A victory against their local rivals helped the Blues continue their fine start to the season, and they confirmed their status as one of the early-season front runners.
From the off it was clear that this game would pose a rather different challenge than the one faced against Dinnington last Saturday. The pace of the game was fast, and Ollerton worked hard to frustrate Newark with tight marking in midfield. Daryl Price lifted two early efforts off target, and Calum Fraser slashed his shot over under pressure as Newark created the initial chances. Ollerton’s main threat came from the pace on the left-hand side, with Lee Easom causing many problems. He set up Rob Evans after a strong run, but Craig Rhodes produced a good low save to deny him. Newark were continually frustrated and it was the visitors who took the lead on the stroke of half time, with Carl Russo powering a shot in off the post from a tight angle.
Ollerton should have extended their lead at the start of the second half, as Easom got the better of Newark’s defence, taking the ball around Rhodes only to see his eventual effort blocked on the line by the excellent Luke Parsons. Three minutes later, Newark were rueing their own missed opportunity, after a goalkeeping howler gave Price an open goal, however his shot lacked conviction and Alex Sennett rushed back to clear off the line. The tenacity shown in midfield by Ollerton was exemplary, but as the half wore on their legs began to tire, gaps began to open and Newark took full advantage. Ian Hillier sparked the Blues into life with a thunderous long range effort that was parried away by goalkeeper Joe McCormack, before Fraser had a header cleared off the line following a goalmouth scramble. The equaliser came from a familiar source as Arron Martin, who had been forced to play at centre-back following the early injury to Ricky Brewer, popped up to score his seventh of the season. Martin decided on a one-man crusade as he ran into space unchallenged by the Ollerton defence, before drilling a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner. The momentum was visibly in Newark’s favour and Sam Wilford smashed a shot just over the bar before they took the game by the scruff of the neck. Stefan Bilyk, who worked tirelessly after coming on as Brewer’s replacement, found a burst of speed to beat his man before striking low into the bottom corner with an effort McCormack should have kept out in the 75th minute. Ollerton pushed late-on in search of an equaliser, but they couldn’t open Newark’s solid defence and the Blues claimed a vital three points.
Manager Tony Joynes was impressed with the attitude shown by his players.
“At half time, I told the lads to keep the ball on the ground and not to play so many long balls and they responded well.
“A win against our local rivals, who really put everything into it, means a lot more than an 8-0 win over Dinnington,” he said.