By Myles Hocknell, photos by Peter Robinson
Nantwich Town FC Women secured a 3-1 victory over Poulton Vics at the Swansway Stadium, with Amanda Fallon scoring twice before Poppy Emery sealed the win with ten minutes remaining.
The first half was dominated by Nantwich and they looked the most likely to open the scoring. The Dabbers took the lead shortly before half-time, with Amanda Fallon finding the back of the net in the 40th minute. Meg Andrews provided the assist as Nantwich headed into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Nantwich continued to push after the restart and doubled their lead on 70 minutes. Fallon completed her brace after being played through by Tegan Ansell, giving the Dabbers a two-goal cushion.
Poulton Vics responded by pulling a goal back, setting up a tense final period as the visitors looked to find a way back into the game.
However, Nantwich restored their two-goal advantage in the 80th minute. Corie Mather provided the assist for Poppy Emery, who found the net to make it 3-1 and put the result beyond doubt.
The Dabbers saw out the remaining minutes to secure a well-earned victory at the Swansway Stadium.
The GOAT Player of the Match was awarded to Sasha Johnson for a strong defensive performance. Sasha received a £50 voucher from our friends at GOAT Nantwich.
Assistant Manager, Louis Stallman, reflected on the game:
“I thought overall it was a really good performance at home and we deserved to be ahead at half-time. First half we probably just needed to be a bit smarter and quicker with our decisions in the final third because Poulton were well organised and made it difficult for us at times.
Second half we were much better. We made a couple of little tweaks in possession and the subs helped us with our structure and gave us another energy lift when the game was starting to get a bit scrappy. The girls were also much stronger in their duels and picked up a lot more second balls, which helped us take more control of the game.
Poulton tried to change things tactically too, but I thought we adapted to that really well. Their keeper made two or three excellent saves in the 2nd half, so on another day the scoreline could probably have been a little more comfortable.”
Starting 11: Connie Watts, Sasha Johnson, Mollie Newton, Sam Cawley, Tabby Rushton, Katie Greenwood (C), Layla Woollam, Meg Andrews, Amanda Fallon, Tegan Ansell, Charlotte Crees.
Substitutes: Abi Poulton, Alicia Hatton, Katie Naylor, Corie Mather, Poppy Emery.
Nantwich Town FC Women now turn their attention to the FA Cup, which sees them travel to Rochdale in the Second Qualifying Round of the competition.