By Liam Price, photo by Jonathan White
After a rare midweek off, the Dabbers head to Newcastle Town this Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Scaling the Castle
Newcastle made a pretty good start to the season but the form has dropped off somewhat in recent weeks. They’ve lost 4 of their last 5 in all competitions, failing to score in 3 of those games. In the league, defeats have come against Stafford, Witton and Clitheroe (on Tuesday night), all teams currently in the play-offs so maybe not the truest representation of where they are.
They have been good at beating teams around them, putting 5 past both Padiham and Lichfield and 3 past Runcorn. And what they do have are games in hand; 3 on the Dabbers and a couple on nearly all the teams above them. So while they are currently 16th and a couple of points outside the relegation zone, a win or two from those extra matches and they’ll be much more secure in mid table.
Last Time We Met
An early Byron Harrison penalty was enough for the Dabbers to beat Newcastle 1-0 at the Swansway in March, for what was a first home win in over 2 months.
Players to Watch
Luca Whitney is the main man for Newcastle with a superb 9 goals in 10 games. He has 2 hat tricks to his name.
Drew Lowe has 5 in 10 including 2 in their most recent win against Runcorn.
Ex-Dabber Harry Bower has really found his feet under Neil Baker and has 4 goals this season. Another former Nantwich player in Sean Lawton is also still part of the setup at Newcastle.
Match Information
Tickets are £11 for adults, £7 for concessions and £3 for U16s.
Driving is the only realistic way of getting to the GRG Stadium from Cheshire, with the A51 generally being the quickest route, depending on traffic.