Nantwich Town 1
Radcliffe Borough 1 (6-5 on pens.)
Northern Premier League Cup (1st Round)

Match Report

UniBond League Challenge Cup.1st Round.

Tuesday 4th September.2007.Kick Off 7.45pm.


NANTWICH TOWN 1 v Radcliffe Borough 1 After extra time.
Ashley Carter.82. Craig Dawson.49
Nantwich won 6-5 on penalties.

NANTWICH TOWN: Rob Hackney.Paul Donnelly.Gyorgy Kiss.Richard Smith.Ryan Dicker.Phil Parkinson© Ashley Carter. Glyn Blackhurst.Pavol Suhaj.Nick Linford.Danny Griggs.Substitutes: Adam Beasley.Wayne Teague.Andy Bott..

Nantwich were without left back Paul Taylor (injured) whilst stand in goal keeper Dave Kocjak was ruled out due to a two week suspension.Gyorgy Kiss made his first start of the season following injury but had to be replaced before half time following a tight hamstring.
‘The Dabbers’ began well,winning a couple of corners in the opening minutes with Pavol Suhaj narrowly beaten to the ball by the Radcliffe ‘keeper from the initial flag kick whilst Ryan Dicker made great contact with a header from the second corner,albeit at the expense of heading inches wide.
For the visitors,former Crewe Alex trainee Michael Oates blasted way over the bar in the 12th minute following a well taken throw in by right back Matty O’Neill but, within a minute, Nantwich attacked again with a well executed pass from right back Paul Donnelly that was flicked on by Suhaj to the pacy Ashley Carter but,once again, Dittmer was first to the ball.
Suhaj was presented with a chance for a Nantwich opener in the 16th minute but shot wide from 20 yards after being fed a tasty ball from the right by Carter. However,when Carter was presented with a close range opportunity in the 21st minute his delay in executing a shot on the turn lost him possession whilst moments later Glyn Blackhurst headed over the bar from 3 yards after a Danny Griggs free kick fell neatly on to the forehead of the central midfielder.Suhaj followed shortly afterwards by playing in Blackhurst 15 yards from goal that was blocked by Dittmer,then,just after the half hour, Blackhurst tested Dittmer again,this time with a fierce shot from similar distance that the busy ‘keeper did well to turn around his left hand post for yet another Nantwich corner.

Donnelly aimed for Suhaj with a great square ball from deep as the first period drew to a close before a Radcliffe defender hooked the ball away and the lone ‘Dabbers’ striker could gain possession.Blackhurst then threatened with yet another close range header that agonizingly flashed across the face of goal,Griggs fired over an angled shot from 8 yards just before Carter struck wide after Suhaj produced a timely flick on to the pacy winger.Then,almost on the stroke of 45 minutes, Gyorgy Kiss,making his first start of the season,pulled up with a tight hamstring and in a reshaped line-up Andy Bott partnered Pavol Suhaj in a two pronged attack and within seconds of taking his place Bott was in action,placing a close range header narrowly over the Radcliffe bar.

Against the run of play,and within 4 minutes of the second period getting underway, Radcliffe central defender Craig Dawson bundled the ball over the line from inside a crowded 6 yard box following a corner from the left.Radcliffe proceeded to win a further corner moments later and again it was Dawson who threatened, this time with a 25 yard pile driver after an initial shot had rebounded off the chest of ‘Dabbers’ goal keeper Rob Hackney.

On the hour, Radcliffe forced Nantwich to defend deep with Dawson again prominent with a close range header that fell narrowly behind.Play was then halted whilst Blackhurst required treatment, then, shortly after the midfielder’s return, Pavol Suhaj struck a close range volley that glanced off the shoulder of a Radcliffe defender for a corner.Nantwich gained a second consecutive corner after Blackhurst’s shot diverted off a Radcliffe defender followed by ‘Dabbers’ skipper Phil Parkinson heading narrowly wide from the resultant flag kick over on the right.Radcliffe,at this point, were under the cosh and were lucky to clear their lines.Ashley Carter won a corner in the 68th minute but,from the clearance Radcliffe set up an attack and Nantwich were grateful to midfielder Nick Linford who timely hooked the ball out of the area to clear the danger.

Nantwich made two changes in the 71st minute in which Phil Parkinson was replaced by Adam Beasley whilst Wayne Teague came on for Pavol Suhaj.The change produced an almost immediate effect allowing the home side to probe deeper in the Radcliffe half and were rewarded with an equalizer in the 80th minute.Adam Beasley won a left sided corner.Danny Griggs dead ball kick flashed across the face of the Radcliffe goal and from a position 10 yards away from the opposite post Ashley Carter reacted with a venomous shot to set up a nail biting finish.

Meanwhile,Radcliffe were not done and Carnell’s strike from the edge of the area fell narrowly over the Nantwich bar whilst a minute later Blackhurst was unlucky to see a 10 yard header from a Griggs free kick fall narrowly wide.Moments later Blackhurst forced Radcliffe ‘keeper Tim Dittmer into a save at the foot of his left hand post from an angled strike but Radcliffe’s Michael Oates should have done better with an angled strike from 15 yards over on the left that he blasted over seconds before the referee’s whistle signaled extra time.

Twelve minutes into extra time Radcliffe striker Ian Fitzpatrick’s 30 yard free kick went through the wall but Rob Hackney excelled by saving the shot at his left hand post.Two minutes later Radcliffe were reduced to 10 men after their captain Simon Kelly received a second booking,on this occasion for a foul on Griggs.Andy Bott was desperately unlucky to witness his 5 yard downward header strike Dittmer on his line but, amazingly the ball came back out of the goal mouth allowing Radcliffe to clear.Radcliffe took Fitzpatrick off and replaced him with Andy Waine moments before the first period of extra time had expired.Beasley won a corner at the start of the second period of extra time and from the clearance Nantwich won a free kick 20 yards out on the left.Griggs elected to take the the dead ball kick which beat both the wall and goal keeper before edging inches wide of the opposite post,then,right on the stroke of 120 minutes, Griggs again threatened with a superb volley from an excellent Donnelly cross that not for the first time in this pulsating match narrowly avoided the target.

That however was not the end of the drama.Competition rules dictate the tie be played to a finish and so penalties became the order of the night.Both sides were level at 4 each after the initial 10 penalty takes with both sides having a penalty saved.Bott’s for Nantwich,Oates for Radcliffe.In an almost bizarre finish Rob Hackney excelled by saving two Radcliffe spot kicks with only Whealing succeeding for the visitors from the spot.For Nantwich,Ashley Carter tucked a very well taken kick away as did Glyn Blackhurst.In the last spot kick of the night (18 in total) Dawson deliver the tie to ‘The Dabbers’ when he missed from the spot to give Nantwich Town their first UniBond League Challenge Cup victory.

Nantwich head coach Steve Davis reflected: “ We played some great football out there tonight. Over 15 chances in a game where in the end we thoroughly deserved the result.Can’t fault the lads at the moment.They are doing Nantwich proud”.

Match report written by Phil Johnson