Newark & Sherwood top scorer Kieran Cummings targets 40 goals for the season, on life at Notts County and trials with Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley
Top scorer Kieran Cummings has no intention of leaving Newark & Sherwood before the end of the season.
The former Notts County scholar is enjoying a prolific campaign with the Highwaymen.
He has 20 goals already - exactly halfway to his target of 40.
At only 23, he has ambitions to play higher but is committed to helping United achieve their goal of reaching the United Counties League Premier Division North play-offs.
The striker is in his second spell with Newark and enjoys an excellent relationship with manager Romaine Graham.
“I’m on 20 goals and hopefully there’s more to come,” said Cummings, who had trials with Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley after leaving Notts County.
“I’ve got my head down and I’m focused on getting the goals and making sure we win the games when I score because if I score and we don’t win, it doesn’t feel like a good enough performance.
“Realistically the club wants to be in the play-offs and we’ve got the players and the quality to be in that position come the end of the season.
“We’re in and around it at the moment, which is good, and we’ll see where that takes us.
“Rom’s been a saviour for me, really.
“I know what he’s like, we’re good friends, on and off the pitch, and he knows what I’m capable of.
“Having a manager like him gives me so much confidence and it’s showing.
“Forty goals is definitely the target. It’s doable and I feel like I will reach that.”
Cummings wants to put himself in the shop window and while he’s kept informed of interest by the manager, he wants to give the Highwaymen a full season.
“I rejoined Newark to get my confidence back and to get the goals and play well, and hopefully a team higher up will come in where I know the manager and I know they’re going to give me starts,” said Cummings.
“But that’s up to me because if I don’t play well, I’m not going to play.
“I always speak to Rom about this, because I’m always 100% real with him.
“He will tell me what clubs have come in and we’ll pick the best solution for me.
“In the long run the aim is to play as high as possible because I feel like with my quality I can be higher.
“But, with me, I’m not the type that when one club comes in, I’ll go straight away. I’ll stay with a club for the whole season and then see where it goes for the next season.”
Cummings was in his final year at secondary school when he went on trial at Notts County.
The Magpies liked what they saw but he was released at the end of a two-year scholarship in 2020 as the Covid pandemic took hold.
“I was over the moon when I signed for Notts because at that period I didn’t know what was going to happen, whether I was going to be playing normal grassroots football or be lucky enough to get picked up,” said Cummings.
“The two years went on, I got released due to the Covid times, and it was a difficult period for the club, being in the National League, and not being able to give out contracts as they would like to.
“The scholarship gave me a buzz and got me excited, saying that I was playing for Notts County, that’s my club.
“But when you’re there, that’s just the first part.
“The second part is can you get that pro contract? That’s what everyone’s aiming to get.
“When you’re playing the games, it doesn’t matter if you think you’ve made it, it’s down to performances and it’s down to the academy coaches and the first-team coaches higher up.
“They’re the ones that decide but it was a great experience and I’d love to do it again.
“It was so good back then because when you’re a teenager and just playing football, that’s want you want.”
Cummings secured trials with EFL clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley before settling into non-league, also playing for Bourne Town and Shepshed.
“I really enjoyed Sheffield Wednesday,” he said.
“It was a good learning curve because they were a top academy and the teams we were playing against were top quality.
“Unfortunately I didn’t get in there but that was during Covid, and a lot of restrictions, so that could have played a part.
“I went over to Barnsley, which was a bit more difficult because where I was living in Nottingham, and I didn’t have a car, I had to stay in a hotel for the three-week period I was in.
“It was tough being away from home and they didn’t really play me as much.
“When you’re on trial you want to be playing the majority of every game, so you can prove and show what you can do.
“I also went on trial at Alfreton and I enjoyed that.
“I didn’t play a lot of games but it showed me what I need to do to get to those levels.”
Newark & Sherwood’s home game against Gresley last weekend was postponed due to the bad weather.
The Highwaymen, 10th in the league, return to action this Saturday (3pm) at bottom side Kimberley Miners Welfare.
