Newark Flowserve
NEWARK FLOWSERVE were replaced in second spot in the Midland Football League Premier Division by hosts Sporting Khalsa after a 2-0 defeat in the top four clash at the Aspray Arena in Willenhall on Saturday afternoon.
Two second half goals sunk The Highwaymen as torrential rain made for a miserable afternoon in the Black Country, and the men in orange will be hoping for a lift when they entertain Eastwood Community in the quarter-final of the County Cup on Tuesday evening – weather permitting.
Sporting Khalsa were thumped 4-1 in the reverse fixture at Lowfields to make it a Happy Christmas for all at Newark Flowserve, but The Lions gained their revenge with a battling performance in a match where little was conceded on either side.
New signings Ben Greenwood and Lewis Brownhill had stag party commitments, meaning that Tom Potts reclaimed the number four shirt and the captain’s armband, while Kyle Dixon returned in midfield as the only changes to the starting line-up from the team’s last game at home to Stourport Swifts a fortnight previously.
Alfie Smith-Eccles dealt confidently with a couple of crosses into the box in the opening ten minutes, but there was little to separate the two teams as they tested each other out in the early exchanges.
Rain started to fall heavily again as the chronic weather conditions continued to dog football, but the benefits of a 3G surface at the Aspray Arena had allowed the fixture to go ahead in the first place while many on the day were washed out.
Joel Brownhill was brought down on the edge of the box in the 19th minute and, of the three men over the ball, it was skipper Potts who drilled the direct free-kick wide of the right hand upright.
The rain got so heavy that the Khalsa manager, a real technical area prowler, was forced to take cover in the open dug-out seats under the overhang of the main stand roof.
On the half hour Brownhill chased a long ball over the top, but his outstretched leg only succeeded in steering ball wide of the post.
At the other end a good opportunity fell to James McGrady for the hosts as the half drew to a close, but Smith-Eccles saved well with his feet as he diverted the shot for a corner.
Then Khalsa’s Josh McKenzie broke away down the inside-right channel, but got his foot under the ball as he pulled the trigger under pressure, and the first period ended goalless.
Just three minutes had elapsed of the second half when Sean Williams made the most of a slip by left-back AJ Adelekan and fired the ball across the Flowserve keeper and into the far corner.
Khalsa could have made it two in the 52nd minute when Lewis Worsey broke clear in a promising position, but Smith-Eccles came out well to narrow the angle and pulled off a fine save.
There was a massive let-off for the visitors when McKenzie produced a delightful back-heel into the path of Liam Armstrong who rounded the keeper but hit the side-netting when it appeared to be easier to roll the ball into the empty goal.
But he made amends on 69 minutes when he slammed the ball home following a brief bout of ping-pong in the visiting area, enabling Khalsa to double their advantage.
The response from the Flowserve management was to make a double substitution, bringing on Sean Woolley and Matt Cotton to replace their twin strikers, with the latter making a welcome return after an injury-ravaged campaign.
But there was to be no happy ending.
Newark Flowserve: 1 Alfie Smith-Eccles; 2 Lavell White; 3 AJ Adelekan (Jurelle Phillip 58mins); 4 Tom Potts (captain); 5 Mitch Robinson; 6 Jermaine Hollis; 7 Danny Meadows; 8 Kyle Dixon; 9 Joel Brownhill (Matt Cotton 69mins); 10 Ben Hutchinson (Sean Woolley 69mins); 11 Zak Goodson.
Attendance: 102.