Missed chances cost Town dear.

Ryan Stafford returned to the centre of the Town defence, while Calum Fraser made his first appearance since early September.
With a strong breeze behind them Newark threatened first, Arron Martin shooting straight at Shaw from close range. As play switched ends Oates powered a well struck, long range effort marginally wide. Fraser then chased down a long clearance down the left, Martin’s final shot bringing a solid block from Oates. Martin was particularly influential in the early stages, creating several good opportunities which went begging. Town came within inches of taking the lead on 19 minutes, George Pearce’s incisive through ball finding Dom Swingler whose powerful drive struck the underside of the bar and bounced clear. In the next attack Martin hit the outside of a post, when a square ball might have had more positive results. There were also close shaves at the other end, the visitors missing out as Dayle Hutson’s shot went over the bar with just Craig Rhodes to beat. A Swingler corner then came back of the face of the crossbar and against all the odds, the game was still scoreless at the interval.
Appleby started the stronger after the break, Pearson’s cross from the left seeing Nicholls rise above Rhodes to send his glancing header wide of the target. An Alex Hales free kick gave Town another chance to break the deadlock, but despite Shaw missing the ball, again there was no end result. Town’s best opportunity came on the hour, Hales and Martin combining well to put Fraser through, and although the striker took careful aim, the ball was placed a yard wide of the goal. Town went behind in unfortunate circumstances after 66 minutes. A win-assisted effort from 45 yards out was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Rhodes, but the resulting corner was spilt, allowing Richard Girling to stab the ball home from close range. After another Hales free kick had been well saved, Newark had a let-off as Nicholls lobbed the ball over Rhodes but saw the ball run narrowly wide. Town replaced Fraser and the injured Pearce with Darren Townsley and Stefan Bilyk and launched a concerted counter attack, the ball bouncing around the visitor’s penalty area before a long clearance caught Newark short at the back, Hutson racing through to chip the ball over Rhodes to double the lead after 83 minutes. Town’s final chance came two minutes from time, Bilyk shooting across the face of the goal, but in the end it came down, as it always does between evenly matched teams, to making the most of what you create, which Appleby Frodingham did rather better than the Blues.