By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Nantwich Town made it 5 wins out of the last 6 league games with a 1-0 victory over Runcorn Linnets at the APEC Taxis Stadium.
The Dabbers made 3 changes from Tuesday’s win at Vauxhall Motors, with Matty Tweedley missing out through injury and being replaced by Joe Robbins. Perry Bircumshaw made his return from an injury of his own and Tom Pratt also started.
The first chance of note came just over 5 minutes in, when a bit of space presented itself to James Melhado on the right which he ran into and crossed all the way through to Kai Evans whose shot was blocked over for a corner.
It was from a corner that the Dabbers took the lead in the 8th minute. Runcorn got their defensive set up mixed up which allowed Kelvin Mellor a totally unburdened run onto a header which he buried past Bayleigh Passant.
Bircumshaw was up to speed defensively to head away a threatening cross from the Runcorn left.
Kai Evans was warming into the game and had a couple of sighters, a free kick which cleared the crossbar and a low shot which didn’t trouble Passant.
It was then Ben Garratt’s turn to pull off some good goalkeeping in coming off his line to stop a promising Runcorn attack.
Nathan Sandison drilled a free kick just over the heads of the Nantwich players barreling in to try and double the lead. It was already looking like a game that would be dictated by set pieces.
Byron Harrison latched onto a ball over the top and after getting it under control played it to Pratt who saw his effort from a narrow angle blocked.
Evans took a touch too many on a typical direct run towards goal which allowed Runcorn to get a foot in before he could get a shot away.
The best Runcorn chance of the first half fell to Jacques Welsh who didn’t catch his shot nearly well enough and pulled it wide in a bit of space in the box.
Early into the second half a Runcorn attack summed up the issues they were having in front of goal as despite a concerted spell of pressure they could not produce a shot to trouble the Nantwich goal.
They did manage to get a shot away a couple of minutes later. But even here the execution was lacking, this time it was in the pass from Adam Morgan to Adam Moseley, it was not into his feet which meant he had to adjust his run and made the angle tougher for his shot, even so it was a good effort which flashed past Garratt’s far post.
The best save of the game just after the hour, when once again a set piece produced the goods for Paddy Kennedy to head powerfully towards goal but Passant threw out a big hand to push it away. Kennedy so close to scoring for a third game on the bounce.
Arguably a better chance should have been put away a couple of minutes later. It was Sandison with the delivery again and while Harrison jumped for it it may not have got a touch, if it had it would surely have been 2-0.
A Runcorn header was flicked wide as they huffed and puffed to try and get back into this game.
But it was Nantwich who had the best chances to finish it once and for all. An incredible 20 second passage saw first Mellor and then Gio Loureiro both hit the crossbar with good strikes. As well as scoring in this game and against Kidsgrove recently, Mellor’s now hit the woodwork twice as well, against Runcorn and Trafford.
An expected late onslaught from the home side never really arrived as the Dabbers claimed victory and their first away clean sheet of the season, and at traditionally one of the toughest grounds to travel to in the division.
Teams
Runcorn Linnets: Bayleigh Passant, Sam Barratt, James Short (C), Jacques Welsh (Karl Clair, 45), Peter Wylie, Harvey Washington, Will Saxon (Naim Arsan, 45), Lewis Doyle (Lewis Nolan, 84), Adam Morgan, Luke Wall (Eden Gumbs, 71), Adam Moseley
Sub not used: Alex Ellams
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, James Melhado, Perry Bircumshaw, Kelvin Mellor, Troy Bourne (C), Paddy Kennedy, Tom Pratt, Joe Robbins (Gio Loureiro, 56), Byron Harrison, Nathan Sandison (Darren Thornton, 82), Kai Evans (Ali Hayder, 68)
Subs not used: Mathew Mallon, Callum Saunders
Goal: Mellor (8)
Attendance: 581