Nantwich Town 2
Wellingborough Town 3
FA Trophy (2nd Round Qualifying)

Match Report

Nantwich Town welcomed the NPL Midlands league leaders, Wellingborough Town,
to the Swansway Stadium in the Second Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy.

The day’s visitors saw off their fellow Midlands league opponents, Belper Town,
winning their first-round fixture 2-1 at their home stadium, the Dog & Duck ground.
Luke Goddard’s side saw three players making their first starts for the club, including
new signings Cian O’Shea, Will Smith and Collins Kagame. Perry Bircumshaw
captained the Dabbers on his 150th appearance for the club.

After a quiet first half, it was the visitors who opened the scoring through Danny
Draper, who found space from distance and rifled the ball into the bottom left
corner from 25 yards out.

The Dabbers came agonisingly close to levelling the scoreline minutes before the
break when Adrian Kandeke broke down the right flank and looked to pick out
Josh Hancock for a tap-in. Unfortunately, his cross was just overhit and missed
Hancock at the back post.

Nantwich came closer in the first half as Paddy Kennedy’s header struck the bar
from a corner, before Callum Saunders’ rebound was blocked on the line.
However, it wasn’t long after the break that Nantwich equalised; the Dabbers drew
level in the first minute when Kandeke’s low cross was flicked past Jay Alexander by
one of his own defenders Sam Warburton.

The visitors quickly reinstated their lead through their captain, Jack O’Connor, who
bundled it over the line from close range from a corner after O’Shea misjudged the
flight of the ball, with three Dabbers defenders going for the ball in front of him.
Wellingborough sealed the win through substitute Zayn Hakeem, who found space
in behind the defence and calmly slotted past O’Shea to secure their place in the
next round of the FA Trophy.

Nantwich grabbed a very late goal as Kennedy looped his header over Alexander
to halve the deficit, but it was too little, too late as the final whistle blew quickly
after the restart.

Nantwich Town: Cian O’Shea, AJ Kandeke (Aidy Roxburgh, 72), Perry Bircumshaw
(Joe Collins, 74), Ethan Hartshorn, Tom Graves, Paddy Kennedy, Will Smith, Callum
Saunders, Luke Enright (Bruno Cina, 57), Josh Hancock, Collins Kagame (Ollie Pope,
57)
Sub not used: Joe Piggott
Goals: Warburton (47 own goal), Kennedy (90+6)
Wellingborough Town: Jay Alexander, George Barnell (Charlie Green, 66), Sam
Warburton (Glenn Walker, 79), Rhys Kelly, Jack O’Connor (C), Matty Slinn, George
Ball, Nathan Hicks (Zayn Hakeem, 60), Neo Richard-Noel (Alexander Wilson, 80),
Danny Draper, Kai Fifield
Goals: Draper (37), O’Connor (51), Hakeem (74)
Attendance: 283

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