Tony Smith reports
NEWARK FLOWSERVE recorded their 13th successive win and it proved to be unlucky for hosts Gedling Miners’ Welfare as they were washed away in the rain at Plains Road on Saturday afternoon.
Danny Meadows, who marked his Flowserve debut with four goals against Arnold Town, scored his second hat-trick of the season to take his tally to an impressive 15 from midfield, while Jammy Lloyd snapped into two tackles early on which earned him the run of the field for the remainder of a match played in the freezing rain which swept down the pitch.
Struggling Gedling had raised the hopes of their supporters with improving results in their previous three games, including a win against Collingham in the county cup, but they had no answer to the orange storm before them as The Highwaymen cantered to a 7-1 victory.
The home side will claim the departure of their injured keeper in the 20th minute had a big say in the proceedings, with debutant Matt Fowler - normally a left-back - coming off the bench to take the gloves. But he had ten colleagues in front of him who looked equally at sea, and Flowserve could have made more of their unexpected advantage with a little more composure.
The Lowfields side were unchanged from their crucial win at Eastwood the previous week, and the game was only six minutes old when Tyrell Shannon-Lewis ended his comparative barren patch. The outstanding Jammy Lloyd laid the ball off to Sol Miller and his first-time cross enabled ‘Tizer’ to rise unchallenged to head his 12th goal in nine games - after going two matches without scoring.
Gedling had centre-forward Jimmy Rusby, who plays for Newark Town on Sundays, making his first start for the club but he, like his team-mates, was a mere spectator as Lloyd and Meadows orchestrated a string of opportunities at the other end.
It took until five minutes from the interval for the ball to land in the net once more, and that came from a free-kick from the right from Meadows that sailed in without interference. Then Tizer struck again to give the half-time scoreline a better reflection of the gap between the two teams.
Flowserve were playing with the tide in the second half, and they began without leading scorer Sam Agar. He had netted in each of his six previous outings, but left the fray at the intermission to save him for greater challenges ahead.
Eight minutes had elapsed when the industrious Jack Beckett played a neat reverse pass to let in last season’s leading marksman Elliot King to net his 11th goal of an injury-hit campaign.
Jimmy Spiers got a meagre consolation for the drenched hosts before Meadows solidly side-footed a fifth for Flowserve after Tizer turned provider.
Then, with the Christmas lights twinkling on the nearby street, Flowserve gave their joyful and triumphant travelling support more to celebrate by adding a further brace to round off the proceedings in the final nine minutes.
First Beckett netted a reward for his tireless industry when he fired home from the edge of the box after more good work by Tizer on the left, and then nimble footwork from sub Callum Smith saw him dance between the puddles before setting up Meadows to complete his hat-trick.
Newark Flowserve: 1 Joe Searson; 2 Sol Miller; 3 Chris Richards; 4 Tom Potts (captain) (Curtis Price 61mins); 5 Rhys Lewis; 6 Jammy Lloyd; 7 Jack Beckett; 8 Danny Meadows; 9 Sam Agar (Callum Smith HT); 10 Tyrell Shannon-Lewis; 11 Elliot King (Michael Attard 65mins).
Attendance: 53.