Two trophies in four days — now Town eye the treble

Captain Luke Parsons said Newark Town played some of the best football he had experienced with a Sunday side as they won two trophies in four days.

Newark dominated Notts Sunday League champions Crusaders to win the Notts Sunday Senior Cup 3-0 at Basford on Thursday.

Three days later they sealed the Newark Alliance Premier Division title with four games to spare, beating Coddington Mill 6-0.

Newark will be aiming to make it a treble later this month in the final of the Alliance’s Willie Hall Trophy.

The club has enjoyed a meteoric rise since reforming at the start of the 2015-16 season in the Second Division.

Parsons said the senior cup win was a highlight.

“It was unbelievable,” he said. “I did not think we could get any better, but we played brilliantly.

“We went into the match as underdogs, but that was one of the best performances I have been involved with in a Sunday side.

“We dominated from start to finish and they never looked like scoring.

“I do not think it has sunk in for some of the lads how big an achievement it is — the senior cup is a very difficult competition to win.”

Parsons said the ethos at the club was to win while also enjoying themselves.

“Sunday mornings is all about the laugh and not taking everything too seriously — and that is how it has always been from the start,” he said.

“Do not get me wrong, we want to win as well — and we have, but we want to enjoy it at the same time.

“What we have achieved over the past few years has been great, and we have done it while being the best of mates.”

'We can cement ourselves as history makers'

Newark led early on in the county final through Liam Warner’s header from an excellent Tom Perkins cross.

Crusaders worked hard to find a way back, but strong defensive work and good saves from keeper Anthony Richardson kept them out.

At the other end, Warner forced the keeper into a good save before Perkins doubled the advantage from a tight angle after his initial effort had been blocked.

Luke Abel had the chance to make it three when he twisted and turned into the area, but his shot was kicked away.

Newark, excellent on the counter-attack, added a third in the second-half when Jimmy Rusby beat the offside trap, went through one-on-one and rounded the keeper to score.

They should have won by a more comfortable margin, but missed chances as Crusaders faded.

Newark followed up the cup success with the league triumph, making up for the disappointment of narrowly missing out on the title last year when they let an advantage slip in the final few games.

They will be favourites to complete the treble in the Willie Hall final, a competition they have won for the previous two years, on May 20 against First Division Witham Wanderers.

Parsons said: “It is two down and one to go.

“I think only one team has won the trophy three years in a row.

“If we can achieve that, we can cement ourselves as history makers when you consider everything else we have done.”