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Sat 17 Jan 2015 · Black Dragon: North Division 
First TeamSherwood Colliery
S Wilford (38'), D Swingler (42'), J Thomas (52'), N Dongo (61'), R Self (78')
5
1
J Smythe (80')
Another five for Blues
Richard Lane18 Jan 2015 - 11:10
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The Blues completed an anticipated victory over a young Sherwood outfit, who to be fair looked a better team than their league position would suggest.
Newark made just one change from the side that beat Bentley a fortnight ago, Rick Brewer making his first appearance since early September in place of the unavailable George Pearce.
Town threatened first, good interplay between Jordan Thomas and Ngoni Dongo setting up Luke Hutchinson, whose shot was held by keeper Cranston. Arron Martin then blazed the ball narrowly too high as did Reece Self after Sam Wilford’s neat approach play. Sherwood were not slow to the ball but were making only limited inroads into the Town half. Great acceleration from Wilford then brought a diving save from Cranston, and as the Blues poured forward Dom Swingler flashed a ball across the face of the Sherwood goal, as the pressure grew and the same player was then denied by a well-timed challenge by Whitmore. The frustration was finally dispelled on 38 minutes when a seemingly innocuous 20 yard shot, hit without venom beat the keeper, finding a gap between him and the left hand post. Newark then had a clear penalty turned down as another Wilford shot was handled on the line, and seconds later Martin was brought down in the area, the referee only awarding a free kick on the edge of the box. It did however lead to the second goal, Self beating the wall, the ball coming back of the keeper for Swingler to knock home with 42 minutes gone. There was almost a third as Cranston blocked a goalbound effort from Swingler with his feet.
Sherwood had what turned out to be their best spell of the game on the resumption. Craig Rhodes was forced into a diving save by Smythe and from the resulting corner the visitors’ top scorer Payne fired inches wide of the post. Town retaliated and extended their lead on 52 minutes as Hutchinson launched the perfect ball across the Sherwood area for Thomas to finish at the far post. Whitmore produced another well timed tackle to dispossess Swingler after Thomas played him in before Town went four up on the hour. This time it was Self who sliced the Sherwood defence apart with another ball in from the left, and Dongo was on hand to steer the ball home. Rhodes produced an excellent one handed save as Langford met Payne’s cross with a perfectly timed volley, Martin was inches away from connecting with another telling ball from Hutchinson. With twelve minutes left Swingler broke from inside his own half, crossing from the left, and with the Sherwood defence conspicuous by its absence Self was able to pick his spot. The visitors pulled one back through Smythe on 80 minutes, and Payne wasted an excellent chance to add a second before the luckless Martin struck the post. Sherwood’s Mayes was shown a straight red in the closing minutes after a dreadful two footed lunge at Wilford, and with the last move of the match a lung bursting 60 yard burst from Ricki O’Connell almost produced a sixth, but the final ball went astray.
Town threatened first, good interplay between Jordan Thomas and Ngoni Dongo setting up Luke Hutchinson, whose shot was held by keeper Cranston. Arron Martin then blazed the ball narrowly too high as did Reece Self after Sam Wilford’s neat approach play. Sherwood were not slow to the ball but were making only limited inroads into the Town half. Great acceleration from Wilford then brought a diving save from Cranston, and as the Blues poured forward Dom Swingler flashed a ball across the face of the Sherwood goal, as the pressure grew and the same player was then denied by a well-timed challenge by Whitmore. The frustration was finally dispelled on 38 minutes when a seemingly innocuous 20 yard shot, hit without venom beat the keeper, finding a gap between him and the left hand post. Newark then had a clear penalty turned down as another Wilford shot was handled on the line, and seconds later Martin was brought down in the area, the referee only awarding a free kick on the edge of the box. It did however lead to the second goal, Self beating the wall, the ball coming back of the keeper for Swingler to knock home with 42 minutes gone. There was almost a third as Cranston blocked a goalbound effort from Swingler with his feet.
Sherwood had what turned out to be their best spell of the game on the resumption. Craig Rhodes was forced into a diving save by Smythe and from the resulting corner the visitors’ top scorer Payne fired inches wide of the post. Town retaliated and extended their lead on 52 minutes as Hutchinson launched the perfect ball across the Sherwood area for Thomas to finish at the far post. Whitmore produced another well timed tackle to dispossess Swingler after Thomas played him in before Town went four up on the hour. This time it was Self who sliced the Sherwood defence apart with another ball in from the left, and Dongo was on hand to steer the ball home. Rhodes produced an excellent one handed save as Langford met Payne’s cross with a perfectly timed volley, Martin was inches away from connecting with another telling ball from Hutchinson. With twelve minutes left Swingler broke from inside his own half, crossing from the left, and with the Sherwood defence conspicuous by its absence Self was able to pick his spot. The visitors pulled one back through Smythe on 80 minutes, and Payne wasted an excellent chance to add a second before the luckless Martin struck the post. Sherwood’s Mayes was shown a straight red in the closing minutes after a dreadful two footed lunge at Wilford, and with the last move of the match a lung bursting 60 yard burst from Ricki O’Connell almost produced a sixth, but the final ball went astray.
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