Nantwich Town earned a respectable point from an entertaining 1-1 draw with high-flying Matlock Town at the Proctor Cars Stadium, writes Liam Price.
James Plant was full of running from the start for the Dabbers, getting a cross in from the byline that just missed Nantwich debutant Curtis Morrison.
Perry Bircumshaw then put his body on the line, sliding in brilliantly to deny Callum Chippendale the chance to shoot.
Manager Ritchie Sutton wasn’t satisfied with the first half performance, but the Dabbers did have moments.
Matt Bell, playing in a more advanced midfield position, was getting some joy between the lines and combined well with Plant again, flashing a shot across the face of goal from a narrow angle.
Matlock’s best chance of the half fell to their danger man Alex Wiles, who had already got six goals this season.
A deep cross fell for him and he half volleyed over the bar, he should really have got it on target.
The Dabbers then had their best opening.
Plant was on corner duty and whipped in a great one which was met by Joel Stair, whose header dropped just wide with keeper James Pollard struggling to get there.
As the half looked to be petering out, Nantwich got a golden chance to take the lead.
A move down that left side again saw a Plant cross headed powerfully towards goal by Jamie Menagh, with Pollard making a remarkable diving save to keep it out.
But as the ball span away, Morrison was onto it and drew a silly foul to win the Dabbers a penalty in stoppage time.
Menagh stepped up and struck it powerfully into the top corner for his first Nantwich goal. Pollard got something on it but not enough to stop the Dabbers taking a lead into the second half.
As you’d expect, Matlock came out swinging at the start of the half, and Sutton bemoaned the Dabbers not being ready for this for Matlock’s equaliser.
A free kick from the left was headed in by Reece Kendall. Louis Gray had no chance and the team with the best home record in the league were believing again.
They almost turned the game completely on its head a minute later.
Gray had got down well to make a save, then the rebound was hit inexplicably against Gray by Wiles, and the ball looped over for a corner.
The Nantwich keeper knew very little about it and the Dabbers should have been behind.
Gray was soon called upon again, another free kick from wide was deflected off a Dabbers leg and Louis’ point blank reactions turned it away for a corner.
Loanee Jack Williams was subbed on and brought some extra energy to the Dabbers’ attack, his cut inside and cross was just over the head of our other debutant, Chris Sang.
A game which ultimately could have gone either way was almost won by the Dabbers late on.
Sang had been waiting for an opening for himself up front all game, and he finally got it when getting the wrong side of his Matlock marker and bearing down on goal.
From a narrowing angle though, he could only hit the side netting, and that was that in terms of action, a deserved point at a very tough place to come for the Dabbers.
(Photos by Dan Westwell)
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