Without the injured Reece Self and the unavailable Sean Fulcher from Wednesday night’s game, Newark found themselves two down in the first twelve minutes, both scored by the Thorne’s talented striker Ross Ebbage. The game was only two minutes old when he played a piercing one-two with Darren Fell, receiving the return ball in far too much space and despatching his shot past Chris Riley. Ten minutes later he was again left unmarked and had no trouble converting Scott Rhodes’ ball in from the right. Town were being given no time to settle on the ball, while in contrast, Thorne seemed to have more than enough time to consider their options. Luke Parsons made a timely interception to prevent Ebbage from completing a swift hat trick, while Town’s first attempt on the visitors’ goal came with 24 minutes on the clock, Chris Dobbie’s hopeful shot from 30 yards out dropping over the bar. An addition to the score looked more likely at the Blues end of the pitch, Ebbage narrowly failing to get on the end of a Rhodes cross, before Riley was forced to hack clear as he threatened yet again. Newark were for the most part restricted to hopeful balls forward, which more often than not failed to reach their intended target.
Newark came out with more purpose after the break, and at last gave the visitors’ defence something to think about. Parsons, Sam Gregory and James Munson combined well in Town’s first attack, the ball just running out of play, before a well judged through ball from Dobbie narrowly failed to find the incoming Sam Wilford. Thorne keeper Robert Chester was fortunate as he fumbled a Danny Purves free kick against the bar and got away with it, and as belief grew, Purves again went close after a string of passes gave him another shooting opportunity. A Thorne counter-attack was thwarted by a fine block by Riley from Atkinson, before Dobbie was again agonisingly close to finishing a cross from George Paling. Arron Martin was the next to go close, but on 71 minutes all Newark’s efforts were undone, as a miscued overhead kick soared across the area, falling nicely for Fell to head home. Riley again did well to turn a Rhodes shot round the post and sub Lugton then wasted another chance, putting the ball round the post whe it looked easier to score. A miserable afternoon was completed on 87 minutes, Rhodes scoring Thorne’s fourth after a sweeping crossfield move, the final straw coming with stoppage time bookings for McDonald and Munson. There seems little doubt that the visitors will be challenging for a high position in the table if they can keep hold of their players, and Tony Joynes will have undoubtedly have food for thought after the afternoon’s events.