By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich were edged out by Runcorn Linnets in a 2-0 defeat at the Swansway Stadium.
The Dabbers only made one change from the late win over Shifnal with Joe Collins making his first start for the club.
Matty Rain found Lewis Crane early on but Ben Garratt was off his line to smother his attempt.
Rain was an apposite name with the weather out there; similarly to the Bury game the previous week it was torrential with little let up.
Ben Hockenhull flicked a header wide in the slick conditions as Nantwich settled into things; Alex Panter also heading wide.
Linnets sent the first real shot high and wide, before Panter led a break but saw a through ball to Callum Saunders brilliantly intercepted.
A better chance was spurned when Byron Moore sent in a cross that was nodded down then blasted over the bar from close range by Hockenhull.
Collins did exactly the right thing in shooting from range in the conditions when he found himself in a bit of space, the low shot briefly escaped the grasp of Bayleigh Passant but he reclaimed it swiftly.
By far the best chance of the first period came from Saunders. Once more it was Moore who was the provider, his low cross fell nicely for Callum but his low effort was superbly kept out by Passant. Two things can be true about it at the same time: Saunders should have scored by not putting the ball as central as he did, but it was a remarkable bit of goalkeeping from the former Marine keeper.
Runcorn had a decent chance of their own to open the scoring before half time. Naim Arsan fired the ball into the six-yard box where Scott Bakkor deflected it just wide of the near post.
Early in the second half, it was Garratt’s turn to pull off a good save when he turned over a powerful effort from Arsan from just outside the box.
The away side did find the breakthrough on the hour mark. A deep cross into the Nantwich box saw Hockenhull and Paddy Kennedy both leap for it at the same time, with Hockenhull winning the header. The ball dropped to Declan McLoughlin who had the space to chest down and fire into the far corner. The two centre backs have been largely immense since Kelvin Mellor’s injury took him out of that unit but just one lapse there allowed the space for the goal.
Panter turned and scuffed a shot over the bar as Nantwich tried to lift themselves.
But Runcorn have the tightest defence in the division for a reason, at every opportunity they were throwing themselves at every shot, pass and everything in between; the line never slipped and at no point were they caught in behind centrally, Nantwich were having to work hard for every chance they created.
James Baillie thought he’d try his luck from a fair way out, and his dipping effort had Passant worried as it just went over the crossbar.
With the subs, Jon Moran effectively put 4 up top late on and this logically gave Linnets a lot of joy on the break. One such occasion saw Garratt dive bravely at the feet of Bakkor and come away with the ball.
But he couldn’t repeat the trick in stoppage time as Bakkor raced the entire length of the Nantwich half and finished low into the corner. You could perhaps question Garratt’s positioning but it mattered little as the visitors had the game wrapped up.
Runcorn become the first team to leave the Swansway with a clean sheet since Chasetown in February, ending a run of 18 consecutive competitive home games in which Nantwich had scored. It’s also now 5 goals in 7 games (with 14 conceded) for the Dabbers, the lack of ruthlessness something Moran has mentioned a few times now and is becoming the primary issue to solve.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, Joel Connolly (C), James Baillie, Oli Finney (Aidy Roxburgh, 81), Ben Hockenhull, Paddy Kennedy, Byron Moore, Joe Collins (Joe Robbins, 60), Callum Saunders (Byron Harrison, 60), Alex Panter (Harry Bower, 81), Paddy Jarrett
Sub not used: Perry Bircumshaw
Runcorn Linnets: Bayleigh Passant, Joe Ferguson, Matty Rain, Markell Foulds, Adam Rooney, Harvey Washington, Declan McLoughlin (Jacques Welsh, 77), Louis Doyle (C) (Eden Gumbs, 74), Scott Bakkor, Lewis Crane (Oskar Rosenblatt, 62), Naim Arsan (Peter Wylie, 77)
Sub not used: Marcus Cusani
Goals: McLoughlin (60), Bakkor (90+1)
Attendance: 301