Nantwich Town F.C.

Coordinates: 53°04′21.83″N 2°31′42.31″W / 53.0727306°N 2.5284194°W / 53.0727306; -2.5284194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Nantwich Town F.C.
Nantwich Town's badge
Full nameNantwich Town Football Club
Nickname(s)The Dabbers
Founded1884; 140 years ago (1884) (as Nantwich F.C.)
GroundSwansway Stadium,
Nantwich
Capacity2,640 (343 seated)
ChairmanJon Gold
ManagerPaul Carden[1]
LeagueNorthern Premier League Division One West
2022–23Northern Premier League Premier Division, 19th of 22 (relegated)
WebsiteClub website

Nantwich Town Football Club is a

semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed The Dabbers, a reference to the town's tanning industry.[2]
They currently compete in and play their home matches at the Weaver Stadium - for sponsorship reasons, also known as the 'Swansway Stadium'.

In 1995, in an FA Cup preliminary-round tie against Droylsden, Andy Locke scored the fastest ever FA Cup hat-trick, in 2 minutes 20 seconds. This record still stands for a hat-trick in any round of the FA Cup, including the preliminary rounds before the First Round. Nantwich have qualified for the FA Cup first round proper three times, in 2011, 2017 and 2019.

Nantwich Town won the FA Vase on 6 May 2006. Two goals from Andy Kinsey and one from Stuart Scheuber produced a 3–1 win over Hillingdon Borough at St Andrew's.

Nantwich followed up their

Northern Premier League Division One South for the 2007–08 season and then gained a second consecutive promotion, to the Northern Premier League
Premier Division.

Nantwich also progressed to the semi-final stage of the

Halifax Town
.


History

1884–2004

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 the first qualifying-round tie 3–0).[3]

Before World War I, Nantwich also had spells in a variety of leagues including the North Staffs & District, the Crewe & District, Manchester and Lancashire Combination leagues.[3] 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 (now the location of the club's current ground). In 1933 the Dabbers won the Cheshire Senior Cup after beating ICI (Alkali) at the Drill Field, Northwich in front of 8,000 fans

In those early years, the club had

rugby
and cricket and, as well as being President, turned out for the club on several occasions.

After

Ron Cope
(who joined Nantwich in the twilight of his career).

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)
. According to former player the late Mike Brookes:

"Mr Ball trained us very hard and taught us techniques that were new to us – or were rusty. He made us think ‘the game’ more. One ploy was when we were attacking – for me as centre forward to mark the centre half out of the game. The other forwards could still use me for the one–two wall pass to break through. I could still spin off the centre forward to join the attack. I did get a few bruises this way! At a corner – the other forwards would move away from the penalty spot, thus taking markers with them. I would be way out on the edge of the penalty box – running in at speed when the corner was taken – hoping the kick (as planned) ended up at head height on the penalty spot. Mr Ball used the fear factor to keep us ‘on the ball’. He would bring along ‘reputation’ players to training or ‘sign them on’ and have them turn up for matches; so we thought we could be dropped and sometimes we were."

Nantwich rejoined the

Runcorn 5–4 in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final at Gresty Road in front of 2237. In May 1981 a crowd of 1078 saw Nantwich clinch the Cheshire League by beating eventual runners-up Hyde United
2–1 in the penultimate game of the season.

In 1982 Nantwich were founder members of the

F.A. Cup preliminary-round tie against Droylsden, Andy Locke scored the fastest ever FA Cup hat-trick, in 2 minutes 20 seconds. This record still stands for a hat-trick in any round of the FA Cup, including the qualifying rounds before the First Round. Ex-Stoke City player Nigel Gleghorn
was appointed manager in November 2001 and helped steer Nantwich to a top six finish in 2003, when the club also attained the FA Charter Standard Community Club award.

The open-top bus on arrival at Nantwich Civic Hall in Market Street. The FA Vase is raised aloft.

Steve Davis era (2004-2009)

Gleghorn left the club in the 2004 close season and former

Steve Davis
was appointed as head coach. Davis, assisted by former Nantwich and Macclesfield striker Peter Hall, proved to be the most successful manager in the club's history. His five years in charge saw two promotions and both FA Vase and County cup glory.

Davis led Nantwich to FA Vase victory in 2005–06 when the Dabbers beat

Cammell Laird
(5–0 in the two-legged semi-final). Andy Kinsey hit two goals in the final, but dislocated his shoulder celebrating the second. Following the victory, the club paraded the Vase in an open-top bus. In the league, Nantwich equalled their highest ever finish (4th), narrowly missing promotion.

In 2006–07 they finished third and secured promotion to the Northern Premier League, amassing 95 points and 108 goals from 42 games. During the season Nantwich recorded their highest post-war league attendance (1,536) against FC United of Manchester. To sign off the home campaign, a crowd of 1,071 saw the last game at the 123-year-old Jackson Avenue ground when Nantwich beat Squires Gate 5–2 on 28 April 2007.[4]

In the 2007–08 season Nantwich Town finished third in the

Hyde United and Northwich Victoria en route to a win in the final on penalties over Conference side Altrincham
after a 3–3 draw.

Nantwich Town play Whitley Bay in 2008

In 2008–09 Nantwich finished third in the table but lost to

Halifax Town 4–1 and Whitley Bay 5–1 before losing to Fleetwood Town 4–3 in the 4th Qualifying round. Stand-out results in the league were 5–0 home and away defeats of Boston United, a 3–0 home win over FC United of Manchester
.

In the 2009 close season Steve Davis left for the assistant manager's job at Crewe to be replaced by his long-time assistant Peter Hall (despite applications from former West Ham United defender Julian Dicks and former Port Vale players Dave Brammer and Dean Glover).

2009 to present day

In the 2009–10 pre-season, the club celebrated its 125th anniversary with a new badge and the release of a book chronicling the history of the club, entitled Proud To Be The Dabbers.[5] The main season was disappointing, with the team languishing towards the bottom of the table, and early exits from the FA Cup, the FA Trophy and Cheshire Senior Cup. The poor form resulted in head coach Peter Hall losing his job in late March; Kevin Street and Darren Tinson took over on a caretaker basis. They delivered an immediate improvement, with five wins and a draw in the next six games. The Dabbers finished 10th.

The 2010–11 season began with several heavy pre-season defeats followed by various league defeats and an FA Cup defeat by lower league Whitley Bay. In October, with Nantwich 21st in the table, they came back from a 6–2 deficit to draw 6–6 with

Mickleover Sports. The comeback sparked a revival in the Dabbers' fortunes, with one defeat in the next 10 games and the managerial duo of Street and Tinson receiving the Manager of the Month award for November. However, on 10 March 2011, after a six-game pointless streak, it was announced that the pair were leaving by mutual consent. Director of football Jimmy Quinn
took charge of first-team affairs.

After saving the club from relegation, he set about improving the squad for the 2011-12 season, bringing in experienced players. Striker Ben Mills, signed from

Nuneaton Town, Nantwich reached the First Round of the FA Cup for the first time. They played Milton Keynes Dons F.C. away, losing 6–0 in front of 4070 fans.[7] In the NPL, Nantwich finished 10th, but also won the Cheshire Senior Cup beating Stalybridge Celtic
in the final.

After an impressive pre-season, and an opening day 5–0 away win over

Matlock Town, hopes were high for Nantwich, but 2012-13 performances declined, and boss Jimmy Quinn was fired in February. Darren Moss took over as a player-manager and Nantwich ended the season 14th. Chorley ended the Dabbers' FA Cup hopes in the 1st qualifying round and AFC Fylde
overcame Nantwich in the FA Trophy.

In 2013–14, managed by Danny Johnson, Nantwich finished 19th, despite not winning any of their last nine games. FA Cup hopes ended in the 1st qualifying round with defeat by

Ramsbottom United
.

In 2015-16, Nantwich enjoyed an FA Trophy run, reaching the semi-final stage. In the 1st qualifying round Nantwich beat

Halifax Town. In front of a record crowd of 2,078 at the Weaver Stadium, Halifax won the first leg 4–2. The second leg at the Shay
ended in a 2–2 draw, giving Halifax Town a 6–4 aggregate victory. The club finished in 8th place in the league, with 75 points. They also scored 94 league goals, the second highest total.

Nantwich finished 5th in the Northern Premier League in 2016-17, qualifying for the play-offs for the first time in eight years. However, a 2–0 defeat to Spennymoor ended promotion hopes. An FA cup run to the 4th qualifying round saw wins over Ashton United, Marine and Halesowen Town but Stourbridge ran out 3–1 winners at the Weaver Stadium. In the Cheshire Senior Cup final, Nantwich lost 3-2 to neighbours Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road. At the end of the season, manager Phil Parkinson left the club for Altrincham, along with several of the team.

The 2017-18 season saw Nantwich get to the first round of the FA cup for the second time. 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.[8]
After a 16th place finish in the league, Nantwich earned their second consecutive Cheshire Senior Cup final, winning 3–0 against Stockport Town to claim their fifth Senior Cup.

In 2018–19, Nantwich finished fourth in the Northern Premier League table, their second-highest finish in the league, and missed out on promotion after losing 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 5-2 in the final. 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.

In November 2019, Nantwich reached the First Round of the FA Cup for a third time, losing 1-0 to AFC Fylde at the Weaver Stadium.[9]

The 2022/23 season saw Nantwich relegated to the Northern Premier League West Division after a 15 year sojourn in the top division of the Northern Premier League.

Stadium

Weaver Stadium

The club plays at the Weaver Stadium, also known, for sponsorship reasons, as the Swansway Stadium, at Kingsley Fields. The ground cost £4 million, and was opened in 2007 before the start of the 2007–08 season; previously the club had played at Jackson Avenue.

Bad weather delayed the opening of the ground, with Nantwich having to play the majority of their pre-season games away from home. The first match at the Weaver Stadium took place on 7 August 2007, a friendly against League One side Port Vale that ended 6–3 to the League side. Port Vale's Ross Davidson scored the first goal at the ground after three minutes; Glynn Blackhurst became the first Nantwich Town player to score. The ground was officially opened before Nantwich's match on 10 October 2007 by Sir Trevor Brooking. Moving to the new stadium coupled with success on the pitch helped increase Nantwich's attendances from an average of 118 in 2005–06 to averaging 664 in 2008–09. In 2023 the grass pitch was removed to be replaced with a new 3G surface

Swansway Motor Group Main Stand

The main stand was renamed the Swansway Motor Group Main Stand in July 2021. It is the main stand at the Weaver Stadium and is situated to the south of the pitch. It seats around 300 people. It also contains bar facilities and a snack bar. As of the 2022/23 season, Swansway Motor Group are also the Main Stadium Sponsors.

Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Vans Stand

The Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Vans Stand is a low terrace situated to the north of the pitch at the Weaver Stadium. It can hold around 295 standing supporters. It is home to the more vocal of the Dabbers' support

At present both ends of the ground are flat and undeveloped.

Current squad

As of 1 July 2023[10] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG James Hawkins
— GK England ENG Ollie Hawkins
— DF England ENG Joel Connolly
— DF England ENG Troy Bourne
— DF England ENG Jon Moran
— DF England ENG Nathan Okome
— DF England ENG Perry Bircumshaw
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Jack Sherratt
— MF England ENG Caspar Hughes
— MF England ENG Sean Cooke
— MF England ENG Stevie Hewitt
— FW England ENG Dan Cockerline
— FW Wales WAL Callum Saunders

Non-playing staff

Management

  • Manager:
  • Assistant Manager:
  • First Team Coaches:
    • Nigel Deeley
    • Andy Porter
  • Goalkeeping Coach:
    • Keiron Clarke
  • Physiotherapist:
    • Callum Carey
  • Kit Staff:
    • TBA

Officials

  • Chairman:
    • Jon Gold
  • Vice-Chairman:
    • John Dunning
  • Club President:
    • Frank Blunstone
  • Club Secretary:
    • Gary Richardson
  • Match Day Secretary:
    • Gary Richardson
  • Life Vice-Presidents:
    • Albert Pye
    • Peter Temmen
  • Directors:
    • Dave Clapp
    • John Dunning
    • Jon Gold
    • Clive Jackson
    • Daniel Dunning-Cole
    • Tim Crighton
    • Gordon McKinnon
  • Media Officers
    • Jack Beresford
    • Liam Price
    • Adam Bateman
  • Programme Editor
    • Carl Thorpe

Honours and records

Honours

  • FA Vase
    • Winners 2005–06
  • Cheshire County League
    • Champions 1980–81
  • Cheshire Senior Cup
    • Champions 1932–33, 1975–76, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2017–18, 2018–19
    • Finalists 1889–90, 1897–98, 1903–04, 1913–14, 1929–30, 2008–09, 2016–17
  • North West Counties Football League Challenge Cup
    • Champions 1994–95
    • Finalists 1992–93
  • Mid-Cheshire League
    • Champions 1963–64
    • Runners-up 1950–51, 1961–62, 1964–65
  • Mid-Cheshire League Cup
    • Winners 1961–62, 1963–64
    • Finalists 1948–49, 1964–65
  • Crewe Amateur Combination
    • Champions 1946–47
  • The Combination
    • Runners-Up 1902–03
  • Cheshire League Division One
    • Runners-Up 1900–01
  • Shropshire & District League
    • Runners-Up 1891–92
  • Manchester League
    • Runners-Up 1966–67
  • Northern Premier League Division One South
    • Play-Off Winners 2007–08
  • Eddie Morris Trophy
    • Winners 2020, 2021, 2023

Records

  • Fee received:
  • Record league victory:
    • 20–0 v Whitchurch Alexandra, Cheshire League Division 1, 5 April 1901
  • Record win margin: 20
    • as above
  • Record league defeat:
  • Most goals scored in one Season:
    • 60 Bobby Jones, 1946–47
  • Record attendance:
    • Kingsley Fields, Nantwich 5,121 v Winsford United, 19 February 1921
    • London Road (Jackson Avenue), Nantwich 4,000 v Crewe Alexandra Reserves, 21 April 1924
    • The Weaver Stadium, Nantwich 2,078 v
      Halifax Town
      , 12 March 2015 (FA Trophy semi-final 1st leg)
    • League: 1,547 v F.C. United of Manchester, 7 February 2009
  • FA Cup best:

All-time top goalscorers

Nantwich's all-time top goalscorer is F.W.'Billy' Slight who netted 166 goals for his hometown club from the 1923/24 season. He is followed by John Scarlett with 161 goals, Danny Griggs (116), Jack Foster (115) and Sean Cooke (111). Joint 6th with 106 goals are Cyrus Johnson, Jimmy Cooke, Michael Lennon.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b Baggaley, Michael (27 February 2023). "'Track record' - Nantwich Town appoint former Warrington and Telford boss". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. ^ "What On Earth's a Dabber?". combermereabbey.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Football Club History Database - Nantwich". fchd.info. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  4. OCLC 945569749.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  5. ISBN 978-0-9563068-0-7
  6. ^ GMT (10 January 2012). "BBC Sport – Macclesfield Town sign Ben Mills from Nantwich Town". BBC News. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  7. ^ a b "MK Dons 6-0 Nantwich Town". BBC Sport. BBC. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Stevenage 5-0 Nantwich Town". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Nantwich Town 0-1 AFC Fylde". BBC Sport. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Men's first team squad & staff". Nantwich Town F.C. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  11. OCLC 1199329275
    .

External links

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