Five Takeaways as Ravens Snatch Draw

As Dean Pinnington’s header brought a well-deserved draw for the Ravens on Saturday, we break down what Sam saw from Saturday’s game.

Guts

More than anything else, the Ravens showed steel and guts to dig deep on Saturday night. Their heads dropped when they conceded in the first half, but they came out swinging in the second half and were unlucky not to draw level though Sean Doyle’s flick at the near post from Dean Pinnington’s free kick.

While the Ravens were able to roll with the punches and frustrate their visitors, once Kendal missed their second half penalty, they suddenly looked like they believed again and were well worth a point.

Simmo

The one real negative for the Ravens happened on the stroke of halftime as Dan Simpson went off injured following a 50/50 with one of the Kendal side. I don’t have any update on how he is, but hopefully he won’t be out for too long, he certainly adds a different dimension to the Ravens when he’s fit.

Deano! Deano! Deano!

It was Pinnington’s header that drew the Ravens level after what had looked to be a frustrating evening for the Ravens’ joker in the pack.

Despite having not scored since September, Pinnington has always remained popular with the Ravens fans, even if he sometimes could be accused of trying to do a bit too much at time. He deserved his goal on Saturday and if he can build on this, then the Ravens could start looking up the league again.

Solid at the Back

Beyond a soft penalty and a well taken first half goal for Kendal’s James Bailey, the Ravens back line looked impressive and they really fought through difficult conditions at the Bowl, especially given the absences of regulars Al Maitland and Jamie Corlett.

While the entirety of Ben Wilkinson’s back line played well and Jacob Crook was awarded man of the match, my special mention goes to Phil Kelly who put in an old school defender’s display, looking confident on the ball and went into every challenge with total commitment, he showed the kind of leadership the team needed on a night like that.

Final Third

Throughout this season, the Ravens have been solid at the back and conceded few goals, but if there has been one criticism, they just don’t seem to be clicking going forward. That continued on Saturday night as other than Pinnington’s goal and Doyle’s effort, they didn’t look like threatening the Kendal goal too much.

Higgins coming on seemed to bring about a bit more positivity, the Ramsey man does seem to play with more of a freedom than some of his team mates and he is a popular figure with the Ravens fans who love to see him unleashed on the opposition.

His assist for the goal was not only a clever ball, he showed a great maturity not to just let fire himself, but the whole front line, no matter what the lineup, blows hot and cold, they need to find some more of a killer instinct and creativity in the final third.