Newark & Sherwood United 4-0 Pinchbeck United (United Counties League Premier Division North) 19.11.2022
Player-manager, Jonathan D’Laryea, is two-from-two as manager of United Counties Premier North high-fliers, Newark & Sherwood United, after The Highwaymen followed up their FA Vase win over Blackstones, with a comfortable, 4-0 win, over Pinchbeck United.
The visitors, in the bottom half of the table, put up a fight in the first-half, but succumbed to a second-half onslaught from the Notts side, Kieran Cummings with an early opener, inside ten minutes.
Benjamin Richards would be the architect, he delivering a superb, diagonal cross, Cummings collecting the ball, takes on the visiting defender, and slotted past the visiting keeper Smith.
Both sides had chances during the first period, Ross Woolley keeping the home goal intact, whilst Nyle Blake, latching onto Luke White’s free-kick, sees his effort hit the side-netting on the half hour, whilst Kian Sketchley sees an effort soar over the crossbar.
Another free-kick from White, and this time the Pinchbeck keeper saves well, pushing the ball for a corner, the hosts leading by just the one at the break.
The second period, for a while, carried on in much the same vein as the first, both sides having chances at either end, whilst Blake sees another chance go into the side-netting, just after the hour mar, before seeing a header come back off the post.
With a little over twenty minutes remaining, The Highwaymen’s dominance finally paid off, they doubling their lead when Sketchley and Blake combine down the flank, the latter taking on his marker before playing in White, who proceeds to slot the ball into an empty net for his tenth of the season.
The Pinchbeck goalkeeeper is then seen to make a double save, from Blake and White, with eighteen left on the clock, before White goes acrobatic only to see his effort also saved; now, with Toby and Luke White both on-field, the former, again, would see an effort saved, but the rebound falls to Cummings, who proceeds to tap in his second (eleven for the season), and The Highwaymen’s third, of the afternoon.
Now comfortable, player-manager D’Laryea comes on for Liam Mays and, within minutes, the decisive fourth was netted, Cummings taking on the defence before seeing his shot saved and Sketchley, with his ninth this campaign, finishes the rebound, the scorer then seeing a late volley sail over the visiting bar.
The damage though, had been done, and the hosts picked up a second successive win, keeping up the pressure on the top two, of Loughborough Students (42pts from 16 games), and Melton Town (38pts from 17 games), The Highwaymen just six behind the latter of those, having played sixteen themselves.
Next up for D’Laryea’s side, a trip to AFC Mansfield in the UCL Knockout Cup (Tuesday 22 November), followed by a trip to Belper United in the UCL (Saturday 26 November), and then the big, FA Vase clash, at home to Anstey Nomads (Saturday 3 December).
Newark & Sherwood: Ross Woolley, Ryan Ebanks, Ryley Thompson, Jermain Hollis (Toby White 80), Romaine Graham, Benjamin Richards, Luke White, Liam Mays (Jonathan D’Laryea 84), Nyle Blake (Ainsley Finney 73), Kian Sketchley, Kieran Cummings.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @GRPlusUK action from Newark’s match with Pinchbeck.
