By Jonathan White, photo by Peter Robinson
Nantwich Town FC Women stretched their unbeaten league run to an impressive 11 games after a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Wirral Phoenix Women on Sunday afternoon (23rd November 2025). The Dabbers showed grit and determination at the KRCT Ltd Stadium in Birkenhead, but were ultimately made to settle for a share of the points.
Manager Dan Mellor named a strong starting XI: 1. C. Watts, 2. L. Bulkeley, 3. P. Smith, 4. S. Cawley, 5. J. Case, 6. K. Greenwood, 7. J. Alderman, 8. M. Ragdale (captain), 9. A. Fallon, 10. A. Poulton, 11. A. Hatton. Substitutes: S. Holden, A. Mayer, N. Walker, J. Buckley-Ratcliff.
The Dabbers went into half-time level at 1-1, thanks to a smart finish from Abi Poulton, who opened the scoring for Nantwich. The second half followed a similar pattern, with both sides battling for control and exchanging goals once more. Nantwich’s second came from captain Meg Ragdale, who capped off a strong midfield performance to net the Dabbers’ equaliser and secure the 2-2 final scoreline.
The GOAT Player of the Match was awarded pitchside, along with a £50 voucher courtesy of GOAT, Nantwich’s newest High Street bar.
After the full-time whistle, Manager Dan Mellor reflected on the match with honesty:
“Sometimes you can look at games away and think a draw is a good result, but tonight it doesn’t feel like one. We were well below our standards, the goals we conceded were poor and in the final third we wasted too many opportunities and made poor decisions.
“The positive is that even on a bad day we still took something from the game, but we know we need to be braver, cleaner, and more clinical if we want to hit the levels we expect of ourselves.
“We have to do better next week at Altrincham.”
Despite Mellor’s frustration, the Dabbers remain top of the North West Women’s Regional League Division One South, sitting on 29 points from 11 matches — nine wins, two draws, no defeats, and a remarkable +39 goal difference.
Supporters can stay up to date with the latest news, match action and behind-the-scenes content via the team’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NTFCLadies. Full fixture information is available on the club website: https://www.nantwichtownfc.co.uk/all-women-fixtures/.
For those keen to get involved in the women’s game, Women’s Recreational Football sessions run every Tuesday from 8–9pm on the Swansway Stadium pitch, open to all women aged 16+. Interested players can email [email protected] for more details.