By Liam Price, photos by Peter Robinson
Nantwich Town continued their excellent form with a 4-2 win over Stalybridge Celtic at the Swansway Stadium.
Courtney Meppen-Walters and Perry Bircumshaw returned to the Dabbers side after missing last Monday’s game against Hednesford. Gio Loureiro made his first start for the club after scoring in that game; George Milner was out injured.
Nathan Okome sliced over the bar with that famously difficult chance of a ball dropping over the shoulder on the volley from a Meppen-Walters free kick.
The Dabbers did get off to the perfect start, however, as Kai Evans took advantage of a lapse at the back to charge through and win a penalty in the ninth minute after being tripped by keeper Luke Hewitson.
Byron Harrison sent the keeper the wrong way to open the scoring.
The forecast winds of Storm Kathleen were not as near a factor in the game as thought beforehand, in fact the recent home game against Mossley was probably worse for that.
After the opening goal it was Stalybridge who had more of the ball but did little with it. A good move ending with a cross deflected to Ben Garratt was as good as it got. He also had to palm over a corner that threatened to trouble the goal in a rare wind gust.
Evans, the Welsh Roadrunner, was at it again in a direct run at Celtic captain Connor O’Grady that ended in a corner. The fear he instils in opposition defences is palpable.
Nantwich started to assert their dominance towards the end of the first half. An excellent Timi Sobowale cross was headed over, before Troy Bourne hooked the ball over his own shoulder with his back to goal at a corner but over the bar.
Sobowale did well again in earning a free kick on the edge of the box. And up stepped Meppen-Walters to drive it low through the wall and in for his first Dabbers goal and a great one at that.
There was still time for Kai Evans to curl in a third before the break, cutting in twice to bamboozle the defence and helped slightly by a deflection.
There were chances even to extend this, Timi Sobowale firing over and Meppen-Walters seeing a goalscoring header controversially ruled out for a foul. It was a wonderful whirlwind end to the half from Nantwich that ultimately took the game away from the visitors.
Evans put another opportunity into the side netting early in the second half but the angle was narrow.
Kai turned provider a little later, crossing just ahead of his strike partner Harrison.
Nantwich did make it 4 on 71 minutes, Harrison tucking away his second and 19th of the season from another cross from the right. His knack for being in the right place at the right time is surely responsible for a good number of those 19.
Sobowale, who secured the Player of the Match, had a strike from distance that was easy for Luke Hewitson.
Darius Osei came off the bench and had a couple of chances, one very simple for Garratt but one slid almost inexpliacbly wide with the keeper beaten but it did take a deflection.
The Dabbers were guilty of taking their foot off the gas a bit too much late on, and Stalybridge were able to pull back a couple of consolation goals in the last 5 minutes.
Max Leonard bundled in the first among a mass of bodies from a corner.
Then in stoppage time, Brad Byrne got the second on the rebound after a good save by Ben Garratt.
But it was too little too late as Nantwich continued what has become a magnificent 2024. There are teams with games in hand, but for now the Dabbers find themselves a point off the play-offs with 3 to play.
The next and final home game of the league season is against City of Liverpool on 20th April at 3pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, Timi Sobowale, Perry Bircumshaw, Troy Bourne, Courtney Meppen-Walters, Joel Connolly, Paddy Kay, Nathan Okome, Byron Harrison (Akiel Raffie, 82), Giovanni Loureiro (Sean Lawton, 86), Kai Evans (Callum Saunders, 78)
Subs not used: Eric Merner, Jon Moran
Goals: Harrison (9 [pen], 71), Meppen-Walters (40), Evans (44)
Stalybridge Celtic: Luke Hewitson, Ethen Vaughan, Cole Lonsdale, Greg Wilkinson, Connor O’Grady, Jack Tinning (Darius Osei, 67), Joe Robbins (Matthew Bryan, 29), Jordan Butterworth, Rio Clegg (Brad Byrne, 46), Max Leonard, Jordan Burton
Subs not used: Pawel Zuk, Joe Edwards
Goals: Leonard (85), Byrne (90+1)
Attendance: 580