Smells like team spirit as Town survive Nirvana fightback to maintain perfect league start - Match report: Leicester Nirvana 1 Nuneaton Town 2
By Matt Jones
Leicester Nirvana 1-2 Nuneaton Town
(Sanches 70 : Jardine 41, Carsley 52)
Attendance: 260
Nuneaton Town were back on their travels again on Saturday afternoon, looking to maintain a perfect league start against 4th placed Leicester Nirvana, themselves unbeaten in the league after a strong start to the campaign.
In came Charlie Jones to the starting line up replacing the unavailable Aaron Williams. Nirvana named ex Boro player Shaquille Master on the bench.
Nuneaton started strongly, earning a succession of corners in the opening minutes as they pinned Nirvana back in their own half. However with 9 minutes gone it was nearly them who took the lead as a first corner was volleyed a foot or so wide.
Nirvana grew into the game after their shaky start and the game became rather scrappy as neither side could put enough passes together to create a chance on a dry and bobbly pitch. The first real chance on goal for Nuneaton came on 25 minutes as Eesa Sawyers drew a foul midway in the Nirvana half. Callum Carsley's cross found Loyiso Recci at the back post and his effort beat the keeper but was cleared off the line by the defender.
Just a minute later Callum the creator was at it again, finding James Harrison's head with a cross that the keeper got down low to save.
It took nearly 15 minutes for any further chances of note as on 39, Harrison fired a shot over the bar from the edge of the box. However Harrison made up for that just two minutes later as he chased a long ball forward down the left, before finding his left side mate Carsley, and his first time cross fell perfectly onto the head of Kyle Jardine who's effort wrong footed the keeper and dropped over the line (1-0).
Half time: Leicester Nirvana 0-1 Nuneaton Town
If the first half was an even affair, the second half was a different matter. Town came out firing, and Declan Somel had the first chance on 49 minutes, taking on an effort from a tight angle but finding only the keepers gloves.
However on 53 minutes Nuneaton got the second goal they deserved, as a cross into the box was headed away and Carsley turned from creator into scorer as he chested the ball down and hit a rocket of a volley into the far corner giving the keeper no chance (2-0).
Nuneaton continued to dominate and should have added to the scoreline, a ball from the right somehow bobbled past Jones and Harrison both just a couple of yards out, before Jardine turned an optimistic ball forward into a genuine chance as he managed to hold the ball up in the box before turning his defender and unleashing an effort towards the far corner that went inches wide.
With 20 to go, Nuneaton were punished for not putting the game to bed, as Evandro Sanches picked up a loose ball outside the box and hit an early effort that Brandon Bache was somewhat caught out by, and although he got a hand to it couldn't prevent it nestling in the corner (2-1).
Somel could have restored the two goal lead immediately as pinball between attack and defence in the box lead to Somel having a snapshot on the edge of it which the keeper got down low to push wide. However the goal had changed the game completely, as Nirvana now had their belief back and the momentum shifted.
James Spruce replaced Harrison, and Charlie Jones and Shaquille Brooks both picked up a yellow card each for stopping respective counter attacks, but Nuneaton sat back and defended for their lives. Shaquille Master nearly headed in a corner against his former club only to see it go just over the crossbar, before Trevor Edwards replaced Jones in midfield to batten down the hatches.
With two minutes of normal time to go a clearance from defence found Jardine through on goal but the defender got back well to prevent him doing anything but finding the keepers gloves. Nuneaton survived several penalty claims in the dying minutes as the Nirvana coaching staff became more and more agitated. But Nuneaton held on, just, for a 5th win out of 5, and extend their lead to 6 points at the top with Daventry in cup action this weekend.
A few unsavoury scenes at the end followed as the Leicester Nirvana staff and players appeared to be involved in a heated argument with each other for several minutes. It appeared there was no involvement from any from the Nuneaton side however.
Full time: Leicester Nirvana 1-2 Nuneaton Town
Next up: Nuneaton take a break from league action as they get their FA Vase campaign under way away at Highgate United on Saturday 23rd August, kick off 3pm
Line up: Bache, Thomas, Brown, Recci, Carsley, Currithers, Somel, Jones (Edwards 80), Sawyers, Harrison (Spruce 74), Jardine
Subs: Edwards, Spruce, Hendrie, Hesson, Marsden
