Newark & Sherwood United 3-2 Carlton Town (Notts FA Senior Cup Final) 02.05.23
There’s a new name on the Notts FA Senior Cup board of honours as United Counties outfit Newark & Sherwood United beat Carlton Town in the final on Tuesday night at Eastwood to lift the trophy for the first time in the clubs briefest of history, one year since rebranding.
Ok, the club have been long formed, originally as Worthington Simpson from back in 1901, they more recently played as Newark Flowserve and for a season Newark FC (no relation to the early Notts FA Cup winners in 1895 & 1904) but last summer changed their name after moving to Collingham and this season have held their own, finishing eighth in the UCL Premier Division North as well as reaching the final of the Notts FA Cup, beating a young Nottingham Forest team along the way.
That 2-0 win in the semi-finals at a packed Station Road set up a final against Northern Premier League regulars Carlton Town, themselves having struggled during a miserable campaign which ended thankfully with safety from relegation, ensuring step 8 for another season to come, the Millers beating Mansfield Town on penalties in their semi-final, the current holders having reached the last three finals on the trot.
The game itself was an entertaining match at the Halbrooke Stadium home of Eastwood CFC, screened live on YouTube for Grassroots TV, and it was Newark who took an early lead on 5 minutes when Kieran Cummings rounded the goalkeeper to put his side one up.
Things got even better for Newark on sixteen as Cummings doubled his and his sides tally with a near post strike into the top corner, the team from a step below pre-game favourites Carlton should have trebled their advantage through the man of the moment, who missed a 35th minute penalty for his hat-trick after Luke White was brought down inside the box.
The second half saw pressure from Carlton and it looked to be fended well off by Newark until the closing stages when the Millers pulled a goal back with only six minutes remaining. Nat Watson netting to set up a frantic finale but that tension was eased again as a penalty conceded by Carlton ended up with White, again fouled and this time the man himself stepped up to dispatch to make it 3-1.
In the fifth minute of added time, central defender Dean Freeman scored for Carlton a late consolation, Newark enduring a couple of nervy minutes to cling on, but seeing it out, to take home the gong after what was largely a top performance in a toughly contested game of football.
A fitting way to end the season for Manager Jonathan D’Laryea and his side in tangerine, whilst Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey will be frustrated on finishing a season they’ll want to forget with Carlton.
Newark & Sherwood United: Woolley, Ebanks, Graham, King, Thompson, Mays, L. White, Rajter, Cummings, Blake, Sketchley. Subs: Finney, T. White, Arbouin, Bonel, Slone.
Carlton Town: Emery, Sargent, Durow, Brown, Freeman, Holmes, Davie, Elliott, Watson, O’Conner, Hylton. Subs: Troke, Gorman, Tomlin, Marzano, Dixon.
Venue: Halbrooke Stadium
*Main image @Steve_W_Davies captain Romaine Graham lifts the trophy for N&S United.
