Nantwich Town 3
Newcastle Town 3
League (NW Counties League Div 1)

Match Report

Date: Tuesday 12th December.2006.
NANTWICH TOWN 3 v Newcastle Town 3
Blake (8) Smith (16) Kinsey (45). Wellecombe(43) Kiely(82p,90)

NANTWICH TOWN: Rob Hackney. Murray McCulloch. Gyorgy Kiss. Richard Smith. Paul Donnelly. Phil Parkinson. Adam Beasley. Michalis Chailis. Andy Kinsey. Andy Bott. Matt Blake. Substitutes: James Marrow. Stuart Scheuber. Jake Bowyer.

Nantwich were returning to league action after a break of three weeks and were eager to gain revenge over Newcastle for the recent single goal defeat at the Lyme Valley Stadium.Danny Griggs had set this game as his return from a recent double hernia operation but,unfortunately his recovery had not progressed as quickly as first indicated.Meanwhile,Paul Taylor was again unavailable due to a recent foot injury which is taking longer to heal than first thought whilst Mark Fitton reported with a head injury sustained at work earlier in the day.

`The Dabbers` took control of the game from the start and in the 2nd minute a Michael Chailis pass fell neatly in to the path of Andy Bott whose first time shot was held at the foot of the right hand post by goalkeeper Froggatt.The home side continued to dominate and in the 7th minute Andy Kinsey produced a close range snap shot at goal from a Matt Blake pass delivered from just inside the area.It came as no surprise that Nantwich snatched an early lead.With Newcastle constantly on the defensive and looking vulnerable across the back four,Matt Blake seized on to a loose ball in the 8th minute just off the left hand edge of the area, and drove a well struck ground shot across the face of goal and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.The first quarter hour was littered with some heavy tackles,especially from the visitors but,Newcastle’s indiscipline was again punished by Nantwich,this time in the 16th minute.Pushed on the defensive once again,Newcastle failed to clear their lines, and after Nantwich central defender Richard Smith had come up to join the attack he seized on to a clearance before unleashing a shot from the left edge of the area that flew into the right hand corner of the net to give his side a well deserved 2 goal lead.Nantwich were buzzing, and from the restart they surged forward with Kinsey holding the ball up well around 12 yards before bringing Blake into play on the right.Blake then carried the ball on for a short distance before coming under challenge from Bostock.In a battle of strength and pace,Blake just squeezed enough room to fire a close range shot that deserved better than to hit the side netting.Shortly after, close range shots from Andy Bott and Adam Beasley worked the goalkeeper but,on the half hour `The Dabbers` momentarily switched off allowing Newcastle to penetrate their half with right back Vickers testing Rob Hackney from the edge of the box.Within minutes Nantwich regained their earlier momentum earning a left sided free kick from just inside the Newcastle half.Michael Chailis left foot delivered a delicious free kick across field,the ball falling neatly to Adam Beasley who was unlucky when his attempt to clip the ball across the face of goal ended with the close range effort falling behind.On 35 minutes a five man move from midfield started by `Dabbers` captain Phil Parkinson concluded when Chailis sent in a 20 yard dipping volley that eased narrowly over the crossbar.However,despite the territorial superiority of the home side,they allowed Newcastle back in the game when, in the 40th minute, Newcastle midfielder Talbot won a corner on the right.Inexplicably,the back four became spread before allowing Wellecombe the time and space to pick his spot and strike a fierce 20 yard shot past rob Hackney into the right hand corner of the net.However,right on the stroke of half time,Nantwich deservedly regained their 2 goal margin.Michael Chailis,who had suffered from some very nasty tackles out on the left of midfield, was brought down under a heavy challenge from Harrison,the midfielder receiving a booking in the process.Andy Kinsey stepped forward to take the free kick,and in the process scored an amazing goal that flew through the wall and into the top right hand corner of the net for his 18th goal of the season.In added time, `The Dabbers` were twice denied, when first Blake’s shot from the right hand edge of the area cannoned off a defender followed by Kinsey’s close range effort that ricocheted off a sea of legs to safety before referee Horton brought the half to a close.Within a minute of the second half getting underway Phil Parkinson was a shade unlucky when his close range shot to the left of goal whistled narrowly by the upright.Nantwich were then dealt a very heavy blow in the 49th minute when Andy Kinsey was stretchered off after he appeared to turn over on his right ankle,the same ankle that he injured just seven week’s ago, and from which he has only recently recovered from injury.After some delay,James Marrow replaced Kinsey in attack but it was Blake and Bott who were immediately in the thick of the action when first Bott was denied with a close range shot on the right and then Blake who struck the side netting from the opposite flank.`The Dabbers` injury hoodoo struck yet again,this time on the hour.Left back Gyorgy Kiss pace had slowed before indicating to the bench that a hamstring had tightened.The change saw club captain Phil Parkinson moving to an unaccustomed left back position whilst the on coming Stuart Scheuber took over in midfield.The absence of Kinsey and Kiss unsettled the home side and the effect was to provide Newcastle with a sense that they could at least take a point after being out played for the majority of the game.Wellecombe punted a long range effort wide of the home goal in the 63rd minute followed in the 69th by a very controversial decision after an assistant referee judged Phil Parkinson to have brought down midfielder Wilkinson inside the right hand corner of the area.Parkinson plea to the referee that he had actually won the ball in the tackle outside the area was dismissed and the penalty was awarded.However,justice was seen to be complete when penalty taker Darren Twigg embarrassingly blazed the spot kick well over the bar.But,despite the scoreline remaining in favour of `The Dabbers` the injury jinx was to strike again,this time in the 70th minute when Michael Chailis was assisted from the pitch after sustaining a severe kick to his right ankle.Midfield substitute Jake Bowyer soon got into the action and he was instrumental in sending Matt Blake away down the left side but, it was Adam Beasley who was to gain a corner after he forced Froggatt to concede with a close range angled strike.Newcastle replaced Twigg in the 72nd minute with left footed striker Paul Kiely who was returning to this level of football after an absence of two seasons.Three minutes later Adam Beasley was denied a goal after his 20 yard unstoppable volley flew past Froggatt into the back of the net.However,the introduction of Kiely clearly unsettled `The Dabbers` and were to concede a penalty 8 minutes from normal time.Kiely made no mistake from the penalty spot and the lift that it gave to Newcastle was all to obvious, playing the remaining minutes like a different side.Kiely broke Nantwich hearts when the big striker took a late free kick from just outside the centre of the 18 yard area,the left foot strike giving Rob Hackney little chance to save the fierce shot. Nantwich had right back Murray McCulloch to thank for at least keeping the score level when he hacked the ball off the line deep in added time and without doubt the final quarter hour had been a backs to the wall job for the severely injury hit `Dabbers`.

Nantwich head coach Steve Davis reflected: “ A result that should never have happened.Having been on top for so long, and with a comfortable lead, to come out of it with a point is bitterly disappointing.Clearly,the loss of Kinsey,Chailis and Kiss unsettled us, and we paid the price.”

Match report written by Phil Johnson