Nantwich secured their biggest league win of the season with a 4-0 victory over Trafford at the Swansway Stadium, writes Liam Price.
New signings Ben Garratt and Tom Pratt came straight into the starting 11 after joining in midweek, and there was a first start for Southport loanee Finlay Heath.
It was Heath who had the first effort of the game, firing over after two minutes.
Pratt also got his eye in early with an attempt that went over the bar with him leaning back.
Nantwich started strongly and struck early with Kai Evans opening the scoring with a brilliant curling effort that went in off the bar.
Perry Bircumshaw bundled in the rebound but by that point the assistant had already signalled that it was in.
Two minutes later, Byron Harrison poked in to double the lead and leave Trafford reeling.
Harrison had the initial effort which was saved but he reacted quickest to knock in the rebound among some statuesque defending.
Then just five minutes after that it was 3-0.
Evans was slid in behind by Pratt and finished unerringly into the far corner to almost have the game wrapped up inside 15 minutes.
Three goals in seven minutes, 12 for the season for Kai and a brilliant hat-trick of assists on his first appearance for Pratt.
Evans almost completed a stunning hat-trick inside 20 minutes, another curler that Booth this time was able to tip over the bar.
Harrison then steered a header narrowly wide as Trafford were finding themselves in danger of being embarrassed with the ease that Nantwich were opening them up.
An offside flag saved them as Harrison tapped in.
Trafford finally managed to get some kind of a foothold in the game, firing over and Tom Beckett bringing the first save from Garratt.
Their captain Harry Norris should have scored with a header from a corner but planted it wide.
Evans was played in behind by Bircumshaw after he won the ball high up, only a last ditch challenge stopped him potentially testing Booth again.
In the second half, the Trafford coaching staff gave the team 10 minutes to try and show a better version of themselves, but still unimpressed made a rarely seen triple substitution, which did seem to help things.
One of the subs Jerome Wright saw a shot saved but was flagged offside.
Kai Evans was shooting from every possible angle, two in a minute that were saved by Booth and another off target.
Beckett was the bright spark for the visitors and forced Garratt into a more serious save past the hour mark which went for a corner.
Evans must have racked up the highest number of shots from a Nantwich player in a single league game this season, a fantastic save from Booth meaning he still hadn’t claimed that match ball, but did go on to claim Player of the Match.
Mike Burke’s free kick also brought a decent save from Garratt in his first appearance in non-league for 11 years, sandwiched by just the 300 or so EFL appearances between that.
Garratt was beaten by a Beckett shot that hit the bar via a slight deflection.
Then into the last 10 minutes, Nantwich raised their level again, with Harrison knocking the ball round Booth.
But a heavy touch meant he couldn’t really get a clean shot away with Trafford defenders retreating onto their goal line.
But there was still time for Harrison to get his second and Nantwich’s fourth.
In the 82nd minute he tapped in after the ball was put on a plate for him by a Callum Saunders pull back. That’s 14 for the season now for Harrison.
Evans tried once more to get that third goal, seeing a shot blocked when a pass would have been probably a better option.
Eddie Servuts, on paper the biggest threat for Trafford, didn’t have a shot on target until the 93rd minute, easily claimed by Garratt to round off a dominant day and keep the excellent home form going.
The next home game for Nantwich is against Mossley on Saturday 23rd March.
(Pic courtesy of Nantwich Town FC)
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