By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich and Widnes shared the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Swansway Stadium.
The Dabbers were unchanged from their FA Trophy win on Saturday, while Widnes made several switches from their defeat in the competition.
The visitors had the first real chance inside the first 10 minutes, Courtney Meppen-Walters gave the ball away at the back and only an excellent challenge from Matty Tweedley stopped a clear goal opportunity.
This spurred the Dabbers into life and they went up the other end and had a chance of their own, in-form Tom Pratt bringing a good save out of Mark Halstead.
Nantwich came closer still from a corner, a double chance that first saw a Callum Saunders header narrowly clawed off the line by Halstead and Kelvin Mellor seeing his rebound also stopped on the line, a crazy sequence that somehow didn’t end in a goal.
The Dabbers did take the lead on 18 minutes but in fortuitous circumstances. It all came from a searching long ball from Meppen-Walters towards Saunders which caused confusion at the back for Widnes between Halstead and defender Louis Isherwood, this miscommunication ended with Isherwood heading the ball over the onrushing Halstead and into his own net.
Jack McGowan fired over the bar for the Vikings and Pratt brought another save from Halstead as the high energy of the game continued.
Meppen-Walters headed wide from a corner before Paddy Kennedy made a great block from a Niall Battersby shot.
Kofi Moore’s runs inside from the left flank were causing Widnes some issues and another of those nearly brought another chance as he was played in by Pratt but Halstead again did just about enough to deny him a try at goal.
But from the very next corner, the Dabbers did double the lead. It was poor defending again from Widnes that saw Halstead flap at the corner and a deflection bounced up for Meppen-Walters to nod in from point-blank range for his second goal of the season.
A long injury stoppage after that goal seemed to douse the Dabbers’ momentum, as from that point on almost totally until the end of the game it was Widnes on top.
Sharif Deans miscued a presentable chance to halve the deficit, but they did manage to do that on the stroke of half-time.
A beautiful first-time strike from Matty Rain gave Ben Garratt no chance as it whistled into the top corner. Still no clean sheet for Nantwich this season, but as mentioned before the Dabbers have already been on the receiving end of some incredible goals, this one right near the top of the list.
Half-time sub Adam Bott curled straight at Garratt to open the second half, then Tweedley had an attempt of his own that Halstead had to turn around the post.
Cole Lonsdale struck a free kick well but into the wall from the edge of the box. That free kick had been given for a challenge on Kai Evans that forced him off with injury.
Garratt was sharp to save a near post header from a Widnes corner. But there was ‘nervousness’ that was in everything the Dabbers were doing, as Paul Carden put it afterwards.
That allowed the pressure to build and build, and after another Widnes chance went by, they did eventually get the equaliser they deserved.
In what had turned into horrible wet conditions, Liam Paton got the ball in the corner of the box and was able to curl low past Garratt to make it 2-2.
After that it was more panic than nervousness as the Dabbers scrambled to hold onto a point when earlier in the game they should probably have put the game out of sight.
Challenges at the last moment from Tweedley again and Lonsdale denied Widnes the chance to win it. It wasn’t always pretty but a point a piece was probably the right result from a chaotic game.
The next home game for Nantwich Town is against Congleton Town on Saturday 28th September at 3pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, James Melhado, Cole Lonsdale, Kelvin Mellor, Courtney Meppen-Walters, Paddy Kennedy, Kai Evans (Nathan Sandison, 62), Matty Tweedley, Callum Saunders (Byron Harrison, 71), Tom Pratt, Kofi Moore (Perry Bircumshaw, 89)
Subs not used: James Speare, Eddie Servuts
Goals: Isherwood (OG, 18), Meppen-Walters (36)
Widnes: Mark Halstead, Ben Rydel, Matty Rain, Niall Battersby, Louis Isherwood, Kingsley Williams (Adam Bott, 45), Steven Irwin, Nathan Caine (Liam Paton, 69), Jack McGowan (Brendan O’Brien, 80), Sean Miller, Sharif Deans
Subs not used: Paul Kyffin, Jack Walls
Goals: Rain (45+6), Paton (76)
Attendance: 298