The Pitmen's winning run at the start of the new season came to a shuddering halt this afternoon, as Kendal Town ended Hednesford's four-match dream start with a late winner in Cumbria

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With Nick Wellecomme suspended for the next three games and Mark Danks injured in Wednesday's win at Mickleover Sports, manager Rob Smith had to completely change his forward line. Danny Quinn and Marvin Robinson moved up from the bench, with new signing Bohan Dixon coming in as a striking option amongst the replacements

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Both sides settled well and found out that they were well matched during a competitive first half. Kendal made inroads down their left-hand side early on, with Danny Wisdom and Danny Williams offering a threat to Kyle Haynes and Pedro Monteiro. Williams fired well wide after five minutes after advancing on the Hednesford penalty area, whilst Wisdom sent over a teasing cross that no one in black and white stripes gambled on

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Robinson made an early mark on the game for the wrong reasons after just ten minutes, as he went into the referee's book following a slightly mistimed challenge

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The Pitmen started to find their feet after the fifteen-minute mark, with the improving Clements first to test Kendal keeper Craig Dootson with a free-kick - won by Robinson - that the home number one watched nervously over the angle of the crossbar

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Alex Taylor could have given Kendal a lead on nineteen minutes, but his connection on the ball was poor and Dan Crane gathered easily when he could have been forced into a more difficult save

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Ciaran Donnelly tried his luck with a long-range effort for Kendal midway through the half, missing the crossbar by a foot or so

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Danny Quinn's typical power and pace were causing Kendal problems, with the former amateur striker almost giving the Pitmen the lead on the half-hour mark. A glorious ball from Clements set Quinn free of the Kendal defence, but his low shot was saved by Dootson's legs

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Quinn was left a frustrated figure three minutes later, as he headed Campion's corner kick narrowly over the crossbar from only a few yards out. A minute later, Robinson skied his shot high over the bar after shooting from the edge of the penalty area

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Kendal responded to this spell of Hednesford pressure with a quality set-piece of their own, as Kieran Walmsley sent over a teasing free-kick that skipper Marc Joseph headed just wide of the far post

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Half time was to prove a good thing for the Pitmen, as they regrouped and emerged much the stronger at the start of the second period. Campion's fearsomely struck free-kick stung the fingers of Dootson just three minutes after the restart. Quinn picked up the rebound and beat two players, but tried to chip the ball back into the area and scuffed his shot into the clutches of the Kendal defenders

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Pedro Monteiro almost added to his goal at Mickleover in midweek but got all out of shape in heading Clements' corner kick over the bar

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Cheyenne Dunkley had to be alert to clear a Mark Jackson header off the line just before the hour mark, heading the ball away after Walmsley had picked Jackson out at the far post

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Campion struck the post with a speculative effort on sixty-four minutes, striking a long-range effort that seemed to be drifting wide before clipping the post and going out

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Kendal weathered the storm and started to threaten themselves, and on seventy-four minutes took the lead. Mark Peers got the better of Campion before crossing from the right, just missing Jackson but finding Jackson - his header was enough to beat Crane from close range

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Hednesford changed their formation and pushed up in search of an immediate equaliser. Dixon was introduced at the expense of centre back Chris Shaw, and Jamey Osborne replacing Jay Denny

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The move brought immediate dividends; a minute after Osborne was brought on, a good move involving six players saw the youngster fire in a shot from the edge of the penalty area that was nudged past Dootson by Quinn

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Decio Gomes was introduced to shore up the defence in the final minutes in place of goalscorer Quinn, but could only watch on as Kendal snatched all three points as the game entered its final minute. Another quality ball in from Walmsley was met by Joseph, who headed firmly past Crane from six yards out

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There was still time for a late penalty appeal as Robinson was held off the ball by a Kendal defender, which saw a bout of handbags from both sides in added time. The Pitmen will have very little time to dwell on losing their unbeaten record, as deadly rivals Stafford Rangers make the short journey across the Chase for the first derby of the season on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon

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Kendal Town: Dootson ▆, Walmsley, Wisdom, Winters, Joseph ©, Donnelly, Peers (74) (Kilford 86), Jackson (McKevatt 90), Taylor (Kilifin 67), Dunn ▆, Williams       Subs Unused: Tucker, Newton

Hednesford Town: Crane, Monteiro, Campion ©, Shaw (Dixon 80), Dunkley, Denny (Osborne 83 ▆), Haynes, Clements ▆, Robinson ▆, Quinn (Gomes 86), Clarke ▆        Subs Unused: Bailey, Grice

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