Woodley Sports 5
Nantwich Town 6
League (NW Counties League Div 1)

Match Report

For the second time in the space of a couple of weeks Nantwich hammered six past Woodley. On this occasion, though, the Stockport-based side themselves bagged five goals in a goalfest aided by lapse defending from both sides.
Star of the show was 16 year old Ashley Lawton. He had claimed two goals as a late substitute in the 6-1 home win over Woodley. Now, on his full debut, he grabbed a hat trick, including the Dabbers’ 88th minute winner. Young Ashley has a promising and long career ahead of him, but he is rarely likely to meet a defence as generous as Woodley’s. Here is the goals timetable….
1-0…5 mins…Mike Norton volleys home Lee Bromley’s deep corner
2-0…7 mins…Nigel Gleghorn fails to get distance on his headed clearance and Andy Pavey rifles home from the edge of the box
2-1…9 mins…Anthony Snellgrove fells Jon Dawson in the penalty area and Martin Packham dispatches the spot kick
2-2…18 mins…Ashley Lawton is on hand to poke home a loose ball from close range
3-2…23 mins…Norton’s trickery on the left fools Packham and he slips the ball through to Chris Willcock for an easy tap in
3-3…27 mins…Lawton breaks away and sets up Dawson who shrugs off two defenders and drills the ball past Keith Jones from 15 yards
3-4…39 mins…Melford Knight plays in Lawton who cuts in from the left and squeezes a shot past Jones from a tight angle
3-5…42 mins…Jones is only able to get his fingertips to a crashing freekick from Simon Hackney from wide on the right
4-5…44 mins…Stuart Heeps brings down Norton as he goes past the Nantwich keeper and Norton himself nets from the penalty spot
5-5…70 mins…Gleghorn is dispossessed allowing Norton to capitalise by claiming his hat-trick
5-6…88 mins…After a goalmouth scramble, it is now Lawton’s turn to get his hat-trick as he forces the ball home from close range.
There is still time in the last minute for Woodley to hit the post and Adam Vickers to clear off the goalline as Nantwich hold out for victory in a truly remarkable game.

Woodley Jones, Bromley, Broome, Snellgrove, Cox, Watson (Lundy,85), Pavey, Hardman, Norton, Willcock, Ferguson (Wolsenholme,86). Booked: Broome (45mins), Norton (45mins), Jones (89mins)
Nantwich Heeps, McVey (Thomasson,81), Hall, Packham, Gleghorn, Vickers, Brookes, Knight, Dawson, Lawton, Hackney. Booked: Dawson (75mins)
Star Man Ashley Lawton – Hat trick hero with never-say-die attitude
Attendance 74

Match report written by Michael Chatwin