THE66POW: Newark Town 2 v Collingham 3

Wednesday 19th April 2017
CMFL North
at Station Road,Collingham
Newark Town (1) 2
Tyler Martin 31, Cole Maule 70
Collingham (2) 3
Daryl Price 28, Tom Moore 38, Jackson Buckthorp 89
Admission £3. Programme £1. Attendance 113

This absorbing tenants v landlords Station Road derby could've gone either way, right up until the very last minute, when Jackson Buckthorp claimed the final touch of the ball to steer it past Oliver Sinclair, after both sides had frantically vied to make a clean contact on Daryl Price's dipping free kick from out on the left flank.
Overall, Collingham probably had the lions share and better of the clear cut chances and would've felt that their extra effort in the attacking third warranted this win, but by the same token, Newark could consider themselves unlucky not to have held on to take a point after a solid defensive display, with Will Nelson in particular looking like a tower of strength, as he put a great shift in attempting to thwart the twin spearhead of Price and Marlon Grundy and the obvious threat they posed.

Price had two good chances inside the opening ten minutes, but his first strike, just thirty seconds in, was blocked by Ian Wade, while his second was well stopped by Sinclair.
Jayden Driver dispossessed Aaron Martin and burst forward down the left flank, but having taken a return pass from Price, the 'visitors' left back screwed his shot wide of the right hand post.
Jammy Lloyd, the Blues captain, had Newark's first chance of note, when, having surged across the edge of the six yard box, his angled shot on the turn, deflected into the waiting arms of Spencer Ellis.
The deadlock was broken in the 28th minute when, amid a scramble for possession just outside the Newark area, Price drilled home an unstoppable shot.

But the 'home' side were on level terms just three minutes later, when Tyler Martin chased the ball down as Spencer was about to kick it clear from the edge of his area, and having got the faintest of touches a split second before the Collingham keeper could make any contact, nicked it past him and ran on to roll a shot into the now unguarded net.
Sidnei Costa won the ball on the halfway line and quickly released it to Price, who in turm slipped it forward first time into the path of Tom Moore, who ran towards the right to avoid the advancing presence of Nelson before drilling the ball past Sinclair from twelve yards out.
Collingham had two more chances to increase their lead before half time: Craig Bridge released Grundy on the left and he cut in along the dead ball line towards the Blues goal before forcing a save out of Sinclair and Costa picked out Price with a long ball, but Wade forced him to turn inside to look for a shooting option and as he consequence, the diminutive front man had to rush his shot and as a consequence he struck the ball straight at Sinclair.

Newark were reduced to ten men nine minutes into the second half, when Tyler Martin was shown a straight red card for a particularly bad foul on Matt Ward, that fully warranted the match referee's decision to dismiss the Blues goalscorer on the spot.
Ironically, as often happens, Newark upped the ante despite their numerical disadvantage and as Nelson marshalled Grundy and Price, Aaron Martin paced forward down the right wing and delivered a cross into Spencer's six yard box that only needed a touch, but the Blues had nobody on hand to provide one.

Ward dropped a long free kick towards Costa but Wade reached the ball first and headed it clear at the expense of a corner which came to nothing.
But Costa was soon on the attack again, cutting through the right channel before shooting across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the left hand upright.
Bridge picked up a stray pass in the centre circle and knocked the ball out wide to Driver whose long kick found Price beyond the back post, whose effort was blocked but fell into the path of Bridge who had continued his run, but when his first time strike flew wide of the left hand post.

Sinclair did well to hold onto Driver's long shot and released the ball forward quickly, Cole Maule sprinted forward down the left before a cross towards the Collingham goal that crossed the line beneath the crossbar and either by accident or design, Newark ware on level terms in the 70th minute.
Once again, Sinclair came to the rescue, saving from Grundy as Collingham looked to regain their lead.
Danny Purves struck a free kick somewhere into a distant back garden, but minutes later planted a corner into the heart of Collingham's defence that was only cleared as far as Sam Wilford, whose spanking thirty yard shot was held by Spencer.

The game had become a real end to end affair by now, but late in the day, Jackson Buckthorp's goal claimed all three points for Collingham after Buckthorp had combined with Jack Wilkinson and Sam Biggs out on the left flank and Newark had conceded the free kick that led to the goal described above.
In stoppage time Wilkinson went to ground under a challenge by Will Carlisle in the penalty area, but the referee waved Collingham's appeals away.
Buckthorp threaded a pass through to Bridge, who looked odds on to score, but Sinclair got down to his left to pull off a great one handed save.
Bridge and Price were both thwarted by Sinclair in the final minute of added time from Driver's left wing cross... and that was that!
FT: Newark Town 2 v Collingham 3