By Liam Price
Nantwich Town secured another excellent away win with a 2-0 victory at Congleton Town.
James Baillie and Fenton Green came into the starting XI in the only 2 changes from the win at Kidsgrove in midweek.
Nantwich made a fast start to the game; Byron Harrison was played in within the first 3 minutes after breaking Congleton’s offside trap but the goalkeeper Dave Parton was able to smother his effort.
But Harrison wasn’t to be denied and still inside the first 10 minutes he gave the Dabbers the lead. Another assist came from Aidy Roxburgh, whose fine cross was met by a towering header from Harrison to get what was his 50th goal for the club, a superb achievement from a striker who has been the model of consistency from the moment he signed for the club in 2022.
The Bears were unhappy with a moment in the build up to that goal where an aerial challenge left player/manager Richard Duffy on the ground and seemingly in need of treatment. Play continued, at the discretion of the referee, and the goal was scored a few seconds later.
They had been warned, having let two other headers go towards goal even before the Harrison goal, so while the frustration was real, Congleton hadn’t learned their lesson and had been punished.
That frustration boiled over in a big flashpoint about midway through the half. Fenton Green was penalised for a challenge in the middle and was rightly booked after needlessly kicking the ball at a prone opponent. Then in all the ruckus that followed, the officials missed Duffy charging in and grabbing Green by the throat; if that had been seen it surely would have been a red card.
Congleton had a goal disallowed for offside before Ebou Badjie’s superb skill in the box couldn’t be matched by his finish as he pulled the shot wide.
Alex Panter was seeking to match a 45-year club record in scoring in 7 consecutive Nantwich games, and came closest when rounding Parton and somehow squeezing an effort on target from a very narrow angle only to see it cleared off the line.
The main save that Ben Garratt had to make in the game was when Dan Needham brought the ball down and fired low with Garratt making the save with his feet; it did look as if Needham controlled the ball with his arm in the build up.
Nantwich had other chances to extend the lead. Paddy Jarrett had a shot brilliantly blocked and James Baillie could only hit straight at Parton after being found in acres of space in the box by that man Jarrett.
The first half was a superb 45 minutes of non-league football with the action and the feistiness. The second half was less so but there were still moments for both teams.
Baillie and Panter both had shots comfortably held by Parton, before a Congleton cross across the face of goal couldn’t be turned towards goal.
A couple more simple saves for Grarratt compounded the home side’s ineffectiveness in front of goal; they are sorely missing the quality of the injured Max McCarthy.
Sub Callum Saunders almost scored with a diving header after being picked out by a great cross from Paddy Kennedy; it just shaved the far post.
Saunders did get his goal in stoppage time. It was a goal that owed a lot to a lung busting run by Joel Connolly from inside his own half towards the right byline, pulling a cross back it was pushed away by Parton right into the path of Saunders who had a simple task to finish and send the visiting support wild behind the goal.
4 wins in 5 league games now for Nantwich and back-to-back away wins for the first time since August.
Teams
Congleton Town: Dave Parton, Matthew Liptrott, Matty Lay, Peter Williams, Richard Duffy (Shaun Brisley, 44), Darren Chadwick (C), Ebou Badjie (Kieran Knapper, 61), Ethan Hartshorn, Matthew Gillam (Tom Hampton, 46), Rami Raymond (George Sankey, 61), Danny Needham
Sub not used: Owen Hesketh
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, Aidy Roxburgh, James Baillie, Fenton Green (Joe Collins, 71), Ben Hockenhull, Paddy Kennedy, Alex Panter (Callum Saunders, 82), Joel Connolly (C), Byron Harrison, Paddy Jarrett (Joe Robbins, 61), Byron Moore
Subs not used: Harry Bower, George Cooper
Goals: Harrison (8), Saunders (90+4)
Attendance: 677