Nantwich Town 1 Stourbridge 0

Both sides had spells in the ascendency, although neither could ever stake a claim to being dominant, in a match that bucked the high-scoring trend of previous meetings between the teams, until Shotton’s late intervention.

Not surprisingly, Gary Hackett named an unchanged starting eleven from Saturday’s FA Cup win against Kidderminster Harriers, as the Glassboys looked to regain some ground lost in the promotion race after taking just one point from the previous six on offer.

The first chance fell to the home side with just 6 minutes played, as Chris Lait was dispossessed and the ball fed in to Matt Kosylo but Dan Scarr got back to take the ball away from the Nantwich man as he shaped to shoot. Generally, the Dabbers looked the more threatening through the opening quarter of an hour, but Stourbridge eventually created a meaningful opening which saw Justin Richards shoot over after 16 minutes.

The home side came close again with 19 minutes gone, as a deep corner was headed back into the six yard box where Lewis Solly, diving to his left, somehow kept the ball out before Lait hammered it to safety, and then Steve Jones got away from Junior Smikle down the right and crossed for Kosylo who couldn’t quite stretch out a leg far enough to touch the ball home.

Matt Dodd was causing problems when given the chance down the Glassboys right wing, and it was from his low, hard cross on 28 minutes that Nantwich defender Matt Bailey will have been relieved to see go over his own crossbar as he attempted to clear. Lait then broke down the left and pulled the ball back for Karl Hawley whose effort wet just the wrong side of the post, possibly via a deflection, although a goal kick was given.

Dodd’s under-hit back pass on 27 minutes almost allowed Kosylo another sight of goal but Solly was alert enough to come off his line and clear, whilst Scarr headed harmlessly wide from a corner at the other end 60 seconds later, and then Richards produced a snap-shot on the turn from 20 yards that Krystian Burzynski managed to grasp at the second attempt.

The final chance of the half saw Jones receive the ball on the corner of the Stourbridge penalty area and shoot first time. His effort appeared to be curling away from Solly and wide of the far post but the Glassboys keeper was taking no chances and dived to palm the ball away to safety.

The Glassboys began the second half very much on the front foot but with little to show for their endeavours other than a couple of corners that came to nothing, whilst it was not until the hour mark minute that anything like a half-chance was created by either side, when Joe Moran headed over after a deep corner had been headed back into the box.

By this stage it was the home side who were asking more questions, and they came close again on 66 minutes as Elliott Osborne took down Sam Hall’s through ball before firing wide from an angle. Tom Tonks then responded fro Stourbridge with 20 minutes remaining, volleying wide from 25 yards.

A series of substitutions broke the game up somewhat but it was the new arrivals who were to play a part in the most significant moments as the game drew towards a close.

First Drew Canavan for the Glassboys brought the ball down at the far post from a corner but could not get his 82nd minute left foot shot on target under pressure, before Kosylo crossed in from the right at the other end, the ball eluding Solly and kissing the crossbar before falling away from danger.

The game seemed set for a goal-less draw that would not have attracted much of the smart money prior to kick-off, but Shotton was to have the last word. Osborne lifted what was really little more than a hopeful ball into the Glassboys penalty area from deep and Shotton, who netted a late equaliser for Leek at the War memorial Ground in last season’s Doodson Sport Cup, stole away from Scarr, finding enough space to set himself and direct a header just out of Solly’s reach and into the net.

It was a cruel blow for a Stourbridge defence that had come close to being the first in the Premier Division so far this season to shut out the Dabbers, but that will come as no consolation to Hackett and his men.

Despite the defeat, Stourbridge remain in 7th place, having been overtaken by Hyde United 24 hours beforehand.