Nantwich Town 3
Northwich Victoria 7 (AET)
Northern Premier League Cup (3rd Round)

Match Report

NANTWICH TOWN 3 NORTHWICH VICTORIA 7 (aet)
Evo-Stik League Cup 3rd Round – 11 January 2011
ANDY Preece will remember his 100th match in charge at Northwich for a long time.
His players, without hope when they trailed 2-0 after an hour, scored five goals in 23 minutes during extra time to win a crazy cup contest.
Nobody, not least Nantwich, could have predicted their recovery.
Except perhaps Ollie Ryan.
Vics’ top scorer helped himself to a hat-trick – his second against the Dabbers in knockout competitions and a third in total this term – in a fine cameo.
A leveller deep into stoppage time turned the tie in his team’s favour.
Victory for the visitors should have been achieved in normal time, but instead it was Nantwich who took a two-goals lead after scoring twice in the second half’s opening exchanges.
However they came into this encounter without a clean sheet since October 5, so a Vics’ recovery remained a possibility.
So it proved.
Dave Whittaker, fortunate to be on the field after felling Wayne Riley when he raced clear on goal before half time, inflicted maximum misery when he thumped in a loose ball on 47 minutes.
At the other end Mark Peers slammed his spot kick against the bar – Vics’ second penalty blunder of the week following Saturday’s miss against FC Halifax Town – after the makeshift defender had again tripped Riley.
So when Michael Lennon drilled a penalty through James Spencer soon afterwards the visitors appeared to have lost their way.
And with it the tie.
Debutant Cameron Mitchell teed up Nathan Southern on 70 minutes, only for custodian Spencer to block at his near post.
John McAliskey then fluffed a chance from close range that seemed easier to score after Riley had skipped into space down the left.
Vics halved their arrears with a quarter hour left, David Fitzpatrick blasting in via Whittaker after McAliskey had shuffled smartly past Matt Herd.
Preece threw on Ryan to complete the rescue, a feat he achieved in the third minute of injury time when he steered in Fitzpatrick’s cross after fellow replacement Neil Sorvel had spotted the winger’s run.
Nantwich scored first in extra time when Whittaker leapt higher than substitute Matthew Brown to smuggle a header past Spencer.
But the Dabbers’ second lead did not last.
Ryan prodded in after keeper Adam Allcock spilled Riley’s driven cross, then Ryan Smith’s rising shot grazed the crossbar at the other end.
Warning heeded, Vics then floored their neighbours in a cup contest for the second time in a month.
Allcock diverted Ryan’s shot onto the woodwork after he raced onto Riley’s pass but, from the visitors’ next attack, Fitzpatrick flashed a shot past the keeper to put his team ahead for the first time.
They did not look back.
Ryan turned provider for Riley who scampered clear before steering in a smart finish, then teenage debutant Tunji Agbaje clipped in a cross that Ryan volleyed home.
And Agbaje, who turned 17 on Sunday, treated himself to Vics’ seventh goal after a defender deflected the ball into his path.
Nantwich Allcock, Hedley, Foster, Whittaker, Aaron Carter (Smith 66), Mitchell, Mahmoud, Street (Herd 54), Southern, Lennon, Short (Sedgemore 70).
Subs not used Aspinwall, Lane
Goal Whittaker 47, 94 Lennon 56 (penalty)
Booked Whittaker, Southern (both fouls), Mahmoud (kicking the ball away)

Match report written by Andy Simpson (Northwich Guardian)