Nathan Arnold’s Newark Town have one hand on the CMFL Premier Division North title after taking four points from Retford United and Clay Cross Town in important double gameweek
Newark Town have one hand on the league title, according to manager Nathan Arnold, but he has warned his squad that anything can happen in football as the Blues gear up for their two most important games in over a decade.
Town, who lead the Central Midlands Football League Premier Division North thanks to a two-point advantage, can secure promotion on Saturday with a win should results go their way.
However, manager Arnold is leaving nothing to chance after setting his players the task of taking maximum points from their final two fixtures against Harworth and Glapwell.
“We have withstood the pressure not just on the pitch but mentally as well over the last week,” said Arnold.
“And to come out of those two games (a 1-1 draw vs. Retford United and a 1-0 win vs. Clay Cross Town) in a position where we are now, with a team that hasn’t experienced promotion together before, is fantastic.
“We recognise with Harworth (on Saturday) and Glapwell (a week on Saturday) that the work isn’t done, and we don’t want to rely on other results.
“We want to end on maximum points and end the season as strong as we can.
“The message is to go out there and win those games.
“We know we are nearly there and one hand is on the title, but in football stranger things have happened, so we have to do the business ourselves.
“If we think differently and come away from our task, complacency could bite us on the bum.”
Town, on 80 points, can reach a maximum of 86 points, while Clay Cross can reach 80.
Retford United remain in the running as they can reach 81 points, while Thorne can finish on 84 points should they win their remaining three fixtures.
However, Thorne must still play Clay Cross and Retford United, which favours Arnold’s Blues as something must give.
To break it down, Town can win the league on Saturday if they win and Thorne drop points. A draw for Town could also do the business due to their superior goal difference, but it wouldn't be officially won until the final day.
Town’s favourable position follows a 1-1 draw with Retford United on Wednesday evening, before a 1-0 win over Clay Cross on Saturday.
“This last week was really good for us in terms of getting four important points on the board,” said Arnold.
“Clay Cross were the form team, and being level on points before kick-off meant it was always going to be a tough game.
“We tried to cancel each other out a lot and, because of the wind on the day, we couldn’t get the ball down — a lot of the play was down the right side because of the wind.
“They hadn’t conceded in five games either, so we knew it would be a massive challenge.”
After a goalless opening 45 minutes, Arnold made a tactical change at half-time.
“We managed to become more of a threat at the top of the pitch, which give us what I think was a deserved win,” he said.
“In the first half they had their front three pushed on, and we knew they had pace.
“We were cautious of that and we played Jackson Buckthorp at right wing-back but, because of the wind, the pitch was almost cut in half.
“We felt there were two options, be negative or be positive, and with the nature of the day, I could understand why we were cautious.
“But in the second half, I said go out there and take it to them.
“We did that and deserved to go in front to win the game.
“For the second half, we moved Jonny Wiles out there (to wing-back, where he played vs. Retford United).
“He is a little bit more attack-minded than Jackson, so we wanted to get him on the ball so he could influence the game a little bit more.
“In the Retford game, we saw a different animal.
“That match was a great advert for step seven football, which was a different contrast to Saturday because that game just didn’t catch fire, but one thing we have shown during this period is resilience and character.”
Club captain and striker Lewis Chambers scored the deciding goal midway through the second half on Saturday, reacting quickest to a long throw into the Clay Cross penalty area.
