Vauxhall Motors 3
Nantwich Town 3
League (NPL Division 1 West)

Match Report

The Dabbers were denied their first win of the season after a stunning second-half comeback with an equaliser in the last minute by Vauxhall Motors in a 3-3 draw.

Luke Goddard made one change from the draw with Chasetown, bringing in Byron Moore for Iwan Roberts, who dropped to the bench for this game.

The hosts were picking up good momentum after winning their first FA Cup game in 13 years, adding to their most recent league win against Mossley.

It was the home side who opened the scoring early and in quite bizarre fashion. Michael Burkey received the ball out wide and crossed into the box, which looked to be a comfortable catch for Yusuf Mersin.

However, the linesman judged the goalkeeper to have carried the ball over the line while walking backwards, so the Dabbers’ clean sheet was wiped out within seven minutes.

The Vauxhall lead was doubled only ten minutes later when the ball was given away very high up the pitch, allowing Dan Kennedy to strike at goal, hitting the post.

Ste Milne, who scored all three of the goals in their FA Cup win, added to his tally when he reacted first to roll the ball past Mersin, giving the hosts a comfortable lead early on.

The Dabbers slowly grew into the game towards the end of the first half as Ollie Pope, Paddy Kennedy and Moore had chances to halve the deficit going into the break, but just couldn’t test Jack Atkinson in the Vauxhall goal with their efforts going over and wide.

Nantwich’s new signing, Luke Enright, was given his debut off the bench as he replaced Moore at half-time, showing a sign of intent from Goddard to get back into the game.

Although, it was Vauxhall who almost added their third of the game when Burkey’s in-swinging corner almost crept in at the far post, narrowly avoiding the oncoming attackers with Mersin pinned.

It didn’t take long for the Dabbers to find their way back into the game through Aidan Roxburgh, who produced a wonderful solo effort as the lively fullback weaved his way into the box before rifling the ball into the top left corner.

Kennedy almost produced a moment of magic for Vauxhall as he took aim from distance, but his speculative effort whistled over the bar with Mersin almost called to action.

It took 14 minutes for Nantwich to find their equaliser when captain Harry Davis’s bullet header found the bottom corner from a delicious delivery from the right flank by Josh Hancock was converted by the defender.

The momentum was all in the visitors’ favour, and Enright almost made it a debut to remember as Iwan Roberts’ cross was almost turned in by the forward at the back post, but his header was just too tame and was caught by Atkinson.

But just a minute later, the stunning second-half comeback was complete.

Roberts’ brilliant, whipped corner was flicked on at the near post, but it was Davis once again on hand to turn the ball in at the back post, scoring a brace to bring the Dabbers back ahead in this one.

With the so-far elusive first win of the season in their grasp, Goddard’s men had four minutes of additional time to hold on, but it was former Dabber, Adam Rooney, who stole in and equalised right at the death.

Vauxhall’s long ball up the pitch was instinctively poked into the path of the defender, who had become a makeshift forward at this point, and finished superbly, volleying the ball under the onrushing Mersin to draw the scores level with less than a minute to play.

Vauxhall Motors: Jack Atkinson, Ben Dufton-Kelly (Joe Akpan, 80), Jay Ireland, Robert Hopley, Adam Rooney, Haydn Cooper (Pascal Gomez, 90+1), Harry Deakin, Dan Kennedy (Liam Anderson, 80), Ste Milne, Jacson Coppack (C), Michael Burkey (Josh Oultram, 80)
Sub not used: Jake Rogers
Goals: Burkey (7), Milne (19), Rooney (90+4)

Nantwich Town: Yusuf Mersin, Aidy Roxburgh, Liam Fitzpatrick, Joe Piggott, Harry Davis (C), Paddy Kennedy, Ollie Pope (Iwan Roberts, 70), Ethan Hartshorn, Josh Hancock (Joe Davis, 87), Joe Collins (Fenton Green, 76), Byron Moore (Luke Enright, 46)
Sub not used: Mason McKay
Goals: Roxburgh (61), H.Davis (75, 85)

Attendance: 216

PICTURED: Former Dabber Adam Rooney (centre) gets ready to latch onto Josh Outram’s flicked header and drive home Vauxhall’s last minute equaliser.

Match report written by Lewie Tilley (www.nantwichtownfc.co.uk)