Newark Town 2 – 4 Thorne Colliery

Newark Town 2 – 4 Thorne Colliery
A match which began with so much promise ended in total disappointment as Town suffered a potentially fatal blow to their promotion ambitions.
On a windy afternoon, the largest attendance of the season, 120, saw Town give debuts to new signings Kosi Nwobi from Retford United and Ainsley Finney, scorer of 16 goals for Harworth Colliery this season.
The Blues started strongly and were soon rewarded, taking the lead in the 11th minute from a right wing corner as keeper Danny Porteous failed to take the ball cleanly, allowing Lewis Chambers to force the ball into the net. Finney then put Mason Rhiney away but he was narrowly beaten to the ball by the onrushing keeper. Finney, who was making an impressive start then flashed a 25 yard shot just past the post. Newark doubled their lead in the 35th minute as Chanju Mphande played the ball to Chambers who took the ball past Porteous before coolly finishing with an angled shot. After having had the better of the first half the Blues looked to be heading into the break with a comfortable lead but in the 44th minute they were pegged back as a free kick from Shay Evans-Booth out on the left brought an uncharacteristic mistake from keeper Harry Heywood, as he palmed the ball into the net. After just one short stoppage in the first half, the referee somehow found six minutes of added time and in the final one of these a poorly struck corner bobbled into Town’s area, Evans-Booth reacting first to stab the ball home from close range.
The second half began as the first had ended for the Blues as Thorne took just two minutes to take the lead, Evan Fortune-West making a determined run down the left before crossing for Josh Gelder to supply the finishing touch. As the home side retaliated James Gardner headed a Sam Bartle free kick wide of the post. A rash of free kicks broke up the flow of the game but on 68 minutes the result was effectively put beyond doubt as, following a wind=assisted right wing corner the ball evaded Town’s defenders allowing Evans-Booth to glance the ball home to complete his hat trick. Newark’s attempts on goal became increasingly wayward as the second half progressed, Rhiney and Bartle going closest. Despite the referee playing an extra nine minutes at the end of the game, There was no way back for the Blues.
Richard Lane