Nantwich Town 1
Stratford Town 2
FA Cup (Preliminary Round)

Match Report

WHAT A DAY !

Nantwich Town 1, Stratford Town 2
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, 23 August 2003

Two minutes from time, as he was running to keep up with play, the yellow card fluttered out of the pocket of referee Mr Day. The Kidsgrove official had not noticed the disappearance of part of his refereeing armoury, but as it lay on the ground, the card was probably glad of a rest after it had been called on to work overtime during the afternoon.
Whilst taking its late afternoon siesta, the yellow was probably looking back on how it had been brandished in the face of three home players and three from Stratford. I dare say it also pondered on how Nantwich’s Melford Knight was invited to have a close look at its friend, the red, whilst the visitors’ bustling centre forward Darroch got off ‘Scott-free’ for seemingly kicking Nigel Gleghorn in the head while prone on the ground.
All part of a rough-and-tumble cup tie that saw Nantwich lose out to a Stratford side who had the edge following Knight’s 37th minute dismissal – the home captain supposedly having committed a second bookable offence for retaliation.
It could have been all so different. In the first two minutes, Danny Griggs went close with a dangerous drive and Knight had a header turned round the post by Roland Barnes. Against the run of play, though, the visitors took the lead with 5 minutes on the clock. Darren Beckett sped down the right, drawing Simon Pay to narrow the angle, and when he pulled the ball back, Scott Darroch had the simple task of stroking it into an empty net.
The Dabbers responded on 17 minutes when Griggs set up Wes Wilkinson wide on the left and the Nantwich striker showed enterprise in catching the keeper off his line from 25 yards.
After the break, Stratford made their numerical advantage tell and it came as little surprise when, on 64 minutes, the ball fell kindly at the feet of Brian Gray from Danny O’Toole’s cross and Gray tucked the ball home to make it 2-1.
O’Toole rattled the post and Darroch missed a golden opportunity to extend the visitors’ lead whilst Wilkinson and Otis Thomas got in shots just off target for Nantwich.
At least the Cup won’t now be a distraction in Nantwich’s quest for the UniBond !
Nantwich Pay, Westwood (Thomas,72), Hall, Gleghorn, Jardine, Vickers, Brookes (Buckle,h-t), Knight, Dawson, Wilkinson, Griggs. Booked: Knight (12mins), Gleghorn (44mins), Vickers (69mins) Sent Off: Knight (37mins)
Stratford Barnes, O’Brien, Darlison, Miller, Evans, Spacey, O’Toole (Stephenson,78), Beckett, Darroch (Eden,83), Gray, Crawford. Booked: Spacey (37mins), Beckett (37mins), Darroch (62mins)

Match report written by Michael Chatwin