By Jonathan White, photo by Peter Robinson
Nantwich Town FC Women returned to winning ways with an impressive 3-0 away victory over FC St Helens Women in the First Round of the North West Regional League Cup.
The Dabbers travelled to Windleshaw Sports on Sunday, November 1, looking to bounce back from their Adobe Women’s FA Cup First Round Proper defeat in their previous outing.
And they did so in convincing fashion, producing an excellent team performance to get their League Cup campaign off to a winning start.
Manager Dan Mellor made several changes to his starting line-up, handing debuts to goalkeeper Phoebe Carter and new signing Brooke Smith.
Midfielder Smith joins Nantwich on a dual registration with Burnley PGA, having impressed during a summer trial following her performances against the Dabbers while playing for Macclesfield FC last season.
She marked her debut with a solid display in central midfield as Nantwich controlled much of the contest.
The visitors took the lead in the 34th minute when Sasha Johnson found the net to give the Dabbers a 1-0 advantage at the break.
Poppy Emery doubled their lead five minutes into the second half, putting Nantwich firmly in control at 2-0.
Sam Cawley then rounded off an impressive afternoon with a third goal in the 89th minute to complete a deserved 3-0 victory.
Cawley was also named the Dabbers’ GOAT Player of the Match.
Nantwich Town FC Women squad: P. Carter, S. Johnson, M. Newton, S. Cawley, L. Woollam, K. Naylor, C. Mather, M. Andrews, P. Emery, B. Smith and M. Ragdale (captain).
Substitutes: K. Greenwood, A. Fallon, C. Crees, L. Martin and T. Ansell.
Following the match, manager Dan Mellor said:
“I was really pleased with the performance and the result. To come away from home, win 3-0 and progress in the League Cup is a fantastic way to start the competition, but more importantly, I thought the performance was excellent from start to finish.
“We thoroughly deserved the win. The players carried out the game plan really well, showed great discipline when we didn’t have the ball and some excellent quality in possession. We created good opportunities, took our chances and looked a real threat throughout the game.
“I was particularly pleased with the attitude and work rate of the group. We know that playing away from home in cup competitions can be difficult and St Helens are a side that you have to respect, but we approached the game with the right mentality and imposed ourselves on the match.
“A clean sheet is always pleasing as well. It’s something we’ve spoken about as a group, and it was a real team effort defensively, from the forwards right through to the goalkeeper.
“There’s a lot to be positive about and the players deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they performed. We’ve worked hard in training and it’s great to see that translating onto the pitch.”
After two successive away cup fixtures, Nantwich Town FC Women return to the Swansway Stadium this Sunday, November 8, for a home league fixture against FC United Women (2pm kick-off).
Tickets are available online at https://nantwichtownfc.ktckts.com/ or can be purchased on the gate.
Admission is £5 for adults and £3 for under-16s and concessions.
Fans can follow the latest team news, results and fixtures through the club’s official social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTFCWomen and Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nantwichtownfcwomen