The Blues hit Eight
RICHARD LANE reports on Newark Town’s latest match.
A totally one sided first half settled this as a contest, a totally dominant Town running in seven goals before taking their foot of the gas after the break.
With Sam Wilford and George Asplin unavailable Jawanza Grant returned to the forward line, Matt Stevens taking over at left back and Ricky North partnering James Evans at the heart of the defence.
The game started off in heavy rain but Newark were soon into their stride, Lewis Chambers finding the corner of the net from 20 yards in the 8th minute.Two minutes later Town scored a second as Steve Carty’s right wing corner was headed on by Grant for Evans to double the score. Sutton appeared shell shocked by Town’s start and conceded a third on 14 minutes as Kieran Job robbed Parker, Chambers taking the ball forward to beat Lawson from close range. The keeper then touched another drive from Chambers over the bar but a fourth goal was not long in coming. After Arron Martin had survived what looked like justified appeals for a penalty from the visitors, Job picked up a misdirected pass to score from the corner of the area on 24th minutes and within a minute Ben Castell got a fifth with a sweetly struck curling shot from 25yards out which squirmed under the diving keeper’s body. With Sutton offering little in terms of opposition, the onslaught continued, Grant heading against the bar after a bout of head tennis in the Sutton area before a pinpoint cross from Arron Martin on the right was converted by a perfectly directed header from Carty with just 28 minutes on the clock. Chambers completed a well taken hat trick ten minutes later showing his skills by bringing the ball down, turning and firing home in the same movement, the goal taking him into double figures for the season. With 40 minutes played Sutton created their first chance of note, Walker showing pace down the right, his cross being screwed wide of the goal by Stockton.
With a seven goal advantage it was perhaps no surprise that the second half was something of an anti-climax. To their credit Sutton provided stiffer opposition, but the Blues still pressed in the early stages, Carty’s drilled cross evading everyone in a packed penalty area. Newark extended their lead further on 57 minutes when a Castell shot was stopped by a hand, Carty’s penalty being blasted into the roof of the net. After a number of substitutions, and a ten minute spell in the sinbin for visiting striker Stockton, Sutton pulled a goal back in the 71st minute as a free kick was headed back across the goal for Stockton to net from close range. Chambers had the ball in the net again five minutes later after great work by Arron Martin. Sutton added a second eight minutes from time as Stockton got the better of Sean Fulcher to beat Nathan Burrows in the Town goal.
Town are on their travels next Saturday as they face Renishaw Rangers with a 3o’clock kick off.
TEAM Burrows, A Martin, Stevens, Evans (Fulcher 66), North, Lewis, Castell (Munton 61), Carty, Chambers, Job, Grant (T Martin 60) SUBS NOT USED Bridge, Parsons.
Attendance 71