On a night where the conditions were like a finely tuned car, just right and ready to go, Nantwich were looking to get back on track, after the game against Avro.
Manager Paul Corden looked to change things up with Kai Evans replacing Callum Saunders up front.
Leek Town were the very kind hosts of this game, due to the repair work that is still going on at the Swansway Stadium.
It was the visitors though, who early on looked to take charge of the game, Sean Smith had the first true effort of the game, thankfully his shot was over Scott Maloney’s bar. Michael Burkey was the next to test Maloney, but he was equal to the shot.
The visitors, looked to continue to press their advantage, and to turn that into the opening goal, however the Nantwich defence stood firm against all of what they could throw at them, despite the mounting pressure.
The game was on a knife edge, with either side looking to gain that first crucial game changing goal.
Shortly before half time, it was the nominated home side, the Dabbers, which did just that, despite all of Vauxhall’s ball domination. It was an Ali double, as first of all from a lovely ball from Ahmed Ali, it was Mohamud Ali that slotted the ball home. That was a goal against the run of play at the time, but one that the two brothers will no doubt cherish.
From there, that seemed to inspire Vauxhall more than Nantwich, as the pattern of play was the visitors to have plenty of the ball, but they never really troubled Scott Maloney in the home goal. It was a case of possession without any penetration, and manager Paul Carden would have been happy enough if that were to have remained the case at the time.
Slowly, Nantwich managed to change the tide of momentum, Steven Hewitt shot from distance, but it went just wide of Sam Booth’s post. That seemed to galvanise the home side, and not to long after, and just before half time, they doubled their lead, in what was fast becoming a war of attrition, and a very combative game. Kai Evans found himself free, and he made a run through the middle of the defence, and with a great lob, he doubled the Dabbers lead, they and him were really motoring along nicely towards the half time break.
The whistle soon blew afterwards, and the home side had an advantage that they full deserved.
After the break, the pattern of the first half was resumed, of Vauxhall Motors having lots of possession, looking very threatening, but just lacking that killer final touch, that was despite the best efforts of first of all Sam Hughes firing a great curling effort, which went wide, and a Benjamin Dufton-Kelly free header going over the bar. The Dabbers defence was still managing to hold the visitors to manageable efforts, that didn’t overly trouble the home side’s goalkeeper.
Just when the visitors were looking for a way back into the game, Kai Evans decided to put on the after burners, as he made a fantastic solo run down the wing, dribbling at pace to get past at least two players to force a corner. From that resulting corner, it was the captain, Troy Bourne, who rose highest, to make it three goals for the home side If there were such things as assists for assists, then that would have to go to Kai Evans, as that goal owed a lot to his persistence, tenacity, and never give up attitude, his determination to not give up on a lost cause, directly led to that goal. From there, that goal seemed to kill of the hope and fight from Vauxhall, they seemed to admit defeat, and didn’t look to push forward to get even a consolation goal.
That is how the game finished, with Nantwich winning by three clear goals.
In the end, it was a very successful first win of the season for Paul Carden’s side, and they will now hope this win can be a springboard to more of them this season, starting with the big FA Cup qualifying game away to Skemersdale United on Friday night.
Attendance: 168
Starting XI’s
Nantwich Town:
Scott Maloney, Joel Connolly, Lewis Sinnott, Nathan Okome, Troy Bourne ©, Mohamud Ali, Steven Hewitt, Ahmed Ali, Kai Evans, Sean Cooke, Byron Harrison.
Subs: Callum Saunders, Jack Sherratt, AJ Leitch-Smith, Perry Bircumshaw, Caspar Hughes
Vauxhall Motors:
Sam Booth, Benjamin Dufton-Kelly, Sean Smith, Samuel Hughes, Adam Hughes, Bobby Beaumont, Michael Burkey, Haydn, Cooper ©, Lewis Buckley, Benjamin Holmes, Joseph Brandon.
Subs: George Nugent, Stephen Rigby, Thomas Mitchell, Jordan Deer, Bobbie McDonnell.