By Lewie Tilley, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich Town welcomed the NPL Midlands league leaders, Wellingborough Town, to the Swansway Stadium in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy.
The day’s visitors saw off their fellow Midlands league opponents, Belper Town, winning their first-round fixture 2-1 at their home stadium, the Dog & Duck ground.
Luke Goddard’s side saw three players making their first starts for the club, including new signings Cian O’Shea, Will Smith and Collins Kagame. Perry Bircumshaw captained the Dabbers on his 150th appearance for the club.
After a quiet first half, it was the visitors who opened the scoring through Danny Draper, who found space from distance and rifled the ball into the bottom left corner from 25 yards out.
The Dabbers came agonisingly close to levelling the scoreline minutes before the break when Adrian Kandeke broke down the right flank and looked to pick out Josh Hancock for a tap-in. Unfortunately, his cross was just overhit and missed Hancock at the back post.
Nantwich came closer in the first half as Paddy Kennedy’s header struck the bar from a corner, before Callum Saunders’ rebound was blocked on the line.
However, it wasn’t long after the break that Nantwich equalised; the Dabbers drew level in the first minute when Kandeke’s low cross was flicked past Jay Alexander by one of his own defenders Sam Warburton.
The visitors quickly reinstated their lead through their captain, Jack O’Connor, who bundled it over the line from close range from a corner after O’Shea misjudged the flight of the ball, with 3 Dabbers defenders going for the ball in front of him.
Wellingborough sealed the win through substitute Zayn Hakeem, who found space in behind the defence and calmly slotted past O’Shea to secure their place in the next round of the FA Trophy.
Nantwich grabbed a very late goal as Kennedy looped his header over Alexander to halve the deficit, but it was too little, too late as the final whistle blew quickly after the restart.
The Dabbers return to Swansway Stadium on Tuesday for a big league game vs Congleton Town, before travelling to Northwich for another league fixture against 1874 Northwich.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Cian O’Shea, AJ Kandeke (Aidy Roxburgh, 72), Perry Bircumshaw (Joe Collins, 74), Ethan Hartshorn, Tom Graves, Paddy Kennedy, Will Smith, Callum Saunders, Luke Enright (Bruno Cina, 57), Josh Hancock, Collins Kagame (Ollie Pope, 57)
Sub not used: Joe Piggott
Goals: Warburton (47′, own goal), Kennedy (90+6′)
Wellingborough Town: Jay Alexander, George Barnell (Charlie Green, 66), Sam Warburton (Glenn Walker, 79), Rhys Kelly, Jack O’Connor (C), Matty Slinn, George Ball, Nathan Hicks (Zayn Hakeem, 60), Neo Richard-Noel (Alexander Wilson, 80), Danny Draper, Kai Fifield
Goals: Draper (37′), O’Connor (51′), Hakeem (74′)
Attendance: 283