Match Preview

The Fenmen will be looking to return to winning ways in the league when they take on struggling Newark & Sherwood United at Fountain Fresh Park on Saturday.
The visitors sacked manager Jonathan D’Laryea on Tuesday, the club’s board saying that results this season had not come up to expectations. D’Laryea came in as player-coach at the start of last season, moving up to the manager’s role in November 2022 and leading the club to the first Nottinghamshire Senior Cup triumph in their history.
Assistant manager Romaine Graham will take charge as interim manager until a replacement is appointed.
Newark & Sherwood have lost their last two league matches but they notched an impressive 3-1 win against high-flying Melton Town earlier last month. The Highwaymen have won just four of their 22 matches and are 16th in the league table with 18 points

Recent History
In 2004 the club was entered into the first level of the national pyramid by joining the Central Midlands League Premier Division.
Following a short break, the first team re-formed in 2013 and finished third in Notts
Senior League Division Two, securing promotion. 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 7 football.
The Highwaymen won the NSL Premier Division and league cup double in magnificent style, finishing 25 points clear of runners-up Awsworth Villa.
Season 2018/19 saw the club playing Step 6 football in the East Midlands Counties Football League where they achieved a second place and promotion to the Midland Football League. For the second year running the club also picked up the league cup.
The 2019/20 season was ended abruptly because of covid. The club were fourth in the league, were still in the league cup and the semi-finals of the Nottinghamshire Senior Cup. To add to this, the club had entered the FA Vase for the first time, a debut which saw them reach the last 32.
September 2020 was memorable for two firsts with 250 spectators and the TV cameras seeing a 4-0 victory under new floodlights in a debut F.A. Cup match against Deeping Rangers. After beating Maltby Main in the next round, they travelled to Step 3 Rushden & Diamonds and raced into a three-goal lead inside 20 minutes before recording a five-goal victory and the performance of the round award.
The 2021/22 season found the club ground sharing at Basford United for a traumatic first season in the United Counties League. But with new investment from local businessman Steff Wright, a change of name and a management team led by ex-Lincoln City star Nathan Arnold, 2022/23 was a big improvement. Newark and Sherwood United have moved back to the Newark area at Collingham’s upgraded Station Road ground until new state-of-the-art facilities are built in the town.

Preview courtesy of Adrian Lynn