Two away goals ans
TWO away goals, a clean sheet, and your promotion rivals held to a draw at home make it a good day out by anyone’s standards, and Newark Flowserve took a major step towards step five football with their win at Barrow Town on Saturday.
Nine points from their remaining four games will see Newark football take another step towards national glory through the Lowfields outfit, and the celebrations will be long and joyous should that be achieved.
Some of the football played by The Highwaymen this season has been a joy to behold, but the match at Leicestershire’s Riverside Park was of the sleeves rolled up variety, requiring blood and sweat to spare the tears.
Suspended Jack Beckett and skipper Tom Potts watched from the sidelines, along with the injured Danny Meadows and Daryl Price, and Will Rawdon will be among their number following a red as a result of two yellow cards, but still the points keep mounting as the town continues to dream.
Joe Searson returned in goal, Nathan Kelly wore the number seven shirt on his first start for the club since joining from Clifton All Whites, and Sam Agar made a surprise return to the fold, while former skipper James Cullingworth was on the bench.
The game was less than a minute old when Sol Miller put in a cross from the left and Elliot King rose unmarked to thump a header against the crossbar with the keeper beaten. Then Agar cut in from the left and fired over the bar to signal his intent on his return to first team action.
It was a powerful start from the blue-clad visitors as they looked to make early inroads against a Barrow Town side that they had scored 11 goals against in just three days in November.
A 6-0 victory in the reverse fixture was followed by a 5-0 League Cup success, but Barrow hoofed and flapped while Flowserve huffed and puffed in a goalless first half.
It was going to take something special to break the deadlock, and it came in the 69th minute of the game when Agar spectacularly retrieved a seemingly lost opportunity on the left-hand of the area with an overhead kick. The ball struck a home hand and the referee pointed to the spot to the huge delight of the travelling supporters who formed the majority of an attendance of 84.
Tyrell Shannon-Lewis showed great composure with the crucial penalty to slot home his 24thgoal of the season as the goalkeeper guessed wrong.
In terms of noteworthy additions to the action, Rawdon picked up two yellow cards to leave Flowserve with ten men for the last five minutes of normal time, and then Agar added a second goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time – his 34th of the campaign – to make the points safe.
Sherwood Colliery’s 0-0 draw at home to Eastwood Community leaves them seven points adrift in the title race to add the sweetener to the victory.
Newark Flowserve: 1 Joe Searson; 2 Jahred Russell; 3 Will Rawdon; 4 Sol Miller; 5 Rhys Lewis; 6 Jammy Lloyd (captain); 7 Nathan Kelly (Blair Anderson 52mins); 8 Sean Woolley; 9 Tyrell Shannon-Lewis (Ryley Thompson 86mins); 10 Elliot King (James Cullingworth 75mins); 11 Sam Agar.
Attendance: 84.