Nantwich Town 2
AFC Fylde 2 (1-3 on pens.)
FA Trophy (2nd Round Qualifying replay)

Match Report

Nantwich Town 2-2 AFC Fylde (after extra time)
AFC Fylde win 3-1 on penalties
FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round replay – Tuesday 30th October 2012
Nantwich Town exited the Carlsberg FA Trophy on penalties after they matched AFC Fylde for 120 minutes at the Weaver Stadium.
After Saturday’s 0-0 draw in Lancashire tonight’s replay lived up to expectations and a 2-2 draw after extra-time forced penalties.
The Dabbers lost 3-1 on penalties as Christian Smith, Sean Cooke and Niall Maguire all missed spot-kicks.
Earlier in the game Nantwich had twice pulled back from a goal down as a scorcher from Chris Flynn cancelled out James Dean’s opener before Caspar Hughes levelled ten minutes from time when Adam Farrall thought he had won it for The Coasters.
Jimmy Quinn made one change to the side that drew 0-0 at Kellamergh Park on Saturday as the suspended Fraser McLachlan was replaced by Darren Moss.
It was a tight affair throughout and neither side managed to take a grip of the game in the early stages as it took 24 minutes for a shot on target when Michael Barnes forced a save from Jon Brain.
Lewis Short had The Dabbers best chance of the first-half as he smashed wide from 20 yards after some good Nantwich build-up.
Fylde took the lead five minutes into the second-half as Dean challenged for a cross with Brain and managed to force the ball over the line from six-yards.
Nantwich immediately pressed for an equaliser and the opening goal really brought the game into life with Cooke and Hughes both going close.
Flynn grabbed the equaliser just on the hour mark as The Dabbers continued pressure was rewarded. The ex-Crewe Alexandra man found space 30-yards from goal before unleashing a beautiful strike into the bottom right-hand corner of Ben Hinchliffe’s goal.
Kyle Wilson then missed a golden opportunity minutes later as he volleyed Flynn’s cross over from six yards.
The Coasters regained the lead in the 70th minute as Nantwich struggled to clear their lines Farrall headed Adam Sumner’s cross into the top corner.
The Dabbers showed great character though and, after sustained pressure on the Fylde goal, found the equaliser when Hughes placed Mat Bailey’s flick-on into the corner.
A smart save from Brain in stoppage-time kept the tie level and sent the replay into extra-time.
As both sides tired there were very little clear cut opportunities in stoppage-time but both Cooke and Fylde’s Paul Jarvis fired just wide in the final minutes.
With the game sent to spot-kicks and both sides completely drained the result was always going to be a test of nerve. Both Wilson and Adam Carden scored their penalties before Smith crashed his penalty against the bar for Nantwich. Sumner and Dean converted for Fylde after Cooke and Maguire for The Dabbers.
All in all a shame there had to be a winner as two evenly matched sides battled out a cracking contest.
Nantwich: Brain, Flynn, Moss, Hughes (Maguire, 102), Bailey ©, McDonald, Cooke, Smith, Lane (Campbell, 105), Wilson, Short (Foster, 102). Subs: Brehaut, Corbett.

Match report written by Ashley Houghton