By Lewie Tilley
The Dabbers were denied their first win of the season after a stunning second-half comeback with an equaliser in the last minute.
Luke Goddard made one change from the draw with Chasetown, bringing in Byron Moore for Iwan Roberts, who drops to the bench for this game.
The hosts were picking up good momentum after winning their first FA Cup 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 inswinging 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 as he took aim from distance, but his speculative effort whistled over the bar with Mersin almost called to action.
It took fourteen 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 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, the Goddard’s men had four minutes of additional time to hold on, but it was former Dabber, Adam Rooney, who stole it 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, who finished superbly, volleying the ball under the onrushing Mersin to draw the scores level with less than a minute to play.
The Dabbers’ next fixture will see them make the long trip to the Mortgages for You Stadium to take on Boston Town in the FA Trophy on Saturday 29th August at 3pm before the Swansway Stadium welcomes Witton Albion two days later.
Featured image by Lewie Tilley
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