Retford United 3-0 Newark Town (Central Midlands League Challenge Cup Round One) 21.01.22
The opening round of the Central Midlands League Challenge Cup competition through up a local rivalry as Liam Kay’s Badgers welcomed Nathan Arnold’s Newark Town to Cannon Park for a game under the Friday night lights.
As the hosts put on a dominant display, throughout the ninety minutes, scoring three, and keeping the visitors restricted to a minimal number of efforts on Tom Crosby’s goal, the hosts would be seen to finish with ten men following the dismissal of Ben Newman, and Harry Haywood would pick the ball out of the net three times.
Surprisingly, there was just the one goal separating the two sides at the interval, and that coming from the penalty spot on the half hour mark, and that after both sides had created a number of chances apiece in which to open the scoring.
The irresistible Danny Booth would create an early chance for the Badgers, whilst Abu Wadada and Jonny Wiles, the latter heading over Crosby’s bar, gave the visitors a sniff of goal; the penalty though, despatched by Mark West, past Harry Haywood, knocked the stuffing out of the visitors.
Early in the second period some beautiful ball-play from the hosts culminated in the second goal being scored, Charlie Dawes taking the final ball on the edge of the box and firing home past Heywood; shortly after the Badgers went two up, Town were down to ten men when Newman saw red for two bookable offences.
Heading into the final quarter, Badgers boss, Kay, would bring on Ben Thornton, in place of scorer, Mark West, and minutes later it would be he who’d add the third when pouncing on a defensive error from the hosts, and proceeded to slot the ball into the empty net.
The visitors gained a rare sight of Crosby’s goal when, in the final ten minutes, Town would grab two chances in quick succession, Crosby pulling off a double save, first from a Mason Wilson-Rhiney effort, from distance, then the follow-up off Elliott Burrell.
It was to be too little, too late for Town, and they being rare shots on the home goal, the Badgers would be seen to progress to the Second Round on the back of a more-than comfortable, 3-0 win.
Next up for both sides, and back on Central Midlands League duty, Retford United travel to AFC Phoenix, and Newark Town are on the road at Sherwood Colliery Reserves, both on Saturday 29 January.
Retford United: Tom Crosby, Jason Paling, Tom Brook, Danny Booth, Stuart Ludlam, Aaron Fell (Mason Barlow 78), Charlie Dawes (Adam Daughtrey 62), Igor Mlynarski, Brandon Kane, Charlie Baird, Mark West (Ben Thornton 70).
Newark Town: Harry Haywood, Sidnei Costa, Ben Sharpe, Rhys Lewis, James Gardner, Ben Newman, Jonny Wiles, Jackson Buckthorp, Lewis Chambers (Mason Wilson-Rhiney 62), Nathan Arnold, Abu Wadada (Elliott Burrell 69).
Venue: Cannon Park
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @RetfordUnited Friday night action from Cannon Park.