Nantwich Town scored with the last kick of the game to claim a 4-3 win over Hednesford Town at The Swansway Stadium on Easter Monday, writes Liam Price.
Defender Troy Bourne (pictured) was able to turn the ball home from a corner in the dying seconds to snatch victory.
The Dabbers made three changes from Friday’s game. Timi Sobowale made his first Nantwich start, Sean Lawton made his first start since February, and Jon Moran his first appearance in Nantwich colours since the last game of last season.
Early on, Joel Connolly curled narrowly wide via a deflection or touch from the keeper when there didn’t look much on for him.
A big moment came just 10 or so minutes in when the visitors’ keeper Ryan Brown went down and needed treatment for what looked like a groin injury.
The Pitmen didn’t have a sub keeper so he had to soldier on, albeit not taking goal kicks or kicking out of his hands.
Kai Evans took full advantage of this for the opening goal.
Played in behind by a wonderful long pass by Byron Harrison, he delicately lobbed Brown for a brilliant start.
George Milner had a go from outside the box but a big deflection left Brown watching as it dropped wide.
Then came a remarkable few minutes of football.
On 27 minutes, Troy Bourne headed in the Dabbers’ second from a corner, a low stooping effort that deserved a goal.
Almost exactly from the kick off, Hednesford pulled one back when Tom Thorley tucked it away from close range as the Dabbers were caught cold.
Evans found himself through on goal again but he got the lob wrong this time and it went straight to a surely grateful Brown.
And a minute later the scores were level.
Sean Lawton committed himself down the Hednesford right but got it wrong and Sam McQuilkin swung in a cross that was volleyed brilliantly in by Jake Jervis.
It’s a contender for goal of the season across the entire NPL and capped off a crazy four minutes of play.
Nantwich were reeling and were dealt another blow shortly before half-time with Milner forced off with what looked a nasty muscle injury.
Evans was in a shoot-on-sight mood, hitting a free kick over the bar early in the second half and also seeing a shot blocked on the edge of the box.
The Pitmen were threatening again soon after and an excellent fingertip save from Ben Garratt denied a towering Hednesford header.
A beautiful combination down the right gave the Dabbers back their lead just past the hour mark.
Sobowale burst past his marker and pulled it back for Gio Loureriro, a replacement for Milner, to score his first ever senior goal on his first ever senior appearance with a tidy finish with the outside of his right foot.
Moran lasted 72 minutes on his return and at the same time as Moran’s sub, Hednesford brought on forward Eden Bailey.
And in the very next move after play restarted, he was on the scoresheet, seeing the space open up for him and curling one emphatically into the top corner.
Bailey should have turned the game completely on its head again moments later, planting a header wide that he should have scored from.
More efforts from Evans, one wide and one straight at Brown, were his last action before and he was subbed off for Callum Saunders inside the last 10 minutes.
In stoppage time Hednesford came close from a corner with glancing header which went narrowly wide.
Bourne could only direct a corner straight at Brown, before Player of the Match Connolly hit straight at the keeper.
In the very last seconds of the five added minutes, Nantwich won a final corner and a final chance.
It was whipped in from the right and Bourne met it perfectly to turn it into the far corner and take the roof off the Swansway Stadium with the last kick of an extraordinary match.
The next home game is against Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday April 6 at 3pm.
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