Report: Kendal Town Vs Mickleover Sports
Connerton hattrick earns Town a point against Mickleover Sports in the torrential wind and rain at The Cosyseal Stadium..
Saturday 26th November 2011
Connerton hattrick earns Town a point against Mickleover Sports in the torrential wind and rain at The Cosyseal Stadium.
Jordan Connerton struck a hat-trick as Kendal Town came from behind three times to earn a 3-3 draw against Mickleover Sports at the CosySeal Stadium this afternoon.
In dreary conditions, the referee took his time in deciding whether to play the game as the rain made some sections of the pitch seemingly unplayable.
But one the match got the green light, it was the Derbyshire side who broke the deadlock.
With 28 minutes on the clock Alex Steadman raced onto a through ball and struck a first-time effort under keeper Craig Dootson for 1-0.
The lead only lasted eight minutes though in an end to end tussle and it was Connerton who squared the match.
Picking the ball up on the edge of the box, Connerton danced around three defenders before firing past the hapless Damian Clarke in the Mickleover goal.
With the conditions proving difficult in the closing stages of the first half speculative efforts went wide for both teams but the visitors were to restore their lead five minutes before the break when Mark Farthing poked home after Liam Walsh's rebounded effort stuck in the mud.
But as Town looked set to go in for a half time pep-talk, Connerton made it 2-2 when he slotted an effort from eight yards around Clarke after good work from Gary McEvatt.
The match officials took another look at the pitch during the break but with the players and fans calling for the game to go ahead, play resumed, and the dramatic encounter continued.
Just six minutes into the second half, Mickleover took the lead for the third time as Farthing scored his second with a half volley at the back post which he drilled beyond Dootson.
The task became more difficult for the Mintcakes on 68 minutes, when the already booked Shaun Gray took down Steadman on the edge of the box and was given his marching orders for a second yellow.
But as Town have shown in the past, adversity brings out the best and just six minutes later it was level for a third time.
A Dootson goal kick went beyond the Mickleover defence and Connerton showed his attacking prowess by running onto the ball and coolly placing his shot to the back of the net at Clarke's far post.
Both sides went in search of a winner and two efforts - one for each side - came back off the crossbar in the 81st minute, but on a testing surface, the draw was a fair outcome.
Attendance: 125
Kendal Town Team: 1) C Dootson, 2) J Tucker (M Jackson 58), 3) D Wisdom, 4) S Gray, 5) M Joseph (C), 6) C Donnelly, 7) K Walmsley, 8) J Connerton, 9) G McEvatt (T Kilifin 73), 10) A Dunn, 11) D Williams.
Subs Not Used: N Fairhurst, R Winters, T Newton.
