Newington Village Football Club

Newington got themselves back into the winning groove with this win against 10 man Deanview. In a game that was all to easy from the start Newington continually laboured to stamp any real authority on the game - and really should have hit double figures and would have done but for some woeful finishing, good goalkeeping and the intervention of the woodwork.

Andy Turnham established himself amongst the leagues' leading scorers as he notched a personal tally of 5 goals, James Reynolds got his first double of the season and veteran player manager Ian Smith came of the bench for a last 10 minutes up front and completed the scoring with a close range header.

This was an all too comfortable win achieved without really getting out of second gear, though hopefully this will help banish the nightmares of the previous weeks' result.

Newington Village had a game they will like to forget quickly against new league leaders Cliffe Woods Colts as they were walloped 4-0 by a vibrant Cliffe Woods.

Too many of the Newington players appeared to be suffering from the excesses of the previous nights' trip to the dogs as they continually gifted possesion to the opposition. Having said that, Cliffe Woods were worth their win and but for some poor finishing and good goalkeeping by Smith they could have won by a far more convincing scoreline.

The only positive Newington could take away from this game was that they have an opportunity to put things right very soon as they face Cliffe Woods again in 3 weeks time.

Newington came away from this hard fought match with Cuxton with all 3 points and their promotion push still in place. This now makes it 6 straight wins on the bounce for Newington and the team is full of confidence and a real belief in what they can achieve.

The game opened at a brisk pace and Newington could have been ahead as early as the third minute, when a snap shot from Speller brought a smart save from the Cuxton 'keeper.

The match swung from end to end and Cuxton could count themselves unlucky as 2 goal line clearnaces from Paul Byrne and a rebound from the crossbar denied them, so it was possibly slightly against the run of play when Andy Turnham opened the scoring for Newington, firing over the keeper with a first time volley from 25 yards, a lead Newington managed to hold until early into the second half.

Slack picking up in midfield, on the hour mark, allowed Cuxton to break away 3 against 1 and despite a save from the first effort by Jarrett in the Newington goal, a Cuxton striker was able to bundle the ball over the line for the equalizer.

Changes were made to try and win back some midfield superiority, with Andy Turnham being withdrawn to try and save his damaged thigh, Luke Parker replacing and Ben Huntley standing down to allow brother Jonny a run, Paul Reynolds pulling in from wide right to slot into the centre mid slot.

The change seemed to give Newington new momentum and in a classic smash and grab, scored two goals in the last 15 minutes through league leading scorer Shaun Speller to take the game and the points with a 3-1 victory.

Newington now take their unbeaten run to face fellow promotion challengers Cliffe Woods Colts next week in a match that could have a massive bearing on the fate of this seasons sliverware.

Newington Village FC progressed to the third round of the KCFA Junior Trophy with this comfortable win over Medway League Division 4 side AFC Barnfield.

Using the big pitch at Woodstock, Newington were able to spread the ball around to their quick front line and tore into Barnfield from the start. But for slacking off towards the end of play Newington would surely have reached double figures, but there can be few complaints as Newington marked up their fifth straight win on the bounce, with 29 goals scored during this run.

Newington Village FC moved into third place in Division Five with this win over improved Sheerness East. Having already beaten their opponents 6-0 earlier in the season Newington may have expected a much tougher game than this.

As it was Sheerness came at Newington early on, and once again the slow start cost, as Sheerness took the lead. Fortunately for Newington Sheerness were fielding an inexperienced keeper and it was through two mistakes from the keeper that Newington were able to get themselves back into the game.

First he was unable to stop a shot from Luke Parker, only succeeding in deflecting into his own net and shortly after was only able to get a hand to an Andy Turnham free-kick that went straight over him.

Despite this luck Newington once again shot themselves in the foot as poor defending allowed Sheerness to grab an immediate equalizer to make the score 2-2 at half time.

This season Newington are made of sterner stuff, and whereas in previous years they would probably have crumbled to defeat, they are now able to dig deep and grind out results when playing badly. Chubbie Oswell put Newington in front with a header from a James Reynolds corner before Mark Rothery tied up the scoring with a close range effort.

Newington Village FC now go into Kent cup action on the back of a 4 match winning streak and hope to extend this further in coming weeks.

Newington Village FC cruised to an empthatic win against mid table opponents Darland Athletic. With Shaun Speller and Andy Turnham firing on all cylinders Darland had little chance of living with the indominatable front line. Also on target on the day was Darren Delport with a crisp strike from the edge of the box.

Newington recorded their first league win of the season, in comfortable, if not convincing fashion. A brace apiece from strike partners Andy Turnham and Shaun Speller was more than enough to see Newington home by four goals to two.

 Newington Village FC eased into the Second Round of the KCFA Junior Trophy with this comfortable win over Division Four side Stirling 2000. A hat-trick from Shaun speller and an own goal were enough to see Newington through to the next stage.

 Newington Village FC progressed to the First Round of the Kenty Junior Trophy, after this hard fought win over Combination sided Oak Athletic, in the Preliminary Round.

Playing against the wind and the slope in the first half Newington found themselves pinned back in their own half for long periods of play. Oak Athletic's direct style suited the conditions and their speedy forwards caused the ageing Newington defence problems. Newington's cause wasn't helped by several vain attempts at playing the offside trap, only to be caught out.

 This was to be their undoing for the first goal as last man Richard Woolstone played on an Oak striker, as the rest of the defence pulled up, leaving the forward to score at the second attempt, after a good save by Tony Jarrett in the Newington goal denied his first effort.

 Jarrett was by far the busier of the keepers in the first half and had to be alert to a couple more Oak chances. Slowly Newington did get back into the game, and when they had the ball at their feet and were able to feed the wide men, they looked dangerous. Leigh Wildish in particular caused the Oak defence problems though the fowards were always unable to apply the finishing touch to any opportunities that arose.

 Newington should have been on level terms five minutes before the break as a geat interchange of passes down their right hand side saw Mark Rothery whip in a low hard cross that debutant striker Luke Parker stretched to reach, it seemed destined to be a goal, but unfortunately Parker was unable to control his effort and it cleared the bar.

 Fortunately Newington didn't have to wait too long to get level, as just minutes later Rothery was on hand to scramble the ball over the line from close range for the equaliser.

 The second half opened with Newington by far the stronger side and nerves were finally settled, when after a host of opportunities had gone begging, Andy Turnham added the second from a corner. This was closely followed by a speculative effort from distance from Paul Reynolds that caught the Oak keeper out of position to put Newington 3-1 up.

 Substitutions were made at this stage to give everyone a game, though this was possibly the catalyst for Newington taking their collective feet off the gas, as Oak gained domination in midfield, though without really creating too many opportunities save for the odd long distance shot.

 With 5 minutes remaining Oak did get themselves back into the game as a strike from 30 yards caught Jarrett in two minds whether to catch or push the ball over the bar, he only suceeded in pushing the ball onto the bar and was slower to react to the rebound then the Oak strikers as Oak scored to make it 2-3.

 Jarrett had the opportunity to redeem himself shortly after, as he brilliantly saved at the strikers' feet when one on one.

 Newington will meet Medway Messenger Division Four side Stirling 2000 in round one on October 7th.

 For once Newington turned up and fired on all cylinders right from the kick off in this Medway Messenger Junior Trophy tie against fellow Division Five opponents, Sheerness East.

 It never looked like Sheerness would repeat last season's treble over Newington as wave after wave of Newington pressure saw Sheerness constantly pinned back in their own half. Andy Turnham relished the new found role up front and duly returned two goals for his days' endeavours, an effort that unanimously won him man of the match for the second week running.

 Further efforts were added by Paul Reynolds, two from Darren Delport and a screamer from Ben Huntley to wrap up the tie and send Newington into the second round.

 Maybe, just maybe Newington's name might be destined for some silverware this season!

 Well, as is to probably be expected with Newington the first game came and went and once again it was a case of what ifs.

 Newington conceeded much of the early possesion as they were once again slow to start, the midfield in particular were not quick enough to gain possesion and the ball was given away far too cheaply at times.

 There was an early let off when a Tempest striker lobbed keeper Smith as he came out, as everyone watched on expecting a goal, the ball took a wicked bounce off the hard ground and bounced up on to the crossbar and back to the grateful arms of the keeper.

 This let off seemed to inspire Newington as they then created a series of half chances themselves, unfortunately a combination of poor finishing and good keeping saw these chances come to nothing. At the other end Smith had to be alert to thwart a couple of one on one chances to keep the scores level at half time.

 At this stage Newington looked the more likely to score and go on and win the game, and but for a sloppy 5 minute spell probably would have done, first the defence was too easily beaten to allow a Tempest striker to run on and finish, then minutes later hesitation by Smith in goal allowed a soft header to creep in at his near post, to make the score 0-2.

 Still, with over 30 minutes remaining Newington knew the game wasn't over and they went at their opposition and created chance after chance, but just couldn't apply the finishing touch. It seemed that if they could just get the first goal then surely the floodgates would open... but the first goal never came as Speller, Rothery, Wildish and Turnham all had efforts blocked or missed.

There were plenty of positives to be taken from the game, but unfortunately the same old negatives... slow start, giving the ball away to cheaply, missing too many chances and giving away sloppy goals. These things all cost Newington dearly last season, and let's hope this won't be repeated too often this one!

Newington Village FC played their opening friendly of the new season against Sheppey League side Grove Park, at Co. Steel, Sheerness.

Fielding a new and unfamiliar line-up Newington were slow out of the traps, with Grove Park's midfield soon gaining dominance. The use of roll-on roll-off subs gave Newington the opportunity to experiment with their formation and try and find a balance that would suit their game.

Half-time found the scores still equal, though Newington's Tony Jarrett had certainly been the busier of the keepers. Further changes were made at half time to try and give all involved a fair crack, but it was this uncertainty in the line-up that further unsettled Newington and they soon found themselves 2-0 down. A solo effort by Shaun Speller reduced the deficit before Grove Park restored their two goal advantage.

Luke Parker provided a great finish to a good team move to bring the score back to 3-2 and with a little better finishing Newington could possibly have gained a draw. The result ultimately wasn't important as Newington just strived to gain experience and some degree of understanding within the team before the season starts.