Photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich Town started 2024 with a comfortable 2-0 win over 1874 Northwich at the Swansway Stadium as manager Paul Carden said they ‘always looked dangeorus’.
The headlines on the teamsheet were the debut of loanee Courtney Meppen-Walters at centre-back and the return of Jacob Edwards after a successful dual registration period at Whitchurch Alport. Joel Connolly was also given the captain’s armband at the start of the absence of Troy Bourne.
Byron Harrison flashed a shot across the face of goal after about 10 seconds, the Dabbers starting as they meant to go on.
The Dabbers came even closer still with less than 10 minutes on the clock. Edwards, in his first competitive appearance for Nantwich since rejoining the club officially in September, charged down the right hand side and saw a cross cleared out to Connolly who struck a shot clean off the post, then hitting keeper Jacob Kirwan who caught it while still on the floor.
Jake Kirby, Scott Butler and Joe Piggott all had attempts that didn’t find the target as Nantwich remained well on top.
Then it was Callum Saunders who came very close to opening the scoring, a close range effort was pushed away by Kirwan who got up quickly to tip over a rebound effort from Connolly, an excellent save.
Lucas Weir had 1874’s first moment of not, Scott Moloney made a save with his legs but Weir did appear to have been offside on first glance.
Meppen-Walters had made a dominant start at the back, heading everything away that came within his orbit, so it was no surprise to see him do the same at the other end when heading narrowly wide.
The goal had been coming from the earliest stages but it took until 2 minutes before half time for it to arrive.
A scramble in the box ended with Saunders poking in his first Nantwich goal since September. A large part of that gap had been down to injury so it was surely a great sight for the Dabbers supporters to see Saunders back doing what he does best.
In the second half, the pattern largely continued. Kirwan was at his best again to turn a Kirby shot around the post but 1874 Northwich did then start to show some glimpses of quality.
Piggott headed narrowly over from a corner before Jamal Crawford started to probe down the Northwich left and Nathan Okome did enough to clear one of his deliveries.
The second goal came for the Dabbers at a good time, then. A free kick on the right-hand side was taken by Connolly. He opted to whip the ball around the front of the Northwich defensive line and pulled it off brilliantly, catching them out and putting it on a plate for Saunders to stretch out and score his second.
Weir had an effort straight after the kick-off, it had Moloney at full stretch and the award of a corner seemed to show he got something on it.
A mix-up at the back almost ended up with Northwich putting the ball in their own net. Harrison and Piggott then had a move that should probably have ended with the third goal.
Saunders then was denied his hat trick by another good save by Kirwan, who had to claw the ball off the line after the initial save.
The last chances in the game were 1874 Northwich’s, with Moloney saving with his legs again from Weir before Joel Jones curled wide from a slightly narrow angle when he perhaps should have done better.
But the Dabbers held out for the first league win in 5 and a first league clean sheet since the reverse fixture against 1874 Northwich in August.
The next home game is against Chasetown on Tuesday 16th January at 7.45pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Scott Moloney, Jacob Edwards (Akiel Raffie, 82), Perry Bircumshaw, Nathan Okome, Courtney Meppen-Walters, Scott Butler, Jake Kirby, Joel Connolly, Byron Harrison, Joe Piggott, Callum Saunders (Kai Evans, 88)
Subs not used: Danny Roberts, Tyler Hill, Ollie Holden
Goals: Saunders (43, 70)
1874 Northwich: Jacob Kirwan, Jack Marrow, Jamal Crawford, Matthew Woolley, Tom Fagan (Joel Jones, 81), Sam Oliver (Kacper Mialkowski, 45), Lewis Bradley (Jamie Nicholson, 36), Andreas Bianga, Maxwell Chimenes, Eric Byrne, Lucas Weir
Sub not used: Matthew Birchall
Attendance: 507