Northwich Victoria 5
Nantwich Town 2
Cheshire Senior Cup (2nd Round)

Match Report

NORTHWICH VICTORIA 5 NANTWICH TOWN 2
Cheshire County FA Senior Cup 2nd Round
Tuesday 14 December 2010
The Dabbers succumbed to the Greens of Northwich in a disappointing display in this Cheshire Senior Cup quarter-final. After a bright start, Nantwich faded badly and the Vics exposed the visitors’ defensive frailities on the wide Victoria Stadium pitch. To compound the misery, Nantwich missed a glut of chances and saw lionheart defender Chris Flynn concede a soft own goal against his former side.
Northwich took the lead on 21 minutes when Ollie Ryan skipped around Nantwich keeper Ben Chapman to score after Fowler had looped an inviting assist into his path. The Dabbers almost levelled matters when Nathan Southern drilled a shot that forced home keeper James Spencer to save smartly.

Then Michael Lennon blazed wide with a clear sight of goal but it was a false dawn and eight minutes before the interval Mark Peers raced onto Fowler’s pass before steering in stylishly.

Former Crewe man Neil Sorvel and debutant Brian Summerskill were controlling matters in the middle of the park and it came as little surprise when the Vics went 3-0 up when Ryan deflected Peers’ free kick into the far corner via a post.

Fowler might have got in on the action himself when David Fitzpatrick swept a pass into his path, but Chapman saved easily after the ex-Bootle man had swept past Flynn.

Woods smuggled the ball off Lennon’s left foot when he shaped to shoot two minutes after the restart, then Flynn flicked a header wide from the resulting corner as Nantwich threatened to make a game of it. Southern scuffed a feeble shot straight at Spencer soon afterwards before Nantwich finally broke through when another former Northwich man, Jake Sedgemore, curled an impressive shot into the top corner from distance.

The fight-back was short-lived though with Flynn meekly heading into his own goal from Fowler’s left wing cross on 75 minutes. The dangerous Lewis Short speared a volley straight at Spencer before substitute Sam Aspinwall smartly skipped around the Vics’ custodian to make it 4-2.

The last word, though, was saved for Man of the Match Ryan, who shrugged off Rodney Jack and fired emphatically past Chapman in added time to complete his hat-trick in added time.

Northwich: Spencer, McArdle, O’Brien (Flowers 32), Woods, Thompson, Peers (Henry 68), Summerskill, Sorvel, Fitzpatrick (Crane 64), Ryan, Fowler. Subs not used: Williams, McAliskey
Nantwich: Chapman, Ashley Carter, Reeves, Flynn, Jack, Blake (Mahmoud 64), Sedgemore, Blackhurst (Carr 72), Short, Lennon, Southern (Aspinwall 64). Subs not used: Tinson, Aaron Carter
Attendance 142

Match report written by Ashley Houghton