Nantwich Town Women’s impressive run in the CWYFL Challenge Cup came to an end with a narrow 3-2 defeat by Altrincham FC Women, writes Jonathan White.
The game was played in front of a lively home crowd but saw Altrincham take the lead on the half-hour mark.
The Dabbers responded just before the break through Levi Lander to make it 1-1 going into half-time.
But the visitors regained the lead in the 58th minute, and capitalised on a defensive lapse to make it 3-1 just nine minutes later.
Nantwich refused to go down without a fight, and Poppy Smith pulled one back in the 83rd minute to set up a tense finish.
Despite some spirited attacking in the final minutes, the Dabbers could not find the equaliser and bowed out of the competition at the semi-final stage.
Dan Mellor’s side have enjoyed a remarkable season despite this cup loss.
They secured the Cheshire Women’s & Youth Football League Premier Division title, as well as making headlines with a strong Women’s FA Cup campaign.
Mellor said: “It’s disappointing to exit at this stage however it’s been such a long season and injuries caught up with us.
“We were already missing five players and then we lost Alicia and Teagan within the first 15 minutes and it disrupted us massively.
“Saying that, we were the better team in the first half, I felt we passed the ball through the thirds really well, we just lacked that cutting edge and didn’t really create as many chances as we’d have liked.
“Second half we started well for five minutes but then seemed to lose energy and we couldn’t rotate like we’d normally do, there were a few players running on empty and we were punished as Altrincham pounced and punished individual mistakes at the back.
“It’s important we don’t dwell too much, we’ve secured the league title and that was the number one aim for the season, adding to a fantastic FA Cup run, I can’t ask for any more from the girls, they’ve been fantastic.”
The Dabbers will close out their league season at home on Sunday 27th April, hosting AFC Crewe Women.
Kick-off is at 2pm, with the Premier Division trophy presentation to follow the final whistle.
The club is already preparing for the 2025/26 campaign and is now recruiting new players.
Trials will be held on Wednesday 14th May and Wednesday 21st May, from 7–9pm.
Interested players can register here: https://tinyurl.com/2bdp9jzn
For updates and news, follow the team on Facebook facebook.com/NTFCLadies
(pics by Peter Robinson)
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