Sport Slender hope, but damage was done
Nantwich Town 5
Goole AFC 1
For fifteen minutes of this, the final day of the UniBond League regular season at Nantwich Town on Saturday, Goole AFC were actually in the play-off shake up.
They led in front of the season's largest attendance in Division One South - 927 - courtesy of a close-range goal from Chris Jenkinson, but once the home side had equalised, Nigel Danby's battle-weary, injury-hit team had no answer to a second-half onslaught, and it would have all been irrelevant in any case as Grantham turned around a half-time deficit against Kidsgrove to clinch a semi-final place, ironically at Nantwich on Tuesday night.
The fact that Goole led at all was a miracle, considering they lost Danny Buttle, Andrew Jackson and Mike Norbury to injury and illness, this on top of their other injured players, and both Karl Rose and Craig Robinson played through the pain barrier.
Nantwich, once in their stride, looked the potent threat they had been in defeat at the VPG back in January, only this time they took their chances, too, and as well as scoring five times, hit the woodwork three times.
Of course the Vikings had thrown away any realistic chance of the play-offs, and possible promotion with four defeats in their previous six games prior to Saturday, but the marvellous facilities at the Cheshire side's new ground, pitch apart of which half resembled Blackpool beach, did inspire the makeshift team in the opening quarter.
True they had a charmed life on one or two occasions in defence, but had three efforts from Brad Hill not cleared the bar by inches, and had Lee Jones not been alert to deny Steve Rollinson and Karl Rose, the Vikings could have been three or four goals to the good.
However, the pace on the left against a half fit, if willing Robinson, was always an avenue for Nantwich to get back in the game, and after Kinsey had contrived to miss twice from inside the penalty area, Ashley Carter restored parity on 27 minutes and the slim chance of an extension to the campaign had gone.
And the second half was a long 45 minutes for the Vikings, whose heads visibly dropped after Carter made it two early in the period, soon followed by a third from Glyn Blackhurst.
It took the Vikings twenty minutes to see sight of the home goal, a snap shot from Hill saved by Jones, by which time Nantwich had hit the post twice, the inside of as well to be truthful, and how the ball did not go in is anyone's guess.
With fresh legs introduced as well, Goole suffered further in the closing ten minutes with substitute Dave Walker on hand to grab a brace as the Dabbers contemplated a play-off clash with Grantham, and by the way they played their football on a horrible surface, one can expect they may well join Cammell Laird in the Premier Division next season.
NB: Nantwich indeed reached the final with a 2-1 win over Grantham on Tuesday, where they met Sheffield.
Published on 1st May 2008 in Sport.
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