Nantwich Town 4
Burscough 0
FA Cup (1st Round Qualifying)

Match Report

FA CUP. 1st Qualifying Round
Saturday 11th September.2010
NANTWICH TOWN 4 v BURSCOUGH 0
Dave Whittaker.7.37
Michael Lennon.
Kyle Blake. 80
Nantwich: Chapman. McAnulty. Tickle. Adams. Tinson, Sedgemore (c). Blake. Carr. Whittaker. Lennon. Carter. Substitutes: Aspinwall. Mahmoud. Blackhurst. Robinson. Jack, Aaron Carter. Asprey (g/k)
Burscough: Lake. Moore. Holden. Brookfield. Bayliss. McCulloch. Smethhurst. Roberts. McEvatt. Byers. Judge. Substitutes: Fields. Quirk. McDowell. Wilson. Christopher (g/k)
Referee: Mr M.Rawcliffe.
Attendance: 247
Tuesday night’s unavoidable postponed league match against Burscough looks to have assisted the injury battle scarred ‘Dabbers’ after they were able to field a stronger line up than was thought possible after Thursday’s training session and although there were players in the line up that were far from match fit Nantwich managed to see off Burscough and progress to the 2nd qualifying round of the FA Cup and bank £3,000 in the process.
Nantwich were first to show when LEE McANULTY’S ball out of defence in the first reached DAVE WHITTAKER whose first time cross into the box missed the waiting MICHAEL LENNON by a whisker. On five minutes LENNON sent in a cross into the box for the waiting KYLE BLAKE who responded with a downward header that was hacked off the line by a defender with Burscough ‘keeper SEAN LAKE beaten.
GOAL: Nantwich pressure told in the 7th minute when WHITTAKER powered a downward header past LAKE from a DAVE TICKLE centre.
Nantwich could have gone further ahead in the 11th minute when JAKE SEDGEMORE’S wicked in swinging ball from a corner narrowly avoided McANULTY at the far post. Meanwhile, at the other end DARREN BYERS cut back from the bye line after evading a challenge from McANULTY was held at the near post by BEN CHAPMAN.
On 20 minutes LAKE was rather fortunate not to put into his own net from a SEDGEMORE free kick after his one handed save came back off the inside of a post. Nantwich had dominated from the start but despite keeping Burscough on the back foot for long periods were guilty of producing stray passes at vital times. On 23 minutes LENNON miscued from 8 yards followed by ASHLEY CARTER whose finish from 15 yards sailed well wide of the far post with no defender in sight.
GOAL: WHITTAKER notched his second of the tie when his glancing header from TICKLE’S corner sailed across the front of LAKE into the top far corner of the net.
Burscough produced little in the way of chances up until the 38th minute when winger SHAUN JUDGE placed a header across the front of CHAPMAN but there was no Burscough player on hand to follow up what amounted to a golden opportunity for the ‘Linnets’. However, a minute later GARY McEVATT carved out an opportunity but his low drive from inside the area was held by CHAPMAN on his line before JUDGE produced a snap shot from a DARREN BYERS free kick that CHAPMAN just managed to hold whilst at the other end LENNON twisted and turned around his marker before playing in CARTER who missed the target by inches with open goal yawning.
HT: Nantwich Town 2 v Burscough 0
Burscough started the second half with greater purpose and on 49 minutes JUDGE had an opportunity but blazed his effort wide. At the other end CARTER looked to have stretched the home side’s lead before striking the side netting from the edge of the 6 yard area and from the goal kick TICKLE put in a brave clearance when he hooked the ball clear from the feet of BYERS whilst DARREN TINSON’S put in a timely clearance to deny McEVATT. For Nantwich MICHAEL CARR tested LAKE with a bullet strike that momentarily caused the half fit midfielder to pull up sharply before getting back on his feet.
On 56 minutes a Burscough free kick came back off the wall and moments later had an opportunity through McEVATT at a time when the ‘Linnets’ were again enjoying the better of possession.
GOAL: Nantwich went further ahead in the 60th minute– this time through LENNON thanks to McANULTY’S persistence deep over on the Burscough left – the Nantwich right back teeing up LENNON after seeing off his marker allowing LENNON to fire across LAKE into the top far corner of the net from 8 yards.
Both sides range changes in the latter part of the tie and in the 70th minute substitute ‘Dabbers’ striker SAM ASPINWALL’S terrific burst of pace took him past SHAUN HOLDEN before bringing a super save out of LAKE on his line. At the other end BYERS missed open goal from a JORDAN SMETHHURST pass with Nantwich wide open in defence before SMETHURST himself disappointed when he too missed the target when well placed.
GOAL: Nantwich effectively put the tie beyond the reach of their visitors when BLAKE produced a blistering strike in the 80th minute from an ASPINWALL pass whilst ASPINWALL then went close with a shot that crept over the bar from 12 yards out.
In added time LAKE just managed to smother BLAKE’S close range effort with CARTER lurking at the far post whilst at the other end CHAPMAN punched clear a BYERS close range effort.

FT: Nantwich Town 4 v Burscough 0

Match report written by Ashley Houghton