The Owls maintained their recent surge in the BetVictor Northern Premier League with a hard-fought, but ultimately well deserved, 2-1 win at Newcastle Town. All the goal action came in the first-half with Alex Flett and Lewis Collins on the mark for Clee.

Following three successive League victories, there was no difficulty for manager Dave Smith in naming an unchanged starting XI. The only alteration to the 16-man squad from last time out was Ben Clappison replacing Alfie Usher on the bench.

The side lined-up as follows:

Goal: Theo Richardson
Defence: Jack Fixter, Tim Lowe, Oli Donald, Jon Oglesby
Midfield: Ben Davies, Alex Flett (c), Lewis Collins
Attack: Brody Robertson, Scott Vernon, Josh Batty

Subs: Jack Richardson, Adam Millson, Ben Clappison, Brandon Buckley, Jack Boswell

A decent enough afternoon in Staffordshire with benign Autumnal weather and, to the naked eye, the pitch would play on the slow side as it had a good covering of grass.

An entertaining opening saw Robertson fire into the side-netting in the 6th minute and then Batty headed narrowly wide when well placed on the 6-yard line. Castle had their moments as well and stopper Richardson needed to move smartly from his line to safely collect a through ball. The keeper got a knock in the process but, after treatment, received the green light to continue.

The clock had just drifted beyond 20 minutes when Clee struck the first blow. Vernon, who as usual was receiving some rough treatment without complaint, competed with defenders on the edge of the area and the ball bounced loose. First to react was Alex Flett and the captain rifled it into the corner of the net to claim his 4th of the campaign.

They say that you are most vulnerable after you have scored and the old adage proved to be spot on this time, with the lead wiped out within 90 seconds. Newcastle broke swiftly down their right and a cross was met at the far post by Jack van der Laan, who gleefully restored parity.

The encounter now became fairly even as Castle, who started the day in 17th place, belied their lowly position with some neat football – Glover in particular was posing a few problems. Notwithstanding this, you always had a feeling that the Owls had the necessary quality and composure to find the vital 3rd goal.

This was the case as the clash moved into the shadow of half-time. Tenacious play from Lewis Collins gained the full reward. The midfielder battled to get on the end of an interchange and, despite being off balance, his shot crept beyond Gill and in off the post to give Clee the interval edge.

HT Newcastle Town 1 (van der Laan 23) Cleethorpes Town 2 (Flett 21, Collins 43)

Newcastle had the first sniff of an opening after the restart, but a speculative shot sailed safely onto the cycle track that surrounds the Red Industries Stadium.

With the need to get back level, the onus was on the homesters to up-the-ante. However, Clee were managing their lead well and the defence looked largely untroubled. The management decided on a couple of subs just past the hour. Jack Fixter and Josh Batty were withdrawn. On came the fresh legs of Adam Millson and Brandon Buckley.

In the 73rd minute, Clee came extremely close to grabbing a 2-goal cushion. Davies curled a free-kick from about 28-yards out over the wall and was unlucky to see the ball hit the outside of the upright.

The final change was made - Jack Richardson replacing Brody Robertson and the Owls were certainly dominating possession. A lengthy spell of pressure ended when Donald climbed highest but directed his header over.

As the clock began ticking down, Vernon had a marvellous opportunity to settle matters. The big number 9, who had put in a tremendous shift on behalf of the team, galloped clear down the middle and lobbed over the advancing Gill. The visiting fans were on their feet waiting for the net to bulge but, agonisingly, the chance drifted inches wide.

It is always going to be a nervous finish when you only have a narrow advantage and, after around 5 minutes of added time, it was something of a relief to hear the whistle. In truth though, Clee were very worthy winners and returned to Lincolnshire sitting only a point off leaders Carlton Town.

FT Newcastle Town 1 (van der Laan 23) Cleethorpes Town 3 (Flett 21, Collins 43) Attendance: 87

Not a classic, but a typical away battle!

I thought we again showed great patience. A 3-1 verdict would have more accurately reflected the day. The possession stats must have been at least 60-40 in our favour and we created the best openings. However, despite their current poor home form, Newcastle showed enough to me to suggest that they will upset some of the pacesetters.

All-in-all, as with any away win, a very good 3 points to add to our total. 22 points from the opening 10 fixtures is a fine return. It looks like the division is going to be very competitive and this was a tricky test safely negotiated.

Alex Flett yet again had a good game – what a reliable and resilient player our captain is! On this occasion though, narrow preference for my man-of-the-match is Scott Vernon.

Nothing flash about Scott’s performance but his very presence is an important factor, creating some space for his colleagues to operate. Also, the NPL can be rough and he just goes about his work without complaint. I like that approach – well played!

FA Trophy next weekend and also Non-League Day. Watch out for some special offers and come down to Linden to cheer the lads on.

Details:
Saturday 12th October – 3pm
Mossley – FA Trophy Preliminary Round
Linden, Clee Road, Grimsby, DN32 8QL

Admission:
Adults £8, Concessions £5, Under 16s £2

UP THE OWLS!