UP NEXT, after four losses in a row, Kimberley Miners Welfare welcomes Newark & Sherwood United to Greenwich Avenue as they bid to get their season back on track after a November to forget.

With five matches played so far in November, the miners only win came via penalties on the first day of the month in the league cup. Since then, wins have become somewhat hard to come by. This run of form has seen the miners slip to fifth spot in the league albeit with two games in hand on Newark Town in second place and the three teams just behind the playoff places. A win today could be the start of a turnaround that would keep promotion hopes alive.

Newark & Sherwood United come to Basford in the midst of a nightmare season that sees them sitting bottom of the league as we near the halfway stage of the campaign. With games in hand on everyone up to thirteenth, the Highwaymen will see today's match as an opportunity to capitalise on the hosts poor form and take the points to move them out of the relegation places. With their last victory coming in October, today’s visitors will feel that three points are long overdue.

Last weekend, Kimberley welcomed Melton Town to Basford, who themselves were having a poor season so far. Melton took an early lead eleven minutes into the game through Luther Munakandafa, only to see Sacha Markelic level just four minutes later. Munakandafa bagged his second, and the winner, coincidentally with eleven minutes of normal time remaining.
Full Time - Kimberley Miners Welfare 1-2 Melton Town.

Newark & Sherwod’s last match came in the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup as they went out to Notts County’s B team. Finlay Armond and Josh Parker’s goals were not enough as the more famous visitors scored three times to go into the next round.
Full Time - Newark & Sherwood united 2-3 Notts County B

LAST TIME AROUND

The last meeting between the two sides came in December last year as we faced Newark & Sherwood United at the Stag Ground. Despite dominating the first half, they found themselves 2-0 down at half time. Midway through the second half, Neo Sanchez Saunders grabbed a goal back for the miners. With minutes to go, the visitors regained their two goal cushion, only for Lewis Partridge to set up a late charge with a second for Kimberley. The home side undeservedly went 3-2 down after a very strong performance, leaving them feeling that they should be the ones taking the points form the game.

The two sides met in early October in horrendous conditions. Keiran Walker scored for the hosts in the first half and Benni Wilson made sure of the points in the second to send Kimberley home with a 2-0 loss.

The previous season, the two sides were separated by seven points and two spots in the league, with both ending the season in the bottom half of the table.

The away match was at the end of March 2023. The sides finished level, with both goals being scored in the first four minutes of the match. Kole Lambert opened the scoring for Kimberley, with Luke White equalising for the home side. Full time 1-1.

The match at The Stag Ground was played in August of the same year Luke White and Tom Jones gave the visitors a half time lead, with Toby White making it 3-0 just after half time. Sam Brown and Aaron Coyle scored for Kimberley as they made a fight of it in the second half as the match finished 3-2 to Newark & Sherwood.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

Founded in 1901 as A.J. Simpson and Co., the football club began life in the Newark Ironmongers’ League. No records survive from those early days, but it is known that in 1935 the club, now renamed Worthington Simpson, entered the Nottingham Spartan League. After winning back-to-back titles, Simmo’s or the Works (as the club became known locally) joined the Notts Alliance League in 1949, going on to win that title in the momentous football years of 1953 and 1966. The Notts Alliance Cup brought the club’s greatest success up to that point, first in 1970 beating Notts Combined Police two-nil in a replay at Notts County’s Meadow Lane ground and then the trophy returning to Newark in 1972 after an epic five-three extra time victory. The trophy returned to Newark again 1981, 1989 and finally 1999. Name changes followed in the late ‘90s, first to IDP and then to Newark Flowserve, and in 2004 the club’s name was entered into the first level of the FA’s national pyramid by joining the Central Midlands League Premier Division. Following a short break, the first team re-formed in 2013 and finished a creditable third in Notts Senior League (NSL) Division Two, securing promotion to the First Division. Another successful campaign followed a year later when the team finished runners-up and clinched their place in the NSL Premier Division, taking the club back to step seven football. In 2001 they changed name again, to Newark Flowserve, and in 2004 they opted to join the Central Midlands League. After a five-year stint in the CML, Flowserve joined the Nottinghamshire Senior League.

In 2018, the club won 31 of its 34 league matches to secure the league championship, and with it promotion to Step 6. In May 2018 their promotion to the East Midlands Counties League was ratified by the Football Association League Committee. The club won promotion to the Midland league at the end of the 2018/19 season. In May 2020 the club was again renamed, to Newark. At the end of the 2020–21 season they were transferred to the Premier Division North of the United Counties League. The end of the 2020/21 witnessed the final ever game at Lowfields following their ground being sold to a property developer. The club played their home games for the season 2021/22 at Basford Utd's Greenwich Ave ground. In May 2022 the club again changed name, this time to Newark and Sherwood United F.C. and the club moved to share with Collingham F.C. at Station Road, Collingham. In May 2023 the club won the Notts Senior Cup for the first time in their history by beating Carlton Town 3-2 in the final played at Eastwood. From 2024/25 the club are ground sharing with Harrowby United FC in Grantham.

Honours
Notts Alliance League - Champions 1948/49, 1952/53, 1965/66.
Notts Alliance Cup 1969/70, 1971/72, 1980/81, 1988/89, 1998/99
Nottinghamshire Senior League - Champions 2017/18
EMCL Cup Winners 2018/19
Nottinghamshire Senior Cup Champions 2022/23

FINALLY

Both sides will be in search of victory in a bid to improve recent form. Kimberley, while having had an amazing start to the season, have lost their last four matches and will be keen on returning to winning ways. Newark & Sherwood will be desperate to take the points to move off the foot of the table

We expect both teams to be at it from the start and hope for an exciting encounter.

The match has been very kindly sponsored by Sosig Roll Dave

Kick off is at 15:00

See you there