The ups, downs & travels of The Highwaymen. 5 Seasons, 3 names, 3 homes
The ups, downs & travels of The Highwaymen.
5 Seasons, 3 names, 3 homes.
Most recently Newark & Sherwood United were crowned “the best team in Nottingham” with a 3-2 triumph in the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup Final over Carlton Town. But that’s how this story ends so, we’ll come back to this later.
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| Photo courtesy of Steve Davies @Steve_W_Davies |
We start in 1902 when a club was formed as A.J. Simpson
& Co. With a few different names over more than a century in football and
some league and cup wins along the way. It was a name change to Newark
Flowserve in 2001 then a subsequent change to the Notts Senior League 12 years
later that kicked this footballing story into action and with ambition looked
to put the town of Newark on the modern footballing map.
In the Notts Senior League (Step 7) Flowserve appointed
Craig Roche & Steve Kirkham for the 16/17 season. With a mid-table finish
that season it would be the next that kicked on the side playing at the
Lowfields ground. In the 17/18 season, Newark Flowserve would win the Notts
Senior League at a canter racking up 93 points and scoring 135 goals in 31 wins
while going unbeaten for the first 22 games of the season. Elliot King scored
53 himself in the process.
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| Photo Courtesy of @EmmaGroundGuide |
The 18/19 season would see Flowserve’s 1st in step 6 pyramid football as they took their place in The East Midlands Counties League and the step up wouldn’t faze them as they would gain back-to-back promotion from step 6 to step 5 finishing second behind Selston on 88 points scoring 139 goals in the process. Sam Agar with 30 goals for the season is Flowserve’s top scorer. This season would also see the Lowfields ground set a post-war attendance record as on 29th of December 2018 saw 673 attend a 2-2 draw between Flowserve & Selston. The season would also end with Flowserve picking up their back-to-back league cup wins to add to promotion this season.
After the promotion the season before. The 19/20 season
would see Flowserve compete at step 5 for the first time in their history with
some further travel to go with it too as they would be placed in the Midland
Football League Premier. The Highwaymen’s first match at step 5 would see 300
in attendance at Lowfields against Worcester City and an entertaining 4-3 win
to go with it. This season would also see Flowserve enter the FA Vase for the
first time. The FA Vase run ended in the 4th round defeat away in deepest
darkest Preston to Longridge Town however Newark did knock out County Hall,
Skegness Town, Heather St Johns, Rugby Town & AFC Mansfield along the way.
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| Photo Courtesy of @EmmaGroundGuide |
With Newark Flowserve sat 4th in the Midland Football League
Premier, as well as in the semi-finals of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup &
the MFL League Cup. The covid pandemic would stop play. The last game under the
works team name of Newark Flowserve would be played on 14/03/2020 away at
Haughmond which would end in a 3-2 victory to the side from Newark with goals
from Lewis Brownhill & Danny Meadows.
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| Photo Courtesy of The Grassroots Plus Podcast @GRPlusUK |
In May 2020 due to FA rulings concerning sponsorship and
regulations for promoted teams. The Highwaymen at the request of The FA would
drop the Flowserve from their name and be known as Newark FC.
Under a new name with the ambitions of growing football in
the town of Newark. Competitive football would restart on September the 1st
2020. The now Newark FC would start the season with their 1st ever season in
The FA Cup. This run started with an impressive 4-0 FA Cup win over Deeping
Rangers in front of a covid capacity sell-out of 250 spectators. On this cup
run would also see one of the most impressive and best results in club history.
A 5-0 away win at step 3 and phoenix football league cup AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
After beating Deeping Rangers, Maltby Main & AFC Rushden & Diamonds.
Newark’s FA Cup run would end at Step 3 Mickleover FC with a 4-1 defeat. This
would see striker Elliot King score his 99th and final goal for the Newark side
falling just 1 short of a century with his time at the club.
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| Photo Courtesy of @EmmaGroundGuide |
With just 10 league games played and sat in 4th place again.
Football would stop leaving just The FA Vase to place 6 weeks after league
football stopped. The last game at the Lowfields ground would end in an 8-7 penalties
loss to Walsall Wood in front of a Covid capacity crowd of 150. Ben Hutchinson
is the last goal scorer from open play in the 118 years of The Lowfields
ground.
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| Photo Courtesy of The Grassroots Plus Podcast @GRPlusUK |
With the future of the club now uncertain and the Lowfields ground being sold from behind the clubs back for just £1. The Highwaymen
would now be on the road and need to find a home from home. It would be
announced that a groundshare with Basford United, just the 25 miles and 50
minute drive from the former Lowfields ground. Along with the new shared home.
Newark FC would now find themselves laterally moved in the non-league
restructure. United Counties League Premier North would be their landing spot.
This would be the start of a turmoil season for the club. With changes in the
dugout throughout the season. Stephan Kirkham leaving, Craig Roach brought in
Paul Rawden to help on the coaching side.
With the seasons on recent memory, all throwing up
successful seasons. This would be one to forget. Newark FC finished 1 point
above the relegation spots in 16th. An unsettled chaotic season also saw Newark
use 81 players throughout the season with just 7 appearing in more than 20
games. The buzz around the club also seems to go with the absence of them
playing in their hometown. Pre-pandemic record attendances and turning fans
away when capacities were limited were a thing of the past. The season would
start with 200+ attendance at Greenwich Av against Eastwood CFC but would hit
multiple lows of 65 towards the end of the season. Very much of sight out of
mind for the people of Newark.
As a fan of Newark FC and looking from the outside. You
would have the say the positives to come out of this season would be 1, the
club survived the season, and 2, they kept their step 5 status.
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| Photo Courtesy of The Grassroots Plus Podcast @GRPlusUK |
The 22/23 season would be a new dawn for The Highwaymen. Under new leadership, under a new manager, under a new name, playing at a new ground in what was a summer of change.
Former Lincoln City chairman would start 2022 as a sponsor of
rivals Newark Town Steff Wright would see his proposal of a merger between FC
& Town be rejected and take over Newark FC. The first thing he would do is
rename the club Newark & Sherwood United making this the 3rd name in 4
seasons. Adding to this a new ground share would be agreed with Collingham FC
bringing the side back local at Collingham’s Station Road ground as well as
investing in the facility to bring it up to step 5 standards. Next on Wright’s
agenda was bringing in ex-pro Nathan Arnold from Newark Town to be the 1st
manager under the Newark & Sherwood name.
It's not just footballing changes for The Highwaymen. Under
Wright, United are leading the way in grassroots football by serving a full
plant-based menu at Station Road trying to change up how we consume and what we
consume on a match day.
Back to the pitch, Nathan Arnold wouldn’t be around for long
as he left for pastures new at Cleethorpes Town with then-player and
ex-Manchester City & Mansfield Town man Jon D’Laryea taking the reins. This
is where The Highwaymen’s season would kick into gear. Finishing the season
comfortably in 8th place in the United Counties League Premier North but making
a bigger impression in the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup. After a 3-0 defeat to
Basford United and an administrative error on the part of The Yellow’s. Newark
& Sherwood would find themselves up against Premier League Nottingham
Forest’s under-23 side. Over 1000 fans would pack into Station Road to see
N&S United come out 2-0 winners on the night, Nyle Blake & James
Gardner on the scoresheet and setting up a final against step 4 Carlton Town.
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A date set for the 2nd of May for one of the biggest finals in the club’s history at the home of Notts County, Meadow Lane stadium. Well… Maybe not. Due to Notts involvement in the playoffs. Access to their facilities was denied for cup final use so all roads lead to Coronation Park, Eastwood. For the first time in their history with a 3-2 win. Newark and Sherwood United would lift the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup. 2 goals from Kieran Cummings and Luke White adding their names to club folk law.
No matter where N&S United plays, no matter what league they play in, no matter what name they go under. They have a group of passionate and vocal fans who will always make themselves heard.
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| Taken from N&S United's twitter on the night of the final |
On the back of their senior cup win. N&S United look like an ambitious side who will look to progress up the pyramid while looking for full growth on and off the pitch. I certainly with the best of luck and looking forward to seeing the project that Steff Wright is trying to achieve goes.
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| The Notts Senior Cup outside the gates at The Lowfields Ground Photo courtesy from N&S United twitter account |
I hope you have all enjoyed this piece as I try to expand the content I put out on this blog. I first remember seeing "Flowserve" at the Shilo Ground Awsworth in a very competitive 2-0 win for Awsworth Villa. This was "Flowserve's" 2nd defeat of their NSL title winning season. From that point i've always kept an eye out for them as a team on the up.
The Newark and Sherwood story is most certainly an interesting one in which I think this blog has just touched the surface on. For the team who will always have an orange kit, the future does look bright.
Finally a thank you to...
Steve W Davies @Steve_W_Davies for allowing me to use some of his fantastic pictures.
Max from Emma's ground guide for allowing me use of some of their fantastic pictures check out Max & Emma's ground reviews at Emmasgroundguide.co.uk.
Dave & Mick from The Grassroots Plus Podcast @GRPlusuk for allowing me to use their fantastic pictures
Check out the award nominated Grassroots Plus on Spotify below or wherever you get your podcasts.
https://open.spotify.com/show/0z5NV9HRJYKLwGJ1K0dBxS?si=dcb65816633746d7
Until the next one,
Peace,
Luke @PL2NL
