By Lewie Tilley, photos by Jonathan White
Former Nantwich Town player and manager Phil Parkinson returned to the Swansway Stadium as the Dabbers took on Chester FC in their sixth pre-season game with the new season edging closer.
It was a bad start for Luke Goddard’s men as Chester took the lead within two minutes when a corner from Declan Weeks was dropped into the net by the Nantwich trialist in between the sticks. He was under pressure but did not have full grip of the ball meaning that when he landed it slipped out of his hands, making it an own goal.
The side playing their football two divisions above Nantwich dominated much of the early stages of the game as the lively former Dabber Kofi Moore had two efforts saved inside the 18-yard box within twenty minutes.
Former Crewe Alex player Harry Davis thought he had his first goal since signing for Nantwich Town after he latched onto a curling cross to head home. Unfortunately for him, the linesman raised his offside flag to spoil the celebrations.
Chester looked to double their lead within half an hour as Billy Waters found space on the right flank to produce a low cross, but Ethan Hartshorn did well to steer it past the post for a corner.
The Seals almost took a two-goal lead just past the half an hour mark as Sam Reed looked to beat the Trialist from distance, his effort was palmed away before Chester’s Moore saw his shot blocked.
The visitors did eventually grab their second of the game after Reed’s bouncing cross was controlled superbly by Tom Peers, who excellently volleyed into the bottom right corner on the swivel to make it 2-0.
Nantwich did come close to halving the deficit prior to the interval as Aidy Roxburgh found space to cross after a quick one-two, his cross was aimed towards a Perry Bircumshaw whose sliding effort was agonisingly close.
With the pressure on the Nantwich defence becoming stronger, Weeks almost produced a moment of magic from distance with a volley from 25 yards, but his effort was palmed away from danger.
The interval produced a multitude of Chester changes, but it was the players who stayed on who almost linked up for their third.
Connor Murphy, one of the players remaining from the first half, found a Chester trialist on the right wing who produced a smart low cross that was turned in by Waters. However, the linesman stopped their free-flowing move ending in a third with an offside call.
The Seals put the game to bed in a comfortable performance when Dan Ward grabbed their third and final goal in their penultimate pre-season game.
The midfielder made a darting run in behind, latched onto the driven ball up the pitch, drove past the defence and produced a clever low finish to beat the Nantwich trialist easily.
Goddard’s side will play their final pre-season fixture against Sutton Coldfield back at home this Saturday, 1st August, looking to end on a win before the season kicks off with an FA Cup game against Sporting Khalsa.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Trialist x2, Aidy Roxburgh, Harry Davis, Ethan Hartshorn, Perry Bircumshaw, Joe Collins, Fenton Green, Byron Moore, Ollie Pope, Bruno Cina
Subs: Trialist, Joel Connolly, James Baillie, Kenzie Pickles
Chester FC: Hewitson, Reed, Kenny, Griffin, Woodthorpe, Weeks, Murphy, Campbell, Moore, Waters, Peers.
Subs: Brown, Trialist A, Deakin, Burroughs, Burgess, Ward, Trialist B, Trialist C, Trialist D, Woods, Trialist E.
Goals: Trialist (own goal, 2), Peers (33), Ward (76)
Attendance: 593