Newark Flowserve target title - and history - after perfect start

All-conquering Newark Flowserve continued their march into the history books with a 12th successive league win — and are now determined to bring another first to the town.

The Notts Senior League Premier Division runaway leaders have set their sights firmly on promotion and possibly bringing Step Six football to the town for the first time.

After Saturday’s 3-1 win at Attenborough took them eight points clear with matches in hand on their immediate rivals, joint manager Craig Roche said: “At the start of the season our target was the top-six, but now we would be very disappointed if we did not go on and win the league.

“We will never get a better opportunity than we have now.

“Promotion is the target and bringing Step Six football to Newark for the first time.

“Over the years a lot of players have had to travel out of Newark to play at the next level — the East Midlands Counties League or the Northern Counties East League.

“It would be a big jump, but we feel there is already enough quality in our group to compete well at that level if we got there, without adding too much.”

Flowserve’s remarkable start to the season, believed to be the best in the club’s history, has seen them lose just one match — a Notts Senior Cup tie to Dunkirk from the higher East Midlands Counties League.

'Not every week has been easy'

But Roche refused to get carried away and stressed that his side had won nothing yet.

“Not every week has been easy. We have had to graft through some games and some weeks we have turned sides over,” he said.

“We have got a winning mentality but we need to keep it going.

“It is just a case now of sticking together. We must keep doing what we have been doing.

“I am sure we will slip up one week — the league is too tough to go through unbeaten — and then it will be down to us and the players as to how we react.”

Roche, who manages the side with Stephen Kirkham, said they had a good group of players with a great work ethic.

“They work really hard from the start and are quite disciplined in their shape.

“We are quite direct in what we ask them to do and they stick to it,” said Roche.

“Eventually they earn the right to play and we have got that extra quality now, a top two who take their chances.

“The league table doesn’t lie — we are very strong at the back as well. We have only conceded 11 goals in 12 (league) games and we have the best defensive record as well as the best scoring (48 goals) record.

“It is a whole squad effort, not just the starting 11. The lads who come on do their job as well.

“Everyone is pulling their weight, from the goalkeeper through to the substitutes.

“We are all in it together. They are a pleasure to work with.”