By Liam Price
Nantwich fell to their first defeat of pre season as Winsford United won 3-2 at the Swansway Stadium.
Paddy Jarrett made his first start since returning to the club, and Luke Moulton became the latest youth product to appear from the bench, one of four in the matchday squad.
After a couple of early exchanges that mainly saw Winsford efforts going off target, the Dabbers took the lead in the 19th minute.
Byron Harrison managed to get on the end of a diagonal ball through from Josh Williams and finished in typical style past the Winsford keeper Jacob Kirwan.
The story of the game though was Winsford’s swashbuckling football. The plan was clear, hassle hard every time Nantwich were on the ball and attack in numbers when they got it. It worked a treat.
After a concerted spell of pressure they equalised in the 43rd minute. A corner was headed in by their captain Ste Jenyons.
How that corner arrived was via something very new and worth looking out for when the season starts for real. Ben Garratt picked the ball up innocuously in the box; a short time later the referee sounded his whistle and a corner was awarded. Enacted by IFAB, from this season goalkeepers will be penalised with a corner if they hold onto the ball for more than 8 seconds, with the referee giving a count with his fingers for the last 5 seconds, in aid of reducing time wasting.
On the stroke of half time, the Dabbers retook the lead. Jarrett took the ball on around the edge of the box and his los shot escaped the grasp of Kirwan to make it 2-1.
Winsford were not deterred and the pattern of the game remained the same in the second half.
The away side brought a good save from Garratt and hit the bar. In the 61st minute they got their goal, Elliott Coleman bundling the ball in from another corner.
Nantwich were denied a third by the offside flag when Ben Hockenhull’s header hit the bar and Callum Saunders touched it in but was ahead of the last man.
Former Dabber Ollie Pope then struck the post on the breakaway. But the very next minute he wasn’t to be denied as he finished low into the corner to complete the turnaround for Winsford.
Were it not for Garratt throughout making saves, including one after a short backpass late on, the score could have been embarrassing for the Dabbers.
Rui Clarke-Phillips, another of the four youngsters, missed the most presentable chance to equalise when firing over.
It was Winsford’s night from the early stages and they got the result to match the performance, playing the kind of blood and guts attacking football that feels like the default desire from most English football supporters to see from their own club, at any level.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, Reece Vaughan, Josh Williams, Ben Hockenhull, Kelvin Mellor (C), Perry Bircumshaw, Callum Saunders, Byron Moore, Byron Harrison, Joe Robbins, Patrick Jarrett
Subs: Trialists x3, Fenton Green, Ben Greenop, Tom Horton, Luke Moulton, Rui Clarke-Phillips
Goals: Harrison (19), Jarrett (45)
Winsford United: Jacob Kirwan, Ollie McDonough, Elliott Coleman, Callum Chapman, Ste Jenyons (C), Ewan McGeady, Danny Kerr, Carl Rogers, Matty Birchall, Ollie Pope, Leo Tanswell
Subs: Connor Hux, Sam Latham, Jay Jay McCarthy
Goals: Jenyons (43), Coleman (61), Pope (79)
Attendance: 289