Nantwich Town 3
Fleetwood Town 0
League (NW Counties League Div 1)

Match Report

A lacklustre Fleetwood performance saw Mick Hoyle’s side crash to a 3-0 defeat in the season’s opener at Nantwich. Not until the second half did Fleetwood get into gear but by that time they were already three goals in arrears. And the Fishermen’s woes were added to when Jay Flannery was red carded for a second bookable offence 15 minutes from time.
In a game played in scorching South Cheshire sunshine, all three Nantwich goals came from crosses. And, throughout the first half, Fleetwood’s central pairing of Ian Lang and Jason Weller struggled to clear dangerous balls into the box from Nantwich’s tricky winger Simon Hackney.
The season was less than 10 minutes old when Fleetwood went one down. Nantwich player-boss Nigel Gleghorn’s header was booted off the line and although keeper Andy Banks palmed out a second effort from the former Man City man, Gareth Brookes was on hand to fire home the rebound from 6 yards.
Banks, though, was at fault 10 minutes later when he flapped at a Hackney free-kick and Gleghorn this time made no mistake with his header.
The Fleetwood custodian made amends, though, with a diving save from a Brookes free kick and superbly denied the lively Nantwich striker again five minutes from the break after he had been put through by Ashley O’Leary.
In a rare Fleetwood attack, an acrobatic effort by John Riches bounced off the top of the bar after Nantwich keeper Stuart Heeps had parried a drive by Lee Catlow.
Right on the stroke of half-time though, a carbon copy of the second goal sealed the game for the Dabbers. A curling free kick from man of the match Hackney was nodded in at close range at the back post for Gleghorn’s second goal.
Half-time: Nantwich Town 3, Fleetwood Town 0
After the break, the visitors at last came into the game. In a prolonged spell of pressure, Flannery fired over the bar and Steve Brome had a long range attempt well saved by Heeps. But it took a goalline clearance from Lang to keep out an O’Leary chip and, soon afterwards, a lob from Brookes just cleared the Fleetwood bar.
Fleetwood, though, continued to press and on 70 minutes ex-Squires Gate man Catlow showed the skill that had made him top scorer last season in Division Two of the NWCFL. He jinxed round the home defence only for Mark Gardiner to clear his dangerous cross. Despite being reduced to ten men, Fleetwood continued to press for the consolation goal their efforts merited. Kevin Riches rocketed the ball just over from 20 yards and, five minutes from time, substitute Dave Moran just failed to reach a cross after Riches had dribbled past four Nantwich defenders.
The game ended, though, with Banks doing well to save further embarrassment when he did well to block an effort from Nantwich sub Lyndon Hall. Greater authority in defence and more guile in midfield are needed if Fleetwood are to avoid struggling in the North West Counties League this season.
Nantwich: Heeps, McVey, Gardiner, Packham, Gleghorn, Vickers (Hall, 82mins), Thomasson (Wilkinson, 66mins), Knight, O’Leary, Brookes, Hackney (Melling, 80mins).
Booked: Vickers (31mins), Packham (65 mins)
Fleetwood: Banks, Jackson (Moran, 60mins), Brome, Lang, Weller (Holloway, 80mins), Parkinson, Flannery, Cheal (Gray, 57mins), Riches, Barnes, Catlow.
Booked: Jackson (25mins), Sent Off: Flannery (74mins)
Attendance: 110

Match report written by Michael Chatwin