After the decisive scoreline against Welbeck on Saturday, the boot was certainly on the other foot as Town fell to a Harworth side who produced a display which if repeated often enough should see them among the contenders for promotion this season. The Blues’ current lack of out and out defenders was cruelly exposed as the visitors repeatedly mounted swift attacks which put heavy demands on a makeshift back line which fought manfully but ultimately in vain. Ricky North made his first appearance in a Town shirt since last October, with Adam Boddy and Leighton Nicholson also present in the squad, which has already featured 20 players in the opening three matches. The opening stages were ominous for Newark, Tom Pick accelerating past his marker and squaring the ball to Blake Freeman, who swept the ball home with just 4 minutes on the clock. Six minutes later Town were two down, a long ball from the left being headed back by James Woodward for Tom Walker to thump the ball past the exposed Liam Needham. Town fought back, a Dom Swingler cut back being fired at the keeper by Boddy. Needham made good saves from Lewis Francis and Freeman, before the Blues pulled a goal back as North produced a fine ball out to the right for Swingler to lash his shot into the roof of the net. Sam Wilford headed narrowly wide from a Danny Purves cross, Purves then seeing another effort blocked by a defender. However hopes of a comeback were dented in the 40th minute, when a ball out of defence went straight to Marley Alder, who made no mistake from the edge of the area. Just before the break a piledriver from distance by Purves was tipped over the bar by Levers. Harworth set the tone for the second half in the early minutes, Lee Edmondson scraping the bar before Freeman was allowed to run clear from what looked to be a suspiciously offside position to put the visitors seemingly out of reach. Purves, Swingler and Michael Minty gave way to Nicholson, Joe Brumpton and Joe Powell, but the goals kept coming, Shane Carver adding number five from close range on 64 minutes. Wilford clipped the ball wide from a swift counter attack, before Harworth struck again, Greg Archer converting a penalty after Needham brought down Carver. To their credit, Town continued to battle against the odds and gained some reward on 81 minutes as Boddy shrugged off his marker to beat Levers, the going in off the right hand post. There was no suspicion of offside about the final goal as Josh Dickinson was clearly two yards beyond everyone else as he ran on to round off a convincing display from the visitors.

Richard Lane