Nantwich Town held on to defeat Mossley 2-1 at the Swansway Stadium and record four straight league wins for the first time in four years, writes Liam Price.
There was just one change to the Dabbers side with Akiel Raffie coming in for Tom Pratt, who has returned to his parent club Guiseley and played the last 20 minutes for them on Saturday in the NPL Premier.
New signing Timi Sobowale was on the bench.
Keaton Mulvey had the first effort of the game which went wide in the first 3 minutes.
It was a very wind-affected game but chances did emerge out of the swirl.
Mossley forward Justin Iwobi had a decent opening after a good cross from the left, but it came off his back rather than his head and spun away from danger.
Byron Harrison was in the wars early on, getting a cut on his head that required multiple bits of treatment to stem the bleeding and change his shirt.
It was stop-start for most of the first half, typified by William Shepherd being forced off injured just after one of Mossley’s better moves of the half.
George Milner then took matters into his own hands and charged through a couple of challenges into the box before firing over, everything up to that point was brilliant.
Alfie Belcher hit a free kick straight at Ben Garratt in the last real opening of the first half.
The game sparked truly into life in the second half.
The scoring was opened on 51 minutes when a dinked cross by Paddy Kay was finished at close range by Nathan Okome for his second goal in three games, after not having scored at all in his Nantwich career.
Finley Madigan did get a touch on the cross but not quite enough to deny Okome.
Nantwich’s lead was doubled 13 minutes later.
A pinpoint long ball from Courtney Meppen-Walters was straight into the path of Perry Bircumshaw.
He set off on a fine run that drew keeper Finley Madigan into no-mans-land and allowed Kai Evans the space to sweep in another goal on his fine run of form.
February’s NTISA Player of the Month is looking well on course to repeat the trick for March.
The Lillywhites flashed a cross across the Nantwich goal almost straight after the kick-off to show they weren’t out of the game yet.
Raffie, in a less familiar number 10 role that manager Paul Carden said afterwards he grew into, zipped a ball across that was begging to be poked in for 3-0 but no-one was there to oblige for the Dabbers.
Mossley were unbeaten in eight coming into this game, and showed spirit to pull a goal back.
Ben Darby did enough to squeeze a low ball past Ben Garratt who tried to claw it out.
Darren Holden didn’t trouble the goal with a long range drive a few minutes later.
Evans also cleared the crossbar with a free kick in the last 10 minutes.
Paddy Kay landed heavily on his back and gingerly came off for Sobowale to make his debut.
Mossley sub Sam Adetiloye had an effort blocked as the minutes ticked away.
The Dabbers held on to move up to eighth in the table ahead of the Easter weekend double header away at Runcorn Linnets (Friday March 29) and home to Hednesford (Monday April 1).
(Images courtesy of Jonathan White)
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