By Liam Price, photos by Jonathan White
Stafford Rangers won their first home game under returning manager Neil Kitching with a 2-1 over Nantwich Town at the Stan Robinson Stadium.
Kai Evans was suspended but Paddy Kennedy was back from injury for Nantwich and Byron Harrison also came back into the starting XI.
The Dabbers should have led after the first attack of the match, Alex Panter hitting the post when through just 30 seconds in.
They were made to pay by the home side still within the first 10 minutes. Callum King-Harmes beat his man and fired low past Ben Garratt to give Stafford the lead. Jon Moran admitted afterwards that a formation tweak for this game may have contributed to that goal, as there was too much space for King-Harmes as left wing back Kofi Moore and left centre back Joe Bunney tried to settle into their adjusted roles.
After that there was very little action to speak of in the first half. Bitty and stop-start, not helped by an overzealous referee who was giving every half foul. But it’s also true that the standard of football on show from both teams was frankly very poor.
A Tom Pratt header was deflected for a corner before a Stafford shot crashed into a crowd of bodies.
Moore attempted to find Pratt in the middle with an early ball but couldn’t quite pick him out.
Nantwich came out for the second half back with 4 at the back and with an increased sense of determination. Matty Tweedley got to the byline and pulled the ball back but no one in green could get to it.
But the Dabbers equaliser followed not long after. A slick and patient move that started at the back progressed through the lines before a perfect cross reached Byron Harrison to tap in his 9th goal of the season. It was the only move of any real quality from either team in the entire game.
A blow came when Kennedy, just back from injury, seemed to suffer a recurrence that forced him off with about 20 minutes to go. That precipitated another rejig with Joe Robbins coming on and Kelvin Mellor going to centre back.
Moore sliced a shot well wide but in truth Nantwich did not sufficiently kick on after the equaliser and were punished again heading towards the last 10 minutes.
A simple 1-2 down the Stafford right that had been tried earlier and not learned from let in the Boro man and sub Perry Bircumshaw, on the wrong side of him, caught his man and gave Stafford the chance to win it from the penalty spot. No question that it was a foul, but footage shows it was borderline whether it was in the box or not.
Dan Cockerline stepped up and saw his spot-kick saved by Ben Garratt but tucked away the rebound to make it 2-1.
Stafford keeper Cameron Belford was rock solid with his handling all day apart from one moment in stoppage time when he couldn’t hold on to a cross which allowed Pratt a swing at the ball but it wasn’t directed towards goal.
A strong chance to get a second equaliser fell to Alex Panter in the last of the 6 added minutes, but he couldn’t control the shot and it flew over, thus securing Stafford their 4th straight win, a run of form Nantwich can only dream of at the moment.
Teams
Stafford Rangers: Cameron Belford, Andy Burns, Ben O’Hanlon (Scott Wara, 66), Jack Burgess, Michael McGrath (C), James O’Neill, Callum King-Harmes, Ashley Fallon (Ackeme Francis-Burrell, 72), Dan Cockerline, James McQuilkin, Kaiman Anderson (John Atherton, 57)
Subs not used: Max Barlow, Joe Morley
Goals: King-Harmes (8), Cockerline (76)
Nantwich Town: Ben Garratt, James Melhado, Joe Bunney (Perry Bircumshaw, 60), Kelvin Mellor, Troy Bourne (C), Paddy Kennedy (Joe Robbins, 72), Tom Pratt, Matty Tweedley (Nathan Sandison, 82), Alex Panter, Byron Harrison (Callum Saunders, 77), Kofi Moore
Sub not used: Thornton
Goal: Harrison (56)
Attendance: 877
Additional notes by Isaac Knight