Nantwich Town 0
Chasetown 4
League (NPL Premier Division)

Match Report

EVO-STIK FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Premier Division
Saturday 8th January.2011
NANTWICH TOWN 0 v CHASETOWN 4
Christopher Peel.20
Daniel Smith.37
Dean Perrow.88.90 +1

Nantwich: Chapman. Ashley Carter. Tinson. Flynn (c) Reeves. Sedgemore. Blake. Blackhurst. Whittaker. Lennon. Carr. Substitutes: Aaron Carter. Southern. Street. Mahmoud.
Chasetown: Turner. Peel. Slater. Davies. Cohen. Smith. Egan (c). Hay. Grant. Jevons. Substitutes: Perrow. Stephens. Bridgewater. Branch. Hulin.
Referee: Mr R.Bartlett.
Attendance: 301
Nantwich, struggling with a continuous run of injuries that has decimated their thin squad going back to the first pre season game huffed and puffed in this very poor game in terms of quality but whilst Chasetown were little better, they deserved the win all the same.
Chasetown took the game by the scruff of the neck from the start and placed Nantwich on the back foot for long periods. CHRISTOPHER PEEL had the first chance for the visitors in the 3rd minute when his close range shot bent toward the right hand of post and bar before going behind for a goal kick. Nantwich suffered a blow to their under pressure defence when assistant manager DARREN TINSON was forced to retire with a shoulder injury in the 12th minute.
GOAL: Chasetown went ahead in the 20th minute with a well crafted free kick taken by left back PEEL. His delightful kick from outside the area whistled past the wall before dipping into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
With half an hour gone, RYAN PRICE in the Chasetown goal had yet to be forced into action as Nantwich clearly struggled to win anything of note in the air, or on the ground.
GOAL: Midfielder DANIEL SMITH struck the second goal for the visitors on 37 minutes at a time when Nantwich were again in retreat and with so much space to play in SMITH had the simplest of tasks to beat CHAPMAN from close range. To be fair to CHAPMAN, who started the game with a back injury, was struggling to go down when called upon to make a save and as the match wore on resorted to throwing the ball out to his defensive colleagues rather than make goal kicks.
In added time Nantwich striker MICHAEL LENNON produced the home side’s first shot on target and was desperately unlucky after his angled ground shot beat PRICE before rebounding off the foot of the right hand post to safety.

HT: NANTWICH TOWN 0 v CHASETOWN 2
On 48 minutes, substitute Nantwich striker NATHAN SOUTHERN placed an angled shot a yard wide of the target whilst moments later, ‘Dabbers’ captain CHRIS FLYNN shot wide from close range. As the game wore on it became habitually scrappy, culminating in the visitors having seven players booked, including striker GARY HAY who was dismissed for a second caution for a foul on Nantwich defender DAVE WHITTAKER. Meanwhile, Nantwich captain CHRIS FLYNN collected a caution at a time when Chasetown were pushing the home side deep into their own half. At the other end, SOUTHERN was unlucky when he collected a pass from Nantwich midfielder GLYNN BLACKHURST and was only just off target from close range.
The Nantwich rearguard suffered its second blow when central defender CHARLIE REEVES was struck in the face by the ball leaving the home side to play a further five minutes with 10 men having failed to get a substitute ready in time. Nantwich pushed on in the latter stages that saw winger KYLE BLAKE strike the foot of the left hand post whilst moments later Chasetown were reduced to ten men when HAY was sent off for a second bookable offence. However, the effect had little difference to the visitors who had bossed this game almost throughout and with the late introduction of DEAN PERROW Chasetown doubled the score when he struck in the 888th and then in added time although in fairness the player was in an offside postion when receiving the ball on both occasions.
Play was halted on the stroke of normal time when Nantwich midfielder MICHAEL CARR, who was already suffering from a chest complaint, collapsed just inside his own half and had to be stretchered off.

FT: NANTWICH TOWN 0 v CHASETOWN 4
Rating: **
Star Man: Christopher Peel. Chasetown

Match report written by Ashley Houghton