Stevenage 5
Nantwich Town 0
FA Cup (1st Round)

Match Report

Nantwich Town were cheered to the rafters as they more than held their own for most of their FA Cup 1st Round defeat away at League Two Stevenage.

But they were ultimately undone by superior set-plays and clinical finishing, toppling out of the competition with a 5-0 defeat.

The scoreline was harsh on the Dabbers who more than matched their opponents three divisions above them for the first hour of the contest.

The hosts took the lead on 15 minutes when Matty Godden nodded home a free-kick for the first of his hat-trick.

Nantwich continued to push for a leveller before the break and created good chances from Sean Cooke and Harry Clayton (pictured) went close.

Early in the second half, again Nantwich posed a real threat to their League Two opponents, and Cooke perhaps had their best opportunity on the hour mark.

Nathan Cotterell beat his man down the flank, fired a low cross in which Cooke blasted narrowly over the top.

It proved a crucial miss, as minutes later Stevenage made it 2-0. This time, a corner was powered home by Jonathan Smith’s header, giving Will Jaaskelainen no chance.

Although Nantwich battled on, their spirit was broken by that goal and Stevenage went on to grab three more in the final 20 minutes.

Smith added a second header, before Godden was put clean through to fire past Jaaskelainen after Jones lost possession for the Dabbers near the halfway line.

Godden completed a hat-trick with a tap-in from close range when Nantwich failed to clear their lines.

Throughout, the Dabbers faithful never stopped cheering on the boys in green who can now put their FA Cup adventures behind them.

Match report written by the Nantwich News