Home woes continue for Dabbers (From Crewe Guardian)

Home woes continue for Dabbers

11:55am Thursday 16th April 2009

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Nantwich Town 0 Ilkeston Town 1

IT is now 355 minutes since Nantwich scored a goal at The Weaver Stadium as they extended their wretched home run to four games without a win on Wednesday night.

A Ben Pringle goal extended Ilkeston Town’s unbeaten run to 25 games, as the Dabbers slipped to fifth in the Unibond Premier Division, the final play-off spot.

Nantwich began brightly, Charlie O’Loughlin going close with a header that agonizingly crept over the bar from Rob Hawthorne’s corner.

But Ilkeston responded through on-loan Rotherham United striker Marc Newsham, whose low shot from close range was hacked away by Dabbers central defender Darren Tinson a mere three yards from the goal line.

On 14 minutes, Ilkeston keeper Chris Adamson failed to gather Michael Lennon’s dangerous effort but the ball fell kindly to an Ilkeston defender who launched a swift counter-attack.

The Dabbers were caught cold as Sam Duncum delivered an angled pass to the far post, which deflected off Tinson into the path of Pringle. The midfielder made no mistake, smashing the ball into the back of the net to give the visitors a slightly fortuitous lead.

Despite the setback Nantwich worked hard to try and level the score but had to combat a side that looked dangerous almost every time they broke.

On 20 minutes Newsham threatened with a header from close range, while four minutes later, Pringle’s shot from distance forced Nantwich ‘keeper Lee Jones to palm away at the expense of a corner.

Meanwhile, Nantwich were making hard work of it, taking until the 27th minute before they strung three consecutive passes together, although a well-taken Hawthorne free kick just past the half-hour was just about palmed away by the stretching Adamson.

It was a rare moment for the home side and they had Rodney Jack to thank a minute later, the diminutive forward nipping the ball away in the nick of time as Anthony Church lined up a shot inside the six-yard box.

Ilkeston continued to press and, in the 34th minute, the lively Newsham collected a Morgan-Smith pass before firing wide of goal.

Nantwich suffered a blow when they lost Gibson to injury two minutes before the break but midfielder Glyn Blackhurst went close in injury time with an angled header from a Carter cross.

Two minutes into the second half, Jones did well to deny Pringle after the former Newcastle United trainee let fly from distance with a rising shot.

At the other end, Carter played a super crossfield ball into the path of Lennon, the Dabbers’ top scorer seeing his first effort blocked before flashing his second across the face of goal.

Ilkeston hit back and Jones came to the rescue, claiming Duncum’s dangerous ball across the six-yard box.

As Nantwich tried in vain to find an equaliser, Dave Whittaker’s fiercely driven free kick flashing just wide of the right hand post.

But the visitors went close again when Jones to pulled off a one-handed save almost at the foot of his right hand post from Danny Sleath’s effort.

Nantwich head coach Steve Davis said: “We lacked both quality and ideas with Ilkeston sharper both mentally and physically.

“To be fair to the lads, they worked hard throughout the match but on the whole were second best to a side that looked considerably fresher than us.

“It is bitterly disappointing to have come this far and then to undergo such a massive dip in form but we will battle to the end in our final three games with a play-off place not totally out of the question.”

Nantwich: Jones, Hawthorne (Whittaker 59), Beeston, Tinson, O’Loughlin, Parkinson, Blackhurst, MacPherson, Jack (Walker 75), Lennon, Gibson (Carter 43). Subs not used: Kinsey, Griggs.

Attendance: 537.

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