Congleton Town 0
Nantwich Town 1
Cheshire Senior Cup (2nd Round)

Match Report

DABBERS TAME THE BEARS

Congleton Town 0 Nantwich Town 1
UniBond Cheshire Senior Cup 2nd Round, Tuesday 11 November 2003

Lively Nantwich brushed aside their NWCFL rivals to reach the semi-finals of the Cheshire Senior Cup for only the second time in over 25 years. It was a decent display by Nigel Gleghorn’s men and, had the forward line chosen to pass a bit more often, the margin could have been greater.
Certainly the pace of Jamie Phoenix, Vernum Rowland and Wes Wilkinson caused the Congleton defence problems and with just 5 minutes gone, Wilkinson raced past two defenders and played the ball wide to Phoenix who cut in and unleashed a rasping drive. Matt Conkie parried the ball away but there was no-one following up to profit from the loose ball.
Mark Maguire headed just wide before Phoenix had a golden opportunity to open his Nantwich account on the half-hour. Rowland beat the offside trap and his square ball found the former Altrincham man in acres of space but, for once, his first touch let him down and Conkie spread himself well to block.
After the interval, it was the Dabbers who continued to create the best chances. Gleghorn got in a well directed header from Danny Griggs’ cross which the sprawling Conkie again managed to palm away then Wilkinson cut inside and blasted over from 20 yards.
Conkie was again called on to block Rowland when the ball ricocheted to the Nantwich forward in the danger area and in a rare Congleton attack Leon Sturridge rifled wide.
The decisive goal came on 67 minutes. Griggs teed up Wilkinson on the edge of the box and the Dabbers’ leading marksman flicked the ball inside before driving into the corner of the net.
Heeps, who had had a quiet evening, was twice called into action to preserve the lead. First, he got down well to save from Danny Worthington who had latched on to a long ball and, with five minutes remaining, the Nantwich keeper was at his acrobatic best to push away Stuart Tulloch’s header from Brian Hatton’s cross.
* The win would have given Nantwich a mouth-watering semi-final at Witton Albion – Gleghorn’s former charges – but Steve Davis was subsequently deemed to be ineligible and the Dabbers were removed from the competition.
Congleton Conkie, Pitts, Rudkin (Hatton,75), Fletcher (Barker,90), Owen, Kay, Tulloch, Bickerstaffe, Worthington, Scully (Sturridge,h-t), Williams. Booked: Rudkin (72mins), Fletcher (80mins)
Nantwich Heeps, Vickers, Melling, Maguire, Davis, Buckle, Griggs, Gleghorn, Rowland, Wilkinson, Phoenix (Parkinson,89). Booked: Griggs (60mins), Wilkinson (69mins)
Attendance: 204

Match report written by Michael Chatwin