NEWARK FLOWSERVE 0-0 STOURPORT SWIFTS: THE HONEST MATCH REPORT...

Highwaymen Held Up By Stubborn Swifts

Newark Flowserve 0-0 Stourport Swifts

The welcome at Lowfields was excellent, for I was actually expected by the club’s officials. Doesn’t happen often to me at grounds, in truth… Manager Craig Roche even came into the hospitality room to chat with me before rejoining his players in the pre-match warm-up. The match programme, priced just £1, was a fine purchase and I was told that I could film from anywhere I fancied, although I was also encouraged by Craig to film from the open side, so that the covered standing could be featured, rather than the park-like landscape on the opposite flank! I chose not to video from there though, mainly because of its exposure to the strong wind which was gaining momentum during the afternoon. However, the yellow painted markings at the front of the standing shelter, presumably to allow access across the structure, meant that I would have to film from a yard or two back, so I edged left of the shelter and stood behind the advertising hoardings which formed the perimeter of the playing area. But then the match started…

FORMALITIES...

Naturally, spectators ignored the yellow markings, folks to my right and left leaned over the barriers like they were trapped upon Word War 1 barbed wire and filming the action on the nearside touchline was a pain in the lower back. Newark fielded four new signings from higher leagues, which meant that clicking with new team-mates wasn’t going to be easy, especially on such a gusty day. The wind blew from the facilities end and Flowserve would have that advantage before the break but they were contesting Stourport skipper Matt Fulloway’s defence and really, what ensued was a struggle for the Highwaymen to nick anything from Fulloway, James Timmins, Taylor Cordell, or Lewis Platt. Goalkeeper Dom Richards was placid between the verticals and was forced into serious action only once and even that attack was contentious…

SWIFTS READY TO GO...

Thus the game laboured on, with Newark presumably out of sorts, being regularly halted in midfield, mainly due to the policing duties of Joe Billingham and particularly Martin Slevin, whose performance was exemplary, despite being forced to hack the ball clear on a number of occasions, with outlet passes not possible. 

THE EIGHTS...

WHITE & DANKS...

However, having been present at a Midland League Premier match on Tuesday evening, two of the visiting coaches were verbally abusive towards the referee in particular, yet, unlike in abuse cases towards players from different races, this evil simply continued unchallenged. At Lowfields, a Stourport player was verbally abused for daring to have hair, not skin, of a different colour and he was mercilessly abused and ridiculed during the opening period. Those spectators who initiated the abuse were likely warmed up with ale, as were those who were visibly and audibly amused by it. Badly done, Newark, badly done…

THE DUGOUTS...

Oh, yeah, there was a football match too… 

OH, DEAR...

It was not even a fairly decent spectacle to endure, however. Swifts were unable to conjure any offense before the break, although Cordell received a caution. Flowserve stuttered with the wind behind them and their efforts at goal resulted from set-pieces, errors and on one occasion from a referee’s indiscretion. Zak Goodson side-footed too high early on from debutant AJ Adelekan’s pass, he skied another shot and saw a low drive held comfortably by Richards. His other goal attempt was when the ball struck the referee but instead of stopping the game, the official played on and a right-side centre found top Flowserve goalscorer Ben Hutchinson at the left upright, but Richards threw himself at the striker and blocked the point-blank shot. The rebound was lifted over the target by Goodson…

SUBDUED...

Home skipper Ben Meadows shot low at Richards and lifted a free-kick over the right angle of crossbar and post, both efforts from the inside-left channel, whilst new, ex-Spalding striker Joel Brownhill shot vertically when well placed 12 yards from goal. His brother, Lewis, was often eager to create with passes but in the conditions, with colleagues new to him and on a surface which bobbled ground passes too readily, his influence was limited. 

THE REF SINGS TAYLOR SWIFT'S 'YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN' TO KYLE DIXON...

The players left the field at 45 minutes to eat their spotted dicks and sup mead from medieval pewter cups and I shifted to the seats behind one goal to get a clearer view of the, er, action… The Flowserve Singing Alemen followed the drum to the seating area too and thus the noise began in earnest, albeit lacking much of the abuse of the opening half.

2ND HALF...

It was still a struggle for the Highwaymen, now riding against the wind but little was created and the many balls used spent a good deal of time rising and dropping, being clouted over tree, parkland and protective netting, or turned over to the opposition. Richards advanced to beat Hutchinson to a through-pass, Lewis Brownhill rapped a Hutchinson cross wide of a post, before sibling Joel had an effort blocked by Slevin but lifted the rebound onto the roof of the net from the 18 yard line. Meadows’ stifled shot was spilled then gathered by Richards, which saw home replacement Kyle Dixon getting feisty and being rescued from a booking by Slevin’s hug and drag-away. In the closing moments Dixon drove well wide from a decent position but having the prevailing and blustery wind at their backs, the migrating Swifts maintained their rearguard composure. 

NOT HOT ENOUGH FOR A DRINKS BREAK, SO SOMEONE GOES DOWN...

Slevin shot high and wide from downtown, a Slevin corner was not really connected with beyond the far stick by Timmins and Slevin’s final seconds free-kick was whacked low into the Newark defensive wall. Mark Danks struck the best shot at goal for the guests but his free-kick was blocked by the Flowserve wall and his flying 19 yard rebound was only just too high, with largely redundant home goalie Alfie Smith-Eccles flying. Cordell received a second caution late on and was forced to walk away to the facilities by passing in front of the drummer and his choir but the Highwaymen were subsequently unable to make the extra man count in the short time available.

NEWARK: DESTINED NOT TO SCORE ON THE DAY...

Lavell White and Adelekan supported Mitch Robinson and Ben Greenwood in the home defence well enough, but in truth, visiting forwards Danks, Jack Downing (who was fortunate to escape a punishment for dissent early on) and the always willing Nick MacPherson were all offered little manageable service, to be fair. That could be said of Highwaymen Goodson, Hutchinson and Joel Brownhill too, despite the fact that they were the hosts in this contest…

Disappointing it all was and an inevitable 0-0 draw, which has now left Coventry United top of the league, two points ahead of Newark, following a 2-1 win against South Normanton at the Butts Park Arena. 

Good to see a club going places though and I thank Newark for their kind hospitality. Credit though to Swifts, weakened by missing players, who rallied round Richards, Timmins, Slevin and especially the outstanding Fulloway, to steal from the Highwaymen. 

Rare, that…   

TEAMS:

NEWARK FLOWSERVE:

ALFIE SMITH-ECCLES, LAVELL WHITE, AJ ADELEKAN, BEN GREENWOOD, MITCH ROBINSON, JERMAINE HOLLIS, DANNY MEADOWS (CAPT), LEWIS BROWNHILL, JOEL BROWNHILL, BEN HUTCHINSON, ZAK GOODSON.

SUBS:

TOM POTTS, KYLE DIXON, LAWRENCE GORMAN, JACK BECKETT, SEAN WOOLLEY.

STOURPORT SWIFTS:

DOM RICHARDS, TAYLOR CORDELL, LEWIS PLATT, JOE BILLINGHAM, JAMES TIMMINS, MATT FULLOWAY (CAPT), JACK DOWNING, MARTIN SLEVIN, NICK MACPHERSON, KARTEL O’NEIL-MARTIN, MARK DANKS.

SUBS:

JOE HANSON, AARON BRETT, BEN ESPLEY, SAM HOWARD, ELLIOTT LEES.