Having missed football for a few weeks I journeyed to Newark-on-Trent to enjoy all that is good with the game.
It didn’t start well as Google maps took me to ‘Valley Prospect’, research had prepared me though, this had been their ground and teams still play there with the Senior men’s team now playing at the YMCA Community and activity Village.
The YMCA Community and Activity Village is an amazing new facility with a wide range of sports, education, training, hospitality, childcare and social gathering space. There is ample tarmacked parking with a specific area for football, cricket and Athletics. The entrance to the football via a gate and past the wooden hut is not auspicious but you enter a new ultra flat synthetic pitch area that has been developed for Newark Town to play at their current level and above, with scope to go further if necessary. There is hard standing all round the pitch with a covered seated stand on one side and a smaller one on the other just offset from the dugouts. A small shelter near one corner of an end would keep you dry in a down poor but you may also catch a bus as it looks like a bus stop.
The catering facilities are ‘POSH’ as they are part of a central hub for other activities. No chips here so I settled down to read my programme with an Almond Croissant and a coffee, I told you it was posh. The facilities were well used before the game and at half time.
Also just inside the ground was ‘Santa’ and I wandered which team had been naughty or nice to get his help once the game started. Santa gave out presents to some of the junior team and at half time there was a hit the cross bar competition for juniors. There is certainly an all inclusive feel to the club.
The ‘Bring a Mate to Double the Gate’ promotion had only produced 148 fans which Is at Newark’s average gate. Disappointing perhaps but with all of the competing family activities at this time of year I thought it was a result. The weather was also kind with clear blue skies with the occasional wispy white and grey cloud, no wind and a temperature of 10 degrees.
I sat in the stand near what turned out to be the local ‘Ultra’s’, a group of about 15, mainly teenagers who chanted, shouted through a megaphone and beat a drum.
Saturday 16th December 2023; Kick off 15.00 pm. United Counties League Division One; 3rd v 10th
YMCA Community and Activity Village, Lord Hawke Way, Newark-on-Trent, NG24 4FH
Newark, Sky blue shirts with black shorts. Dunkirk, All red.
Newark Town FC 2 Dunkirk FC 5
No one gained the initiative in the first 15 minutes with the pattern of play mainly long balls and lots of verbal comment. This was broken only a minute later when the away team slotted a through ball to Jack Thatcher on the left of goal who drew the keeper and despatched it into the right side of the net. Newark did not give up and equalised on 23 minutes when Ryan Smith who was unmarked took the ball forward for most of half the pitch and just riffled it into the far corner.
Dunkirk responded positively and took control of the game and it was no surprise that on 41 minutes, a minute after the floodlights came on, that after some neat inter-passing on the right the ball found its way to Jack Thatcher whose shot deflected upwards and into the goal despite despairing attempts to keep it out by defenders. It didn’t stop there as within 2 minutes that man Jack Thatcher completed his hattrick when his pace defeated the defence and he was able to slide the ball along the ground into the back of the net.
HT Newark 1 Dunkirk 3
Newark came out for the second half fired up and competed at some pace but were denied three good chances by Dunkirk’s goalkeeper.
Dunkirk’s right back, Andrew Tsolakis, had been receiving some verbal’s from the crowd, singing ” No2 we’re taller than you”, went forward after 60 minutes and from the centre of the goal just outside the goalkeeping area thumped the ball home for a 4.1 lead for the visitors. At this time of year I’m sure he was thinking ‘Ho Ho Ho’ as he ran to the abusing fans with his hand cupped to his ears.
With 68 minutes substitute Elliot King reduced the arrears with a tap in after some very neat play all the way from the back. Newark now exerted some real pressure and should have been awarded a penalty for a foul that appeared to be in the penalty area but which both officials deemed to have been minutely outside.
As time ran out and with no reward for their efforts Newark were caught out again with Declan Brown racing through, his fierce shot gave the goalkeeper no chance to stop Dunkirk’s fifth.
A great game and venue which lived up to my hope of seeing football at its best, thank you everyone. Perhaps you can help the home team next time Santa.
payonthegate 