Tony Smith reports
NEWARK FLOWSERVE put their away day blues behind them with a superb display at ninth-placed Kimberley Miners’ Welfare on Saturday to strengthen their third spot in the East Midlands Counties League.
After taking just one point from their two previous away trips, despite battling performances, The Highwaymen rang the changes, and they were rewarded with all three points in a 2-0 success, plus the added bonus of a clean sheet.
Eager to turn around their away fortunes, the visitors emerged from the tunnel at The Stag Ground with three strikers in their starting line-up, with new signing Harry Wakefield joined by Elliot King and Sam Agar, with the latter returning from suspension.
Sol Miller dropped in to right-back to cover the holidaying Liam Moran, while Rhys Lewis played at centre-half in place of joint-manager Steve Kirkham, who chose to take a view of the proceedings from the dugout.
After 18 minutes of sizing each other up, it was Flowserve who fired the first shot in anger when Agar - who showed his class throughout and left his marker with twisted blood – hit a cross-field ball into the path of Danny Meadows, who cut inside but fluffed his left-footed effort.
Back on his wand of a right foot, Meadows returned the compliment seven minutes later when he swung in a free-kick from the right and Agar made a clever run before rising to head his 12th goal in 12 games past the flapping home custodian.
1-0, as the late and great David Coleman would have affirmed. Game over, as the home side’s collective shoulders slumped.
Miller, who would probably impress if asked to go between the sticks, proved once again to be the man for all seasons at right-back on the odd occasions that Kimberley opted to go forward rather than portray the dark arts that led to five home bookings.
There were two more scares for the hosts before The Highwaymen wrapped up the spoils from their travels in first half stoppage time.
First Meadows came across to the left to fire a 31st minute direct free-kick that went narrowly over the angle of near post and crossbar. Then the ever-industrious Wakefield chased down a loose ball in the box and, when the keeper tried to hack clear, the ball struck the boot of the Newark striker and spun agonisingly past the far post.
The points were sealed in the 46th minute of the game in front of a paltry crowd of 53 when Meadows swung in another free-kick from the right and the ball ended up in the net with both King and Wakefield claiming the goal. If replays had have been available they would have shown the ball cannoning into the net off a home defender after a colleague attempted a panicky clearance.
Yinka Adebowale replaced James Beddingham in the visiting goal at the interval, after the latter picked up a quad strain to add to his season’s injury woes. But the pre-season signing from Cavaliers was rarely tested after the Flowserve defence dealt serenely to withstand a period of pressure as the home side tried forlornly to get back into the game.
Kimberley then took off their two booked players on the hour mark, presumably to give more of their players a license to kick, but they could do little to ruffle the feathers of a Flowserve side who controlled the game from start to finish in a vastly improved away performance in all areas of the field.
Newark Flowserve: 1 James Beddingham (Yinka Adebowale HT); 2 Sol Miller; 3 Will Rawdon; 4 Tom Potts (captain); 5 Rhys Lewis; 6 Jammy Lloyd; 7 Jack Beckett; 8 Danny Meadows; 9 Sam Agar; 10 Harry Wakefield; 11 Elliot Smith (Callum Smith 66mins).
Attendance: 53.
