By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich Town put in one of their best attacking performances of the season to overcome Hanley Town 3-0 at The Swansway Stadium.
Before the game, there was a minute’s silence to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of Nantwich player Ryan Keen aged just 20 in 1994. The Dabbers team of today went on to put in a showing that did his memory proud; as Paul Carden said afterwards ‘it’s the kind of performance I know that’s in us.’
The first chance came just 2 minutes in, as Courtney Meppen-Walters headed narrowly wide from the first corner of the game.
After a couple of range finders from either side, the best chance yet came via the returning Paddy Kay, who almost repeated his scoring heroics from the Solihull game with a curling strike that was excellently tipped onto the bar by Adam Whitehouse.
Amir Tavakoli headed comfortably wide and a fierce Kai Evans free kick delivery was well handled by the Hanley backline. More and more fouls and stoppages then started to creep into the game.
It was getting bitty and edging towards nasty, yellow cards starting to be delivered regularly, including one for the keeper Whitehouse who decided to run half the length of the pitch to argue with the referee.
The game needed a goal to break this funk that it had gotten into, and it arrived for the Dabbers just minutes later. A ball was swung in from the right and found its way into the back of the net. Hanley wanted a foul on the goalkeeper, if Nantwich didn’t get one for the goal that Prescot scored at the Swansway earlier in the season than this wasn’t one either.
It’s another goal where it is not immediately clear who scored it. Initially given to Callum Saunders and then to Troy Bourne after looking at a pitchside video, Troy honourably said afterwards that he didn’t think he touched it. Video footage from the main angle reviewed afterwards actually showed it was the unfortunate Saul Shotton who put it into his own net.
It’s the third Nantwich goal in a row where this has happened; the Byron Harrison goal against Witton was reclassified by the NPL as an own goal, Saunders’ goal against Leek is under review for the same reason, and now this. It could end up being three own goals in a row.
Saunders almost immediately got a goal that would have unquestionably been his, forcing an excellent save by Whitehouse to tip it round the post.
But from the very next corner, the second goal did come. It was not properly cleared by the Hanley defence and out it rolled to George Milner who smashed in a spectacular first goal for the club. 2 goals in 3 minutes had Hanley reeling.
Ethan Stanton tried to reduce the deficit but his cross/shot was well held by Scott Moloney.
The second half picked up where the first left off, Saunders saw the woodwork rattle again after a crisp strike was pushed onto the post by Whitehouse.
Kay hit a sipping shot that took a deflection for a corner, then a significant chance for Cesaire Lingouba to get his own first Nantwich goal as he slid a shot wide of the post when it looked destined to be a goal.
Joint top scorer for Hanley Kieran Brown had a couple of efforts, turning and shooting straight at Moloney then heading on target a couple of minutes later, neither stretching the Dabbers keeper.
Then a very tidy move brought the Dabbers’s third and decisive goal. Excellent play down the right between Lingouba and Tavakoli, Amir then put the ball on a plate for Kai Evans to notch his first Nantwich goal since the end of November.
Understandably Hanley heads did drop at that point and Nantwich tried to take advantage of this. Saunders again came agonisingly close were it not for another Whitehouse save.
Then a remarkable bit of skill from Meppen-Walters in the box saw him sit a defender down then hit the outside of the post with an effort from a narrow angle. That was the third time Nantwich had hit the woodwork; amidst scurrilous claims of bias in the game the only thing you could call biased were Hanley’s goalposts.
Moloney was quick off his line to claim a ball ahead of Brown who was sprung in behind, then a misjudgement from Whitehouse at the other end saw him out of his box and not getting to the ball, Sean Lawton wasn’t quite able to find a Nantwich man as the keeper scrambled back.
Ex-Dabber Luke Walsh shot straight at Moloney, before sub Jacob Edwards came close to his first ever Nantwich goal, shooting into the side netting.
Kay fired wide with the last kick of the game as the Dabbers saw out their joint biggest league win of the season.
Nantwich’s next home game is against Trafford on 24th February at 3pm.
Teams
Nantwich Town: Scott Moloney, Amir Tavakoli (Jacob Edwards, 86), Sean Lawton, Troy Bourne, Courtney Meppen-Walters (Nathan Okome, 82), Perry Bircumshaw, Paddy Kay, Cesaire Lingouba, Callum Saunders, George Milner, Kai Evans (Akiel Raffie, 80)
Subs not used: Eric Merner, Byron Harrison
Goals: Shotton (OG, 38), Milner (41), Evans (59)
Hanley Town: Adam Whitehouse, Jack Bostock, Josh Green, Ethan Stanton (Adam Watson, 57), Saul Shotton, James Askey, Luke Walsh, Kyle Blake, Kieran Brown, Louis Dodds (Timothy Sanders, 57), Joe Mwasile (Reece Jones, 67)
Subs not used: Lennon Grimley, Ryan Shotton
Attendance: 280