Fleetwood Town 4
Nantwich Town 3
FA Cup (4th Round Qualifying)

Match Report

Saturday 25th October.2008

FLEETWOOD TOWN 4 v NANTWICH TOWN 3
Bell. 26.68.89. Lennon.22.
Pond.50 Carter.43
Walker.63 (P)

Fleetwood Town: Hurst. Walmsley. Hills (Webb 56). Pond. Mercer. Beattie. Kay. Dunn (Leadbetter 73). Bell. Warlow. Milligan. Substitutes: Leadbetter. Kilbane. Robinson.Penswick. Foster. Hale. Webb.

Nantwich Town: Jones. Smith. Tickle. Tinson. O’Loughlin. Parkinson ©. Carter. Beeston (Blackhurst 71) Walker. Lennon (Naggington 80). Griggs. Substitutes: Naggington. Whittaker. Blackhurst. Shotton. Jack. Cooper g/k. Mamood.


Referee: Mr A.J Scragg (Liverpool) Attendance: 874.


MATCH REPORT

Despite leading this pulsating match on three occasions Nantwich Town failed to protect their advantage and their ambition to reach the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history was thus destroyed. Meanwhile, heavy rain overnight rain had fallen on the Fylde coast and with no break in site the match referee gave warning an hour and a half before kick off that the tie was in serious doubt. However, club officials made strident efforts to continually brush as much water from the playing surface as possible and just before 2pm the go ahead was given despite no let up in the weather and made worse by a driving cross wind.

Roared on by over 300 Nantwich supporters the visitors took the game to the host club and tested Fleetwood as early as the 3rd minute during which centre half Nathan Pond had to rise above the 6yd box to clear a Danny Griggs in swinging corner. Four minutes later and Griggs completed a 3 man move by striking a yard wide of a post followed by Michael Lennon who delayed on a shot from just outside the 6yd box before deflecting for a corner. Dave Walker’s pass to Ashley Carter in the 12th minute held promise but just as Carter was about to strike from 10 yards he lost his footing in what was already a quagmire of a pitch and the opportunity gone as a result. Meanwhile, Nantwich lost centre half Darren Tinson to a head injury for a five minute spell but returned, albeit with heavy bandaging. In a further spell of pressure Nantwich won 3 consecutive corners and once again the surface played a part in denying Walker the chance to stand up and turn to make a shot from inside the 6 yard box. At the other end Charlie O’Loughlin performed well to deny on loan Blackpool midfielder Matty Kay before Nantwich broke in the 22nd minute to open their account through Michael Lennon. In the build up, a ball out of midfield went through a channel that allowed Walker and Lennon to trade passes and when a gap opened up between centre halves Pond and Ricky Mercer Lennon nipped through to score.

But, the lead lasted little more than 4 minutes. From a move along the Nantwich left Fleetwood midfielder Ashley Dunn delivered a fierce low shot that skimmed across the 6 yard box to reach the unmarked Fleetwood strike pair of Adam Warlow and Andy Bell with Bell getting the final touch at the foot of the far post to crash the ball home. Despite that self inflicted set back Nantwich pursued a second goal and went very close to retaking the lead in the 35th minute when Lennon cut the ball back from the bye line into the path of Walker before Hurst reacted to smother the ball at Walkers feet. Nantwich were called upon to defend in depth for a short period especially to keep out the lively Bell and Warlow however, 5 minutes before the break Walker – Lennon – Griggs and Smith, all had chances to score when, in an amazing desperate act of defending, Hurst, Pond and Mercer fell to ground in front of goal but survived the onslaught through a combination of luck and misplaced shots. Fleetwood survived, but only for a short time because right on the stroke of half time Ashley Carter popped up to take advantage of some inept Fleetwood defending to nip and fire into an unprotected net to restore his side’s lead.

Within moments of the second half getting underway Jones performed well to tip a rasping drive from Bell over the bar but in the 50th minute Fleetwood were back in the hunt with a goal from centre half Pond. On this occasion, the home side won a left sided corner and from the dead ball kick it swung outwards before coming back in during which the unmarked Pond rose inside a crowded 6yd box to power inside an unprotected left side of goal. But there was yet more drama to come. Despite allowing Fleetwood back into the tie for a second time Nantwich retook the lead in the 63rd minute courtesy of a well dispatched penalty from Walker. By now, conditions were, to put it mildly, horrendous. Credit to players from both sides, they battled through the conditions to put on a good old fashioned type cup tie that for long periods had the look of heading for a replay. Meanwhile, Nantwich surged forward along the Fleetwood right leaving Lennon to receive the ball just inside the area but just as the Nantwich striker changed direction to move away from the advancing Hurst there was contact, Lennon was floored, Hurst received a caution and Walker finished the job from the penalty spot to restore the Nantwich lead. At the other end, Jones blocked from Fleetwood winger Jamie Milligan. But, 5 minutes after restoring their lead Nantwich were to concede again. In the build up to the Fleetwood equalizer Nantwich failed to stem the progress of their hosts and when a flighted centre arrived from deep on the left the unchallenged Bell was given time and space to tuck the ball home at the foot of the far post. However, stung by yet another lapse in concentration Nantwich responded with an attack that with a little more luck and composure could have given them the lead for a 4th time. And it was Walker who provided the threat. With Hurst prostrate for the umpteenth time the Nantwich striker then placed a couple of close range shots at the target but twice his efforts deflected off defenders whilst a well taken corner by Griggs missed every single player before landing in the clutches of Hurst. Five minutes from normal time and Nantwich were placed on the defensive but broke free to set up Blackhurst from a Walker centre, Hurst just managing to get a touch on the header to concede a late corner from which Hurst again excelled when he just managed to punch Griggs well taken corner, clear. But that punched clearance from Hurst was to play a big part in Fleetwood’s winning goal. With the home side taking advantage of acres of space after every Nantwich player bar Jones had gone up for the corner the ball was punted forward halfway inside the Nantwich half from where it landed in an area where the touchline had long disappeared under mud. Whilst there was genuine doubt as to whether the ball was actually still in play no flag was raised and in the process Smith went to challenge Bell whilst at the same time Jones, in a somewhat inexplicable move came out of his area to leave a completely unprotected goal. Spotting the opportunity Bell went round the outside of Smith before rolling the ball across the 6yd box and in to the far corner of the net. Nantwich heads dropped in disbelief at what they had done and Fleetwood celebrated securing victory, albeit through a stroke of fortune in a contest which really should have been decided via a replay at the least.

Head coach Steve Davis was inconsolable and reflected; “Totally gutting – we come away from home, take the lead three times and then let them back into it by failing to protect our advantage. And Fleetwood’s winner - it was criminal what we did. We normally leave Darren Tinson back but for some as yet unexplained reason, he went up for the corner leaving just Lee Jones as the only cover. But quite what Lee was thinking in leaving his position I’ll never know. Quite honestly, the fairest result would have been a replay but we have gifted them the tie and at the same time denied ourselves the opportunity of making the first round draw”.

Match report written by Phil Johnson