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CONGRATULATIONS to the Dabbers (Nantwich Town
F.C., if you
 prefer) in bringing the F.A. Vase to Nantwich. They made history on May 6 when they
beat Hillingdon Borough 3-1 in the final of the 32nd F. A. Vase final at Birmingham F.C.'s
ground, St Andrew's.
A total of 3,286 saw the game which was described as ". . . the biggest game in the club's 122-year history . . . "
by the Nantwich Chronicle. The success means the Dabbers are the first Cheshire side to
bring the
trophy to the county.
Despite its name, the Vase is a
cup of reasonable size. Not quite as big as the F.A. Cup, maybe, but
something well worth having in the Dabbers' trophy cabinet.
To say they reached the final
was to understate their achievement - the competition began with 493 teams
in contention for the title, and finally it was down to just two . . .
Fortunately there was no need for
a penalty shoot-out - which I always think is an unsatisfactory way of
deciding a match (but what else can you do?). Goals came from Andy Kinsey
(in the 14th and 68th minutes) and Stuart Scheuber (in the 30th). Unfortunately,
Kinsey (captain for the day) dislocated his shoulder as he threw his shirt
to the crowd to celebrate his goals.
Quoted in the Mail on Sunday,
Player-Manager Steve Davis said: "I've never seen anything like that
before. He could get a club fine." I doubt if that is going to knock
the shine off Andy's day too much.
The whole town was surely
behind the Dabbers on Saturday, whether they are club supporters, sports fans
in general -
or not. I must admit that I put myself in the last category - although I
always like to know how the team (and, yes, even Crewe Alex) are doing. |
end of the game. The subtleties of
the players' skills went over my head. And while I am not a sun lover,
standing on a open pitch on a freezing winter's afternoon was not my idea
of fun.
the headlines.
Their new £2million ground on Kingsley Fields (replacing the current Jackson Avenue
site)
has come under fire in recent months as the club asked for more funds -
over and above the initial grant - from the local authorities to meet
rising costs.