By Ashley Houghton
Nantwich Town exited the Carlsberg FA Trophy on penalties after they matched AFC Fylde at the Weaver Stadium.
It was tough on the Dabbers after two fine encounters in four days.
After Saturday’s 0-0 draw in Lancashire, the replay lived up to expectations as the sides battled out 2-2 draw after extra-time, forcing the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
And Nantwich players were the first buckle as Christian Smith, Sean Cooke and Niall Maguire all missed spot-kicks.
Earlier in the game Nantwich had twice pulled back from a goal down as a scorcher from Chris Flynn cancelled out James Dean’s opener before Caspar Hughes levelled ten minutes from time when Adam Farrall thought he had won it for The Coasters.
Jimmy Quinn made one change to the side that drew 0-0 at Kellamergh Park on Saturday as the suspended Fraser McLachlan was replaced by Darren Moss.
It was a tight affair throughout and neither side managed to take a grip of the game in the early stages as it took 24 minutes for a shot on target when Michael Barnes forced a save from Jon Brain.
Lewis Short had the Dabbers best chance of the first-half as he smashed wide from 20 yards after some good build-up.
Fylde took the lead five minutes into the second-half as Dean challenged for a cross with Brain and managed to force the ball over the line from six yards.
It brought the game to life and Nantwich pressed for an equaliser, with Cooke and Hughes both going close.
Flynn grabbed the equaliser on the hour mark. The ex-Crewe Alexandra man found space 30 yards from goal before unleashing a beautiful strike into the bottom right-hand corner of Ben Hinchliffe’s goal.
Kyle Wilson then missed a chance minutes later as he volleyed Flynn’s cross over from six yards.
The Coasters regained the lead in the 70th minute. Nantwich struggled to clear their lines and Farrall headed Adam Sumner’s cross into the top corner.
But once again the hosts fought back, and after sustained pressure on the Fylde goal, found the equaliser when Hughes placed Mat Bailey’s flick-on into the corner.
A smart save from Brain in stoppage-time kept the tie level and sent the replay into extra-time.
There were few clear cut opportunities in extra-time but both Cooke and Fylde’s Paul Jarvis fired just wide in the final minutes.
In the shoot-out, Wilson and Fylde’s Adam Carden scored their penalties, before Smith crashed his against the bar for Nantwich.
Sumner and Dean converted for Fylde after Cooke and Maguire missed for the weary Dabbers.
Nantwich: Brain, Flynn, Moss, Hughes (Maguire, 102), Bailey ©, McDonald, Cooke, Smith, Lane (Campbell, 105), Wilson, Short (Foster, 102). Subs: Brehaut, Corbett.
(All pictures courtesy of Simon J Newbury Photography)
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