By Jonathan White, photos by Peter Robinson
Dabbers women make it lucky 13 in commanding win
Nantwich Town FC Women hammered Macclesfield Town Ladies FC 13 – 1 in the Quarter-Final of the Challenge Cup at the Swansway Stadium on the evening of Wednesday 6th March 2024.
The Dabbers dominated play from the first whistle, keeping up their brilliant recent form. However, Macclesfield Town Ladies FC never gave up and kept pushing until the final minutes.
The Dabbers goals were scored by Poppy Smith (sponsored by S.E.A Recycling, 4 goal haul), Meg Rowley (sponsored by Toft Financial, hat-trick), Keane Harrison (sponsored by the NTISA, hat-trick), Abbie Heywood (sponsored by Inprint Colour Ltd), Jade Buckley-Ratcliff (sponsored by The NTISA) and Hattie Bourne.
Player of the Match was Jade Buckley-Ratcliff. Jade put in a top-class performance, getting herself a goal and 3 assists. Her strength and speed on the wing were incredible, challenging the opposition. She was a true team player throughout the match, always there to support her teammates across the pitch.
Nantwich Town FC Women starting XI: 1. C. Evans, 2. H. Knight, 3. B. Davies (captain), 4. H. Bourne, 5. F. Chaffey-Green, 6. M. O’Connor, 7. J. Buckley-Ratcliff, 8. P. Lloyd, 9. K. Harrison, 10. A. Heywood, 11. P. Smith. Substitutes: 12. M. Rowley, 14. M. Hocknell, 15. L. Bulkeley, 16. E. Macdonald, 17. D. Reeder.
The match officials were Ian Hurdle, Isabelle Fenton and James Smith.
The Challenge Cup victory came hot on the heels of their Quarter-Final win the previous weekend in the Cheshire FA Ladies County Cup.
Dan Mellor, Manager, Nantwich Town FC Women, speaking after the match said: “To reach both the County Cup and League Cup semi finals is a huge achievement for us, having never progressed this far in either competition in previous years. The girls were tremendous, it was important not to be complacent and to do their jobs and stick at what we asked of them and they were faultless.
“I think most would agree that the progress made over the last 6 months with the team has given us a real platform now to kick on, 6 wins in a row, unbeaten in 9, I wouldn’t imagine many teams will want to come up against us in this form.
“We’re not there to simply make up the numbers, we’re determined to progress into both finals and we’ll work even harder now over the next few weeks to prepare for these two massive games.
“I heard the attendance was 120 (approximately) which for a midweek game at this level is unbelievable, the support we’ve had this year playing in the stadium has been amazing and the girls thrive off it, so thank you to those who came and braved the cold to support us.”
Next fixture: Sunday 17th March (2pm KO), Nantwich Town FC Women vs AFC Crewe (League) at the Swansway Stadium.
Nantwich Town FC Women can offer a friendly atmosphere, full club support, FA qualified coaches, Swansway Stadium 3G pitch, excellent fan base and a family & community ethos.
Nantwich Town FC Women are always on the lookout for quality players to strengthen their first team. Training takes place every Wednesday (7-9pm) on the Swansway Stadium 3G pitch at Nantwich Town Football Club on Waterlode, Nantwich CW5 5BS.
For further information relating to Nantwich Town FC Women please visit: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NTFCLadies