Match Preview proudly sponsored by Northumbria Print
Date: Saturday 5th October 2019
Venue: The Weaver Stadium, Waterlode, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5BS
Kick Off: 3pm
Competition: Emirates FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
Highlights: Highwaymen TV
Morpeth travel to league rivals Nantwich Town looking to progress to the final qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
History
Founded in 1884, Nantwich has a long and proud football tradition. Early years were spent playing friendly and cup matches but in 1891 the club joined the Shropshire & District League, finishing as runners-up in the first season.
Nantwich moved into the stronger Combination the following season and on 15 October 1892 hosted Liverpool in the Merseysiders’ first ever FA Cup match (Liverpool won 4–0). Before the First World War, Nantwich also had spells in a variety of leagues including the North Staffs & District, the Crewe & District, Manchester and Lancashire Combination leagues.
In those early years, the club were honoured to have A.N. Hornby as President. Hornby captained England at rugby and cricket and, as well as being President, turned out for the club on a number of occasions.
After the war, the club became founder members of the Cheshire County League in which they were perennial strugglers, though they did finish 6th in 1921–22. The season before, a record home attendance of 5,121 watched the Dabbers play Winsford United in the Cheshire Senior Cup at their temporary home at Kingsley Fields. Ironically, this is the location where the club is now looking to build a new modern stadium and move to for the 2005–06 season.
Success, though, came in the Cheshire Senior Cup in 1933 when the Dabbers lifted the trophy after beating ICI (Alkali) at the Drill Field, Northwich in front of 8,000 fans. After the Second World War, the Dabbers joined the newly founded Mid Cheshire League and in 1952, the club entered the inaugural FA Youth Cup competition. Drawn against Manchester United in the second round, the young Dabbers crashed 23–0 on a November evening at the Cliff training ground to a United youth line up including names such as Duncan Edwards, David Pegg, Albert Scanlon and Ron Cope (who joined Nantwich in the twilight of his career).
However, the mid-1960s saw considerable success and in the 1963–64 season the club completed a treble, winning the Mid Cheshire League, League Cup and Cheshire Amateur Cup under manager Alan Ball (senior).
Nantwich rejoined the Cheshire League in 1968 and in 1976 the Dabbers beat NPL champions Runcorn 5–4 in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final at Gresty Road in front of 2237. Five years later in May 1981 a crowd of 1078 saw Nantwich clinch the Cheshire League by beating eventual runners up Hyde United in the penultimate game of the season 2–1.
1982 saw Nantwich become founder members of the North West Counties League. Unfortunately Nantwich had the unenviable honour of finishing bottom and were relegated to Division 2 where the club remained (except for one season in Division 3 in 1986) until 1989 when the Dabbers were promoted to Division One. Since then, Town have maintained consistent mid-table form. The one exception was in 1993–94 season when they finished in their highest ever NWCFL placing of fourth. However the honours were to come on the cup front in 1994–95 when Nantwich defeated Trafford 1–0 in the League Cup Final on a memorable April evening at Gigg Lane Bury. This success atoned for the disappointment in 1993 when at the same venue Nantwich lost 2–1 to Burscough in another tight final. Ex-Stoke City player Nigel Gleghorn was appointed Manager in November 2001 and he helped steer Nantwich to a top six finish in 2003, when the club also attained the prestigious FA Charter Standard Community Club award.
The 2017/18 season saw Nantwich get to the 1st round of the FA cup for only the 2nd time in their history. They beat City of Liverpool FC 2–1, Shepshed Dynamo 1–0, Nuneaton Town 3–1 and Kettering Town 1–0 in a replay. They lost 5–0 in the first round to Stevenage F.C.
After a 16th place finish in the League, Nantwich moved on to their second consecutive Cheshire Senior Cup final, where they picked up a 3–0 victory against Stockport Town to claim their fifth Senior Cup.
Nantwich finished fourth in the Northern Premier League table in the 2018/19 seasib, their second-highest finish in the league, and missed out on promotion after suffering defeat to Warrington Town in the play-off semi-final. They also claimed their second consecutive Cheshire Senior Cup, beating North-West Counties Football League outfit Cammell Laird in the final 5-2. The run saw them claim scalps of three higher-division sides, with wins at Gresty Road against Crewe Alexandra, and at home against Chester FC and Stockport County.
Striker Joe Malkin won the league’s Young Player of the Year award, while Sean Cooke was voted into the league’s Team of the Season. Manager Dave Cooke also grabbed national headlines in January by bringing in former Premier League and Stoke City striker Ricardo Fuller to the club.
Last Match
Nantwich were in action on Tuesday evening and came from behind to defeat Matlock Town 3-1. Jordan Sinnott put the Gladiators ahead at the interval but Joe Malkin grabbed a brace and the points were sealed through Caspar Hughes.
Morpeth were without a midweek game so their last action was on Saturday with their 1-1 draw with Stafford Rangers. Wayne Phillips’ effort on the stroke of half time cancelled out an early strike from Josepth Berks.
Manager
Dave Cooke: Dave took over as manager in May 2017. Previously part of the management team at Northwich Victoria and Shrewsbury Town, he has a wealth of knowledge. Into his third season with the Dabbers, he has guided the club to the FA Cup 1st Round and the semi-finals of the play-offs.
