Nantwich Town 1
Squires Gate 1
League (NW Counties League Div 1)

Match Report

For the second successive Saturday, Nantwich were held to a 1-1 home draw. The previous week, lowly Atherton Collieries had dented the Dabbers pride and this time, Blackpool-based Squires Gate battled to earn a point.
Give the amount of possession Nantwich enjoyed, this should have been a home victory but, even with Simon Hackney returning from injury, the home side lacked the invention to secure a win.
In fact, it was the visitors who went ahead. On 35 minutes, Phil Thompson’s drive was only parried by Stuart Heeps and Andy McKenna swept home the loose ball.
The Dabbers then went on the offensive and they did, at least, create a string of chances. Hackney, who had earlier rounded Peter Summerfield only to shoot wide from an acute angle, was twice denied by the visiting keeper and Gareth Brookes did beat the custodian only to see his effort drift wide of the post. And, it took hesitancy in the visitors’ defence to allow the Dabbers to equalise on the stroke of half-time. Danny McVey played in Jon Dawson down the right and Gate were unable to deal with his low cross, allowing Wes Wilkinson to steal in for his twelfth goal of the campaign.
Chances were hard to come by in the second half and both keepers were in impressive form; Heeps making an acrobatic save from Scott Sugden and thwarting Paul Ryan whilst Summerfield clung on well to a deft header from Dawson. Squires Gate, though, were content to go away with a point having already lost twice to Nantwich earlier in the season. They could, though, have claimed all three but Sugden put the ball wide of the target after Mark Gardiner had done well to clear off the goalline.
Nantwich Heeps, Hall, Gardiner, McVey, Gleghorn, Buckle, Brookes (Hampshire,70), Melling, Dawson, Wilkinson, Hackney. Booked: Gleghorn (75 mins)
Squires Gate Summerfield, Cook, McKenna, Blinkhorn, Thompson, Paynter, Bingham, Roberts, Ryan, Sugden, Harness (Edwards,80) Booked: Paynter (48 mins)
Star Man Nigel Gleghorn – Influential, as always, at the heart of the defence

Match report written by Michael Chatwin