By Jonathan White, photos by Brooke Roberts and Staci Hocknell
Nantwich Town FC Women stretched their superb unbeaten run this season with an emphatic 5-1 away victory against Warrington Town Women FC at the Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub in the North West Women’s Regional League Division One South. It was the first-ever meeting between the two sides – and the Dabbers marked the occasion in style.
The win makes it eight matches unbeaten in all competitions for Dan Mellor’s side.
Mellor made just one change to the starting XI from the previous week’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup success, and his team hit the ground running. The Dabbers raced into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to a goal from captain Meg Ragdale and a quickfire double from Amanda Fallon.
The second half saw Nantwich tighten their grip on the match, adding two more goals to seal a confident 5-1 win. The scorers were Ragdale (sponsored by MRSC Engineering), Fallon (hat-trick, sponsored by NTISA) and Jade Buckley-Ratcliff (sponsored by Wrightsure Insurance Liverpool).
Star striker Fallon capped a memorable performance by being voted GOAT Player of the Match for her three-goal haul, earning a £50 voucher from GOAT Nantwich, the town’s new High Street sports bar and restaurant.
Dabbers starting XI: 1. C. Swindell, 2. L. Bulkeley, 3. P. Smith, 4. A. Mayer, 5. S. Cawley, 6. K. Greenwood, 7. J. Alderman, 8. M. Baldwin, 9. A. Fallon, 11. M. Ragdale (captain), 12. L. Lander. Subs: A. Hatton, H. Knight, M. O’Connor, L. Pearce, J. Buckley-Ratcliff.
Manager Mellor praised his side afterwards:
“It was a really professional performance from us today. Coming here, we knew it could be one of those tricky games if we weren’t fully switched on, but the players set the tone early and took control.
“We showed good discipline out of possession, moved the ball with real quality and when the chances came, we were ruthless in front of goal. To score five away from home is always pleasing, but just as important was the way we managed the game after getting ourselves in front. Even when we conceded, the reaction was calm and composed, and that shows the maturity developing in this group.
“Overall, it was exactly the kind of professional display you need if you want to keep building momentum.”
Next up for the Dabbers is a big test in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup third round qualifying, away to Ponteland United FC Women this Sunday (5th October, 2pm kick-off) at Ponteland Leisure Centre. A win would net the club £4,000 from the competition prize fund, with £1,000 awarded to the teams who exit at this stage.
Fans can keep up to date with all the latest Dabbers news and behind-the-scenes action on the official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NTFCLadies.
Full fixture details can be found at: https://www.nantwichtownfc.co.uk/all-women-fixtures/