Flowserve show true grit to climb to the top
TYRELL SHANNON-LEWIS was the star of the show as Newark Flowserve showed true grit to climb to the summit of the East Midlands Counties League with a 4-2 win at home to Graham Street Prims.
Shannon-Lewis, known to all at Lowfields as ‘Tizer’, provided the bubbles in the champagne atmosphere with two second half goals as The Highwaymen plundered three points from the brink of defeat in a stirring second half comeback against the Derbyshire side.
The Derby visitors had made life tough for Flowserve in the reverse fixture at the end of September when the men in orange had to come from behind three times to earn a 3-3 draw, and they again caused problems in this encounter.
It began brightly for Flowserve when they took the lead after just four minutes. Daryl Price, who looked lively throughout as he was employed on the right wing, crossed deep for Lewis in the centre. When the ball cleared his head, it fell kindly for Blair Anderson to sidefoot home at the far edge of the six-yard box.
Things began to come unstuck for the home side just three minutes later when Danny Meadows limped from the fray following a tackle where he came off worse, and he was replaced by Jack Beckett, who had been omitted from the XI after seven successive slots in the starting line-up.
Beckett went on to give an industrious contribution, marred only by another yellow card that took him to the brink of suspension, but Flowserve were again made to pay for not turning their possession into more goals after dominating proceedings.
Prims levelled when Michael Fitzhugh curled a direct free-kick over the wall on 29 minutes, and he repeated the trick three minutes later as he again left Nathan Burrows flat-footed, with the keeper making his first appearance of the season in place of the injured Joe Searson, who has been told to rest a troublesome knee.
Shortly after, Burrows produced a fine diving save to his left to tip round a curling effort from visiting skipper Kevin Morrow, but the assistant referee on the far side raised his flag to negate the moment.
The same official had to bang on the dressing room door to bring to an end the half-time roasting from joint-managers Steve Kirkham and Craig Roche, with Graham Street Prims waiting for their opponents out on the field. When they finally emerged, Prims were faced with a different prospect.
Tizer pounced after two minutes, racing into the inside right channel to blaze the ball into the roof of the net to restore parity.
The visitors withstood a series of forays before Anderson swung over a corner from the right with his left foot and skipper Tom Potts rose highest to power in a header to record his fourth of the campaign to give Flowserve the lead against the Derby side for the first time this season.
Tizer, wearing the number nine shirt in place of the suspended leading marksman Sam Agar, then grabbed his 15th of the term two minutes later following a goalmouth scramble.
The visitors claimed that the ball had not crossed the line. But it was over – and so was their futile resistance.
Newark Flowserve: 1 Nathan Burrows; 2 Sol Miller; 3 Will Rawdon; 4 Tom Potts (captain); 5 Rhys Lewis; 6 Jammy Lloyd; 7 Jahred Russell (Curtis Price 90mins); 8 Danny Meadows (Jack Beckett 7mins); 9 Tyrell Shannon-Lewis (Elliot King 87mins); 10 Daryl Price; 11 Blair Anderson.
Attendance: 147.
