By Liam Price, photo by Peter Robinson
Nantwich Town made it 3 wins out of 4 from pre season with a 3-1 win over FC St Helens at the Swansway Stadium.
All the action was in the first half, and it was the visitors who took the lead in the 7th minute. A header came in that bounced off the crossbar and out to their number 6 on the evening who tucked away the rebound.
The Dabbers equalised in the 17th minute via one of their trialists on the evening. It was a superb finish with the outside of his right foot that no keeper would have saved.
A smart Nantwich move completed the turnaround in the 24th minute. It was good work down the left that set it up and Ethan Hartshorn had the simplest of tasks to roll it into the net from close range. Having missed a couple of chances last week against Northwich Victoria, it will have felt good for Hartshorn to get off the mark in a Nantwich shirt.
It was 3-1 on the stroke of half time. And it was the same trialist who got his second of the evening with a brilliant free kick that landed inside the far post. They were both the kinds of goals that turn trialists into signings.
For a game that finished 3-1 there was precious little to write of other than the goals, barring a decent save low to his right from the second Dabbers trialist keeper of the evening in a very quiet second half.
But when there needed to be there was a better intensity to the Nantwich play as they continue to build towards a very busy August start, with 8 games in 23 days on the current calendar.
The next game for Nantwich is away at Squires Gate on Saturday 25th July, followed by Chester at home on Tuesday 28th July at 7.45pm.
Nantwich Team
Trialist x2, Aidy Roxburgh, Harry Davis (C), Troy Bourne, Perry Bircumshaw, Joe Piggott, Fenton Green, Ethan Hartshorn, Ollie Pope, Iwan Roberts
Subs: Trialist x3, Bruno Cina, Callum Saunders
Goals: Trialist (17, 45), Hartshorn (24)