The Blues made it six league wins in a row with an unspectacular but efficient defeat of Thorne. With Parsons, Hutchinson, O’Connell, and Gregory all missing from the defence, Tony Joynes slotted the returning Arron Martin and Danny Lee into the full back roles. There was a youthful look to the bench, Jammy Lloyd making a welcome return, while the late cancellation of the reserves game allowed Max King and the highly promising Leighton Nicholson a chance to impress.
Newark got off to the perfect start with a goal in the 4th minute. Alex Hales showed good vision as he played the ball over the top to Jordan Thomas who displayed admirable poise to take the ball forward and slot it past Chester in the Thorne goal. Referee Gary Winwright then did the game a big favour by booking Thorne’s Sheppard for the first sign of dissent, which went a long way to ensuring the rest of the game was played in a manner which did credit to both teams. An air shot from Sean Fulcher meant Craig Rhodes had to pull off a good one-handed stop to deny Palmer and repeated the feat minutes later as the same player unleashed a fierce shot from close range. Newark doubled their lead on 26th minute after Reece Self was brought down by Green. Thomas dispatched the kick coolly, but encroachment by a Town player saw the kick retaken. The second effort was less clear-cut, the ball hitting the post, the keeper’s head, and the post for a second time before finally ending up in the net. Rhodes again came to the rescue on the half hour as Atkinson threatened, but the Blues had the upper hand until the interval going close from a Hales free kick, while Dom Swingler brought a good stop from Chester and Thomas fired over as a hat trick beckoned.
The opening to the second half was to say the least uneventful, but some much needed life was injected on the hour as Jammy Lloyd replaced Darren Townsley, and Leighton Nicholson made a long overdue debut in place of James Munson. Within a minute Nicholson curled a shot inches wide of the post, and his pace and ball control were quick to catch the eye. Town were certainly looking livelier, though Thorne wasted the best chance of the half, Atkinson ballooning the ball high over the bar as the ball came to him well inside the penalty area. Sam Wilford, on his 250th start for the club, saw a shot beaten away, and Nicholson, after being found by Thomas’s cross just failed to get his shot away before being closed down.
This was a workmanlike rather than spectacular win, Thorne not helped by having no substitutes available, but it keeps Town in second position behind Clay Cross who will provide a more severe test on Wednesday evening.