Match Report
Nantwich Town ended their pre-season with a 2-0 defeat at home to Sutton Coldfield Town.
With Sutton Coldfield playing in the NPL Midlands, the same tier as the Dabbers, this was earmarked as the most representative of the pre-season fixtures, and the initial pace of the game played up to this assertion.
The Dabbers keeper, the same trialist who has played throughout pre-season (Yusuf Mersin), made a simple enough save in the first 10 minutes.
A frenetic 30 seconds saw a Dabbers header cleared off the line at one end, before Sutton Coldfield broke at pace and a ball played across drew a superb save from the big Nantwich keeper from a clear shot at goal.
A few half chances came and went for both sides but it remained goalless at the break.
There was a sense of sloppiness about some of Nantwich’s play, and this was noted and pounced upon by Sutton Coldfield right at the start of the second half.
Less than 30 seconds in, a square pass across the defence was intercepted, James McGrady was played in and slotted it under the Nantwich keeper (pictured).
The Dabbers’ best move followed shortly after; a smart sequence of passes ended with Ethan Hartshorn having a shot well blocked.
But that pervading feeling of a Nantwich off day was persisting, and Luke Goddard readied half a dozen changes for the hour mark. The squad in this game was 22 strong, by far the highest of the summer, albeit with a few trialists in there. Only Troy Bourne was missing with a minor injury.
But right before those changes were made Sutton Coldfield went 2-0 up. Again it came from a Nantwich player getting dispossessed; however after that it was all quality as Kory Berk took a touch and fired it into the top corner. The Dabbers will be unlucky if they concede a better finish than that all season long.
That punctured the mood for certain and after that there was little of note other than sub Iwan Roberts bringing a decent save from the Sutton Coldfield keeper.
A bad time for Nantwich to put in their poorest showing of the summer, but 4 wins from 7 games and the gelling of a number of new faces has been the most important thing to come from it.
Nantwich: Yusuf Mersin, Trialist, Aidy Roxburgh, Joe Davis, Harry Davis, Perry Bircumshaw, Joel Connolly (C), Liam Fitzpatrick, Ethan Hartshorn, Joe Piggott, Bruno Cina
Subs: Trialist x2, James Baillie, Paddy Kennedy, Joe Collins, Fenton Green, Byron Moore, Callum Saunders, Mason McKay, Iwan Roberts, Ollie Pope
Attendance: 192
Match report written by Liam Price (www.nantwichtownfc.co.uk)
