By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich continued their excellent recent form with another win on Tuesday night, this time securing a 2-1 victory over Stafford Rangers at the Swansway Stadium.
The Dabbers made one change from Saturday’s win over Runcorn Linnets, with Gio Loureiro replacing Joe Robbins.
It was the visitors who had the first attack of note, a Stafford player letting the ball run through him allowed Ashley Fallon to run in behind but between them Ben Garratt and Troy Bourne did enough to stop the chance.
Nathan Sandison saw a shot blocked before John Atherton, fresh off his double against his namesakes Atherton Collieries on Saturday, sliced a shot wide at the other end.
A smart Nantwich move ended with Loureiro crossing for Byron Harrison to head straight at Cameron Belford in the Stafford goal.
Kai Evans led a Dabbers counter that finished with him hitting low at Belford.
The tactical battle was shaping up interestingly. It was noticeable how the Dabbers were attempting to play out from the back, splitting the centre backs and pushing on the full backs. Jon Moran spoke afterwards about how he’d only had 4 training sessions since getting the manager’s job and a change like that takes time. Too often the passing lanes were blocked and the ball was finding itself back at Garratt’s feet.
The first real try of this tactic combined with Stafford playing high up the pitch, pressing the Dabbers when the opportunity presented itself. With two physical strikers in Dan Cockerline and Kaiman Anderson, and two wingers in Joe Morley and Atherton who almost made it a 4-2-4 formation in attack, it was being played more on their terms in the first period.
This pressing presented a chance when Kelvin Mellor lost the ball in midfield and Stafford broke, in the end Cockerline squandered the chance by leaning back on his shot and curling it over the crossbar.
Morley’s dangerous left foot was getting crosses in with too much ease for the Dabbers’ liking, Perry Bircumshaw was a picture of calm in dealing with one of them at the back post.
Fallon flashed a snapshot wide for Rangers before a Dabbers counter from a Stafford error saw a brief moment of a 4v3 in Nantwich’s favour but the ball got caught under Sandison’s feet and the attack petered out.
Sandison did threaten the goal though before half time, a low powerful drive having to be pushed behind by Belford.
Former Dabber Cockerline missed the target again just before the break.
In the second half, Paddy Kennedy made a great interception at one end then a similarly important and effective challenge was made on Tom Pratt as he and Evans tried to work a chance on the counter.
Cockerline was not having a good night in front of goal, he scuffed another half chance on 55 minutes, then Morley flicked a header across the face of goal as Stafford tried to maintain the pressure.
Moran and his coaches made their first sub on 59 minutes, taking off Sandison for Joe Robbins to put another body in the middle of the park. It paid off immediately, as Robbins won the ball back in midfield.
It was then squared to Pratt who could now play higher up, he pulled it to Loureiro whose shot was blocked across to Evans to tuck it in at the near post and open the scoring with his 6th goal in 7 games.
The lead was doubled just 5 minutes later. A corner floated in by Robbins was met on the volley by Mellor to make it 2. A fine finish by any standard.
Stafford could easily have folded after a spell like that but rallied admirably. A big deflection off a Dabbers leg could have been an own goal but spun wide.
They did get a goal back 9 minutes after conceding the second. It was Morley once more doing the damage with a cross, Garratt came out Schmeichel-style to block but it fell to Anderson to blast in from close range.
Garratt did make a vital save inside the last 10 minutes as Stafford sought to get something out of the game.
But the Dabbers should have killed it off on 86 minutes, Belford raced out to try and get to the ball before Harrison, didn’t, and he rolled it to sub Callum Saunders whose well hit shot was flicked over the bar off the head of a Stafford defender.
Troy Bourne headed straight at Belford from the subsequent corner but that was that for the chances as the Dabbers made it 6 wins from the last 7.
All in front of a crowd of 906, the biggest at Nantwich for a league game since April 2022, and on a Tuesday night as well. Credit must go to the Stafford fans who made up that number, but it was their former player Moran who was smiling at the end.
The next home game for Nantwich Town is against City of Liverpool on Saturday 2nd November at 3pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, James Melhado, Perry Bircumshaw, Kelvin Mellor, Troy Bourne (C), Paddy Kennedy, Gio Loureiro (Callum Saunders, 71), Tom Pratt (Daz Thornton, 85), Byron Harrison, Nathan Sandison (Joe Robbins, 59), Kai Evans (Ali Hayder, 73)
Sub not used: Mathew Mallon
Goals: Evans (59), Mellor (64)
Stafford Rangers: Cameron Belford, Andy Burns (C), Ben O’Hanlon, Ashley Fallon, James O’Neill, Scott Wara, John Atherton (Stanley Anaebonam, 65), James McQuilkin (James Burgess, 45), Dan Cockerline, Kaiman Anderson, Joe Morley (Sean Cooke, 88)
Subs not used: Luca Whitney, Sean Lawton
Goal: Anderson (73)
Attendance: 906