Nantwich Town 4
Atherton Collieries 4
League (NW Counties League Div 1)

Match Report

NANTWICH TOWN 4 ATHERTON COLLIERIES 4
NWCFL Div 1 – 22 January 2005

Paul Rutter’s stoppage time volley nicked a point for the Dabbers against a plucky Collieries side who belied their status of third bottom of the table.
The visitors raced into a two-goal lead as Nantwich struggled to find their feet. Powerhouse Barry Massey nodded in a second minute corner to open the scoring then Chris Willcock powered a 25 yarder just wide of the upright. Danny Griggs fired across the face of the goal as the Dabbers tried to get into the game but then Danny Read was called on to make a near post save from Mark Jones who had been set up by Massey’s neat flick on. It was, perhaps, no surprise when Colls went 2-0 up on 34 minutes. Massey’s header fell to Willcock who slipped the ball into the path of Steve Hughes who gave Read in the home goal no chance.
Nantwich were stung into action and Rutter played in Glyn Blackhurst who raced through before cleverly chipping Alan Osborne from 20 yards. Adam Lucas had a ‘goal’ disallowed for offside as Atherton looked to respond but, just before half-time, the Dabbers levelled matters. Steve Davis’ pinpoint free kick found Blackhurst at the back stick and his looping header eluded Osborne to nestle in the back of the net. Rutter then shot wide of the target as Nantwich sought an unlikely half-time lead.
After the break, it was again the visitors who were quick out of the traps and Mark Jones restored their lead when he rammed home a cross from the right. The lead was short-lived, though, as Griggs knocked the ball in from the right and although it was out of Blackhurst’s reach, Neil O’Brien was on hand to sidefoot past the keeper from 10 yards.
It was end-to-end stuff as a procession of snow flurries swept across Jackson Avenue but, again, it was Colls who gained the initiative. Massey was again lurking unmarked on 83 minutes and when Paul Meredith latched on to his nod down to make it 4-3, the visitors looked to be heading for a rare away victory.
But, they were cruelly denied at the death when late Nantwich substitute Matt Blake sped down the right and his cross into the danger area was hooked into the net by Rutter to claim his eleventh goal of the campaign.
Collieries will feel hard done by and the Dabbers, no doubt, satisfied with a point from a below par performance where the defence failed to handle the burly Massey and the midfield struggled to gel in difficult conditions.
Nantwich: Read, Morris (Newton,82), Pullar, Davis, Bradbury, Santus, Brough, Blackhurst, Rutter, Griggs, O’Brien (Blake,87). Booked: Santus (65mins), Brough (90mins).
Atherton Colls: Osborne, Dalton, Jackson, Peters, Bowles, Hughes, Meredith, Lucas, Massey (Isherwood,84), Willcock, Jones (Norton,84).

Match report written by Michael Chatwin