By Liam Price, photo by John Harris
Nantwich made it 3 league wins in a row for the first time in 2 years with a 3-0 win away at Chasetown on Saturday.
A coming together in the Chasetown box in the very first minute brought fleeting shouts for a Nantwich penalty. Then in the 7th minute, a Tom Pratt shot was saved by James Wren and the rebound put in but the flag went up for offside as the Dabbers tried to repeat their recent trick of rapid starts.
Danny O’Callaghan headed onto the roof of the net as the Scholars found their feet, before Pratt didn’t really trouble Wren with a low shot.
The biggest opening of the first half came when Perry Bircumshaw lofted a ball down the left side for in form Kai Evans who set off towards goal, curling just wide from a narrow angle.
He was at it again from the right side a few minutes later, making something out of nothing by firing powerfully towards the near post with Wren having to push it away for a corner.
A flurry of action saw Ben Garratt making his first proper save from Jayden Campbell at one end before Evans once again tested the Chasetown goal at the other with a shot that looked like it was sneaking in but was touched around the post.
Courtney Meppen-Walters headed into the side netting from the corner that followed, then Bircumshaw brilliantly headed away a dangerous looking cross on the stroke of half time.
At the start of the second half it remained deadlocked, Max Chimenes headed over the bar for Chasetown then Troy Bourne flicked a header wide from a Kai Evans ball into the box.
O’Callaghan and Campbell had half chances that were wasted, but just before the hour mark the Dabbers struck.
George Milner was typically combative in winning a 50/50 challenge in midfield, the ball breaking to Pratt who played Evans in behind, breaking the offside trap and finishing unerringly past Wren. 15 for the season now for Kai who is in the kind of form where you just don’t think he is going to miss.
The lead was doubled 12 minutes later. A corner from the right went past the first challenge that jumped for it, leaving little reaction time for Byron Harrison to power in a header high past Wren. It was a brilliant, instinctive finish that left Byron flat on his front in celebration.
Chasetown now had to live up to their name and chase the game, thus leaving more gaps for Nantwich to expose. One of those occasions ended with Evans surely being shoved over in the box but nothing was given. The officials didn’t have their finest day, too many basics like throw ins and goal kicks/corners were incorrectly awarded to the frustration of both benches, undermining trust in them for bigger calls like this.
Evans dragged another effort just wide before the game was killed once and for all. Pratt forced Wren into a good save down to his right but Harrison was in the right place at the right time to roll in the rebound right in front of the travelling supporters. Harrison and Evans have now scored 12 of Nantwich’s last 13 goals and are becoming a partnership that the rest of the league will be fearing facing in the final weeks of the season.
A milestone came in the last 10 minutes as Callum Saunders came off the bench to make his 100th Nantwich appearance across his different spells with the Dabbers. 35 goals in that time means he’s in that very handy 1 in 3 ratio of goals that is often seen as a good benchmark for a forward.
Joel Connolly curled wide off his weaker left foot in the last real effort of the game as Nantwich saw out another comfortable win on the road.
Teams
Chasetown: James Wren, Oli Hayward, Carter Lycett, Kris Taylor, Thomas Unwin (Luke McGinnell, 46), Sam Wilding, Jayden Campbell (George Cater, 83), Luke Yates, Max Chimenes, Danny O’Callaghan (Ryan Shaw, 86), John Atherton
Subs not used: Jordan Evans, Jack Langston
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, Joel Connolly, Perry Bircumshaw, Troy Bourne, Courtney Meppen-Walters, George Milner, Paddy Kay, Nathan Okome, Byron Harrison (Sean Lawton, 90+1), Tom Pratt (Akiel Raffie, 86), Kai Evans (Callum Saunders, 82)
Subs not used: Jon Moran, Eric Merner
Goals: Evans (59), Harrison (71, 80)
Attendance: 503