The Ramblers were looking for a fourth consecutive win in all competitions before the COVID-19 national lockdown but were faced with a very tough opponent in 1874 Northwich, who’s promotion from the NWCFL Premier Division was only denied last season by the pandemic. Andy Hockenhull made seven changes from the win over St Martins, hoping to repeat the preseason victory over their hosts in preseason.

Sandbach started brightly and the first real chance of the game fell to a blue and white shirt, with Tom Wakefield seeing his left-footed strike blocked for a corner, which came to nothing. Robbie Hatton and Jack Hart both saw half-chances come and go. Northwich took the lead on 17 minutes when Ashley Wood was first to a loose ball and slotted it underneath Ryan Moss.

The Ramblers equalised only two minutes later through Hatton, who struck a perfectly weighted Wakefield pass first time and it curled beyond Dimeji Willan into the net.
1874 regained the lead after 27 minutes when Lucas Weir, son of ex-Everton footballer David Weir, was allowed a free run into the box and stroked the ball into the bottom corner. They almost scored a third moments later were it not for some outstanding last-ditch defending by Connor Courtnell. The Ramblers enjoyed their best spell of the match over the next 15 minutes, with Hatton and Wakefield both frequently finding space to shoot but not troubling Willan with their efforts.

Northwich scored their third on the stroke of halftime, with Weir almost replicating his first goal with a wander into the box before lashing home.

The second half was played without much quality in rather scrappy fashion, until a moment of Weir magic put the game out of sight, as he completed his hattrick in spectacular style by curling a free kick into the top left corner. Sandbach lost their attacking momentum following the goal and conceded a fifth on 76 minutes when a Matt Pearson error saw Joe O’Brien run through on goal and tuck away a shot into the bottom left corner.

Northwich scored their sixth and seventh goals in the last ten minutes of the game, as some poor Sandbach defending put the tie well and truly out of reach. Sandbach did pull a goal back through Jack Hart in stoppage time after substitute Kieran Garner-Knapper was brought down in the box. Hart sent Willan the wrong way from the spot. However, the full time whistle blew moments after and Northwich ran out deserved winners.

After exiting the Cheshire Cup, Sandbach United will have at least a month-long hiatus during national lockdown, before gearing up to restart at home in the NWCFL Division 1 South in December.