs making Kendal’s chances of getting in there now slim. Anything less than a win today would seal their fate of another year at this level of football.
The Mintcakes also lost their manager yesterday Jimmy Marshall who has moved to Lancaster City. It will be interesting to see how the hosts react to his departure.
Player to watch…
My player to watch is Yawson. If Kendal are having a good game, it’s most likely because of him, he always tends to chip in with a goal and if he is not scoring it, he will be involved somewhere. One of his main strengths is his pace and that allows him to be so effective in the final third. Benfield will know all about him and will make sure he has an off day in the game.
