By Liam Price
The first of 6 games for the Dabbers in October, and the start of a run of 5 away games out of the next 7, sees the short trip to Kidsgrove Athletic on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-grove
It’s been a good start to the season for the Grove. They are currently 7th in the NPL West after 9 games played. They’ll be hoping for a more consistent season than last, where after winning all of their first 7 games they only picked up 18 points from the following 31 matches and finished just one place above the relegation zone.
The start has been particularly good at home, 4 games played with 2 wins and 2 draws as well as 0 goals conceded. That is tempered slightly by them losing at the Autonet Stadium 2-1 to Belper Town in the FA Trophy recently, but is impressive nonetheless. They’ve lost just 1 of their lat 4 league games, winning 1-0 away at Atherton last weekend.
Last Time We Met
In March, after passing a pitch inspection following severe rainfall (deja vu anyone?), the Dabbers came out on top in Kidsgrove with a commanding 4-1 win, with a brace from Kai Evans, and goals from Byron Harrison and Nathan Okome. Highlights below.
Players to Watch
Chief among their goalscorers has been Kingsley Adu-Gyamfi on 7 and Robbie Hatton on 5 in all competitions.
But the man among the goals most recently has been Matt Rhead. Dabbers fans will remember him from his time at the club in 2009/10, where he scored 7 times in 17 games. Since then, he worked his way up and achieved national fame when he lead the line for the Lincoln City side that made that extraordinary run to the FA Cup Quarter Finals in 2016/17 as a non-league team. Now 40, he has returned to the club he last played for in 2008 and has scored in Kidsgrove’s last 2 matches. At 6ft4, the battle between him and Courtney Meppen-Walters could be one for the ages.
Also in the Kidsgrove ranks is former Dabbers player and manager Ritchie Sutton, who already has 2 goals to his name this campaign.
Match Information
Parking at the Autonet Stadium is very limited and can lead to on-street parking, please be aware of local residents if doing this.
Tickets are available via cash and card on the gate at £10 for adults, £6 for concessions, £2 for under 16s, and free for under 12s.
Its a short trip and is one that can be made relatively easily on public transport. The train options from Nantwich are 11am and 1pm exactly, with a change at Crewe.