Newark Flowserve
NEWARK FLOWSERVE produced a comprehensive 3-0 victory at home to Eastwood Community on Tuesday night to boldly go where no Lowfields side has been before in the County Cup.
Under the guises of Worthington Simpson, IDP Newark or Flowserve, no Hawton Road side has progressed past the quarter-finals before, but yet more new adventures await the men in orange in a season to surpass all others as they have excelled while first-footing in step five football.
In this season’s FA Vase competition, Newark Flowserve were the last remaining Nottinghamshire side, and they now find themselves in the last four of the county’s own tournament, with the names of Nottingham Forest and Notts County still in the cup.
The weather was the main threat to their progress, with another potential game lost to the rain meaning that the fixture - and the gate receipts – would be presented to Coronation Park the following week, but the forecast downpour held off until kick-off and the game went ahead under the lights with another impressive crowd of 177 braving the bitterly cold night.
Ben Greenwood, Lawrence Gorman and Lewis Brownhill returned to the starting line-up, with AD Adelekan and Mitch Robinson having picked up injuries at Sporting Khalsa on Saturday, and Joel Brownhill struggling to make midweek games from his home base on the other side of Warrington.
The Highwaymen flew into their stride from the off, with the step six visitors under pressure in the first 20 seconds of the game when Greenwood’s long ball was controlled by Brownhill and slipped inside for Zak Goodson to fire over the top.
It took just 13 minutes for Flowserve to go in front, with great inter-passing play setting up Brownhill for a powerful right foot finish that left the Eastwood keeper grasping thin air.
Five minutes later Kyle Dixon’s corner from the right found Ben Hutchinson unmarked and his powerful header saw the net bulge again.
The orange-clad players were everywhere, harrying and pressing their opponents in one of the most impressive performances for a long time, with Dixon playing out of his skin as he led the foraging for the ball.
At half-time the temptation was to write the headline ‘Eastwood battered on Pancake Tuesday’ but the visitors came back into it in the second period as Flowserve eased back and took their foot off the pedal.
But a great tackle by Gorman denied Kieran Knight and then Lavell White produced a saving clearance as Eastwood enjoyed their best moments while the temperatures dropped by the minute as the night headed towards the promised snowfall.
But Flowserve produced a grandstand finish to warm the cockles of their faithful, with Hutchinson battling for the ball in the 72nd minute and then neatly releasing Danny Meadows who gave the keeper ‘the eyes’ before steering his shot home at the near post.
Substitute Paolo Piliero had the ball in the net at the end shortly after the referee blew the final whistle, but by then the warmth of the bar beckoned. And the toast was “History!”
Newark Flowserve: 1 Alfie Smith-Eccles; 2 Lavell White; 3 Tom Potts (captain); 4 Lawrence Gorman; 5 Ben Greenwood; 6 Jermaine Hollis; 7 Danny Meadows; 8 Kyle Dixon (Paolo Piliero 72mins); 9 Ben Hutchinson (Matt Cotton 83mins); 10 Lewis Brownhill (Massiah McDonald 61mins); 11 Zak Goodman.
Attendance: 177.