By Liam Price, additional notes by Isaac Knight
Play-off chasing Nantwich Town and Runcorn Linnets shared the points with a 1-1 draw at the Swansway Stadium.
Before the game, there was a very well observed minute’s silence for Albert Pye, who recently passed away aged 89. The players also wore black armbands for a man who gave almost six decades of his life in so many different roles for Nantwich Town and was held in the highest esteem by so many people.
Paddy Kennedy was out injured and Kai Evans served the last game of a suspension. Joe Robbins came into the team, as did Perry Bircumshaw.
After a couple of early skirmishes, the very first shot of the game resulted in the first goal. The Dabbers took the lead 11 minutes in as Kofi Moore curled a fine strike into the far corner for his first league goal for the club. It really came from nothing and was that rarest of things recently for Nantwich, a shot from outside the box.
Matty Tweedley fired over after Robbins had done brilliantly to win the ball back high up.
Then right up the other end the away side almost levelled it. It was Kelvin Mellor who expertly headed off the line from Karl Clair’s effort.
Joe Ferguson sliced wide as the visitors started to work their way back into it.
Runcorn did strike back before the half hour. A low corner was flicked in by Ryan Brooke after he was left unmarked at the near post. A disappointing goal to concede but one that maybe had been coming.
The pattern of Runcorn finding things earlier continued for the rest of the half, punctuated only by a wild shot by Tom Pratt, who did enough in the game to earn the sponsor’s player of the match award.
Nantwich did get the ball in the net before the break but it was fairly ruled out as Bayleigh Passant had both hands on the ball when it was bounced out of them.
In the second half, Tweedley was off target again with a shot in the box after Passant didn’t deal well with a Nantwich corner.
Troy Bourne was encouraged to shoot after a bit of space opened up about 25 yards out and fired not far wide. Of all the great moments he’s been a part of over his 300 plus games for Nantwich, that would have been right up there if it had gone in.
Nantwich’s biggest chance of the second half came just short of the hour when Joe Robbins poked towards goal after a scramble in the box, with Passant staying big to block it. Then, Luke Wall led a one man charge up the other end of the pitch and forced a simpler save from Ben Garratt, but it was a mighty run.
An excellent Clair free kick was not met by anyone in purple shirts, before a looping Wall strike was easily caught by Garratt.
Brooke headed narrowly wide as the away side looked to turn up the wick late on, he was just having to stretch to the header which was probably why it wasn’t on target.
He did get one on target minutes later, but Garratt was equal to it with a strong save low to his right.
Garratt was on hand again to deny sub Lewis Crane who threw himself at a cross across the face of goal. After a couple of goals he may have felt he could have done better with in recent weeks, this was much more like the Garratt Dabbers fans have come to expect.
In stoppage time, what can certainly be described as a risky challenge from behind in the box on Moore resulted only in a goal kick, when a corner or even a penalty may have been possibilities.
But a draw was firmly the right result on the balance of play. It doesn’t really help either team; the Dabbers must now look to bottom-of-the-table City of Liverpool next weekend to end both the overall winless run and long run without a win away from home.
The next home game for Nantwich Town is against Mossley AFC on Saturday 1st March at 3pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, James Melhado, Perry Bircumshaw, Kelvin Mellor, Troy Bourne (C), Joe Bunney, Kofi Moore, Joe Robbins (Callum Saunders, 70), Byron Harrison (Alex Panter, 81), Matty Tweedley, Tom Pratt
Subs not used: Nathan Sandison, Eric Merner, Darren Thornton
Goal: Moore (11)
Runcorn Linnets: Bayleigh Passant, Joe Ferguson, Naim Arsan, Lewis Doyle, Harvey Washington, Callum Grogan, Adam Moseley (Lewis Crane, 73), Jacques Welsh (C) (Jacques Welsh, 47), Ryan Brooke, Karl Clair, Luke Wall
Subs not used: Jack Grundy, Lewis Nolan, Jay Lee
Goal: Brooke (27)
Attendance: 573