REPORT | Kendal Town 0-0 Widnes

Kendal Town and Widnes played out a goalless draw at the Lakelands Radio Stadium on Bank Holiday Monday.

The hosts’ Emil Jaaskelainen rattled the bar with a free kick shortly after the hour in an otherwise bore draw in which neither side ever looked like scoring.

After comfortably beating Droylsden last week and coming from two goals down to draw with Mossley in the Emirates FA Cup on Saturday, this was a comedown for Widnes who sit eighth in the BetVictor Northern Premier League Division One North/West with four points from three games.

Co-bosses Steve Akrigg and Kev Towey made two changes to the side that took the Lilywhites to a replay last time out, with Danny Shaw returning at centre-half in place of Joe Herbert, while Josh Klein-Davies was rewarded for two goals in his previous two substitute appearances with a start as he was preferred to Lewis Buckley.

In hot conditions in the Lake District, both sides struggled to create clear-cut chances with goalkeepers Joao Mendes and Owen Wheeler enjoying relatively comfortable afternoons.

Widnes did carry more threat than their Cumbrian-based rivals, with in-form Ben Hodkinson forcing Mendes into an early save after good work by James Steele in the build-up.

The Whites edged the opening exchanges, but the final pass was often lacking in a sloppy outing from Akrigg and Towey’s side. Conor Ready dropped the shoulder to engineer space for a shot from just outside the area, but Mendes was alert to comfortably gather the effort.

Widnes’ best chance came on the stroke of half-time. Hodkinson evaded the offside trap to latch on to a Fisnik Hajdari pass in behind and helped on a cross to the awaiting and unmarked Steele in the area, but the 19-year-old spurned a gilt-edged opportunity, nodding off target.

Ready would then shoot narrowly wide as the Whites ended the half having enjoyed their best spell.

After the restart, Widnes never built on their steadily gaining first half momentum and Steele’s crisp effort early in the second half that forced a fine stop from Mendes was the closest they got to a winner.

The introduction of loan Blackpool youngster Jaaskelainen, son of former Bolton and West Ham goalkeeper Jussi, offered Kendal a direct threat and began to ask questions of previously untroubled Widnes backline.

Jaaskelainen would come closest for Kendal, curling a sumptuous free-kick that rattled the underside of the bar and bounced on the goal-line before Widnes scrambled the loose ball clear, with referee Ian Walsh unamused by the hosts’ animated appeals for a goal.

He would threaten again minutes later, heading wide from a Christian Sloan cross but the Mintcakes were ultimately limited to rare sights of goal.

Widnes rolled the dice with the introduction of substitutes Chris Lomax, George Webster and Michael Grogan in an attempt to breathe renewed energy into a side that were quickly running out of ideas.

It was Webster who would threaten 20 minutes from time. A neat Ready pass sat up nicely for the youngster to hit a volley towards goal that was superbly beaten away by the impressive Mendes.

Grogan would head over from a Lomax corner late on as Widnes pushed for winner that seemed increasingly unlikely with the Whites lacking any real quality going forward.

Widnes would threaten again late on as Lomax spurned a decent chance to net the winner. He received a tidy pass from Webster to cut inside on his weaker right foot, only to fire off target.

That proved to be Widnes’ last decent opening, but this was a game that had 0-0 written all over it and when the final whistle came it was a blessed relief.