Although Stranraer were worthy winners over the 90 minutes and looked very lively up front, the young Newton side should take a lot of credit from the match. They stuck to their tasks throughout the game and were comfortable on the ball playing some lovely football from defence to attack. In a good team performance where so many players played well Taylor and Marshall both turned in impressive performances but it was Fidler who shone above the rest with his first class shot stopping and rightly collected the 24 cans of iron brew as Sponsors man of the match (see Stella for details).

Newton Man of the Match- Harry Fidler- "The best fat goalie I have ever seen"

Team- Fidler, Smith (N Hyslop), Walsh, Davidson, Gallacher, Marshall, McColm, Agnew (Garrett), Cloy, Rennie (Sutherland), Taylor

Newton Stewart v Nithsdale Wanderers

Newton Stewart 1 Nithsdale Wanderers 2

Newton went into this match hoping to get their 1st points on the board after a tricky start to the league campaign against title challengers Annan and Stranraer. In the early stages of the match there was very little between the two sides in terms of possession, however it was the home side that were looking to play a lot of the football whilst the away side resorted more to targetting the head of their 9ft striker. As the game settled down Newton started to look the more dangerous side and the first real chance came when Cloy whipped in an excellent ball across the 6 yard box but nobody could get on the end of it to put the ball into the back of the net. Newton at this point were causing alot of problems  down both flanks through the work of Cloy and Smith and when the ball made its way into the box this time from the right, Jonny Fisher was left unmarked only a few yards out with nobody near him  but somehow managed to scoop his effort over the bar. Nithsdale although far from out the game where causing the Newton defence very few concerns and only a 20 yard free kick which skimmed the cross bar and a goal mouth scramble were worthy of note in the 1st half. Newton continued to look lively and again it was Fisher who made an excellent late run into the box and was unlucky not to open the scoring with his volley which hit the cross bar. However the young Newton player was not to be undone and after some good direct play by Smith he played in Neil Hyslop who played a good ball across the goal where Fisher managed to hold of the Nithsdale defenders to tap the ball into the back of the net. This was to be the only goal of the 1st half and the home side would feel that they were deservant of their one goal advantage at half time.

However the 2nd half started in a different manner and it was Nithsdale who immediately attacked the Newton goal as they tried to get themselves back on level terms. Although the away side were now enjoying the majority of the play they still struggled to create clear cut chances with Fidler having another good game in the Newton goal. Their best chance of the opening stages fell, when after a shot was blocked it fell at the feet of big Jan Koller unmarked at the back post and with only the keeper to beat he drove the ball at Fidler who did well to push the ball out for a corner. Nevertheless the goal their pressure deserved was soon to come, although it owed more to luck than skill. As the team from Sanquhar drove forward they found some space on the right hand side and when they played the ball into the box Newton wing back Smith did well to get back and get his foot to the ball but as he did so it rebounded against the oncoming strikers leg and past Fidler who was stranded in the Newton goal. The Newton side look deflated at this point and it was the away side who pushed on looking for the winning goal. Their obvious arial advantage was starting to become more of a factor as the home side gave away more corners and free kicks in dangerous areas. Even though much of the game was being played in the Newton half the home side were still creating chances and Sutherland went close on a couple of occassions to putting Newton back in the lead. However with only a few minutes left on the clock Newton gave away a silly foul around 30 yards out and this signalled the advance of anybody over 6ft (most their team) to enter the newton box. As the ball was played to the back post a number of players attacked the ball and their substitute rose above the newton defence to power the ball into the goal past a helpless Fidler. Newton tried to rally in the last few minutes but by this point the damage had been done and the game finished 2 1.

Although on their 1st half performance Newton could argue that overall they deserved a draw, their 2nd half performance was not up the standard required with Nithsdale dominating large parts of the game. Their didnt appear a lot between the two teams but when required Nithsdale had the bit between their teeth and dug in to gain the all important 3 points and gave them something to celebrate on the long road home. Hope you found the Vicky wine lads and if you are still looking for the guy that scored your winner, try the bottom of the cree with a brick tied to him!!

Newton Man of the Match- James McColm- Growing in confidence and battled hard

Team- Fidler, Davidson, Lamont, D Hyslop, Smith, Cloy, Marshall, Fisher, McColm, N Hyslop, Sutherland

Newton Stewart v Saint Cuthbert Wanderers

Newton Stewart 1 Saint Cuthbert Wanderers 3

This match ended in another defeat for Newton Stewart, however the score line fails to tell the story of a game which Newton will feel they could have registered their first 3 points of the season. On a wet night at Blairmount the Saints side arrived as favourites,  however it was obvious from the opening encounters that this was not the case and that the black and whites were every bit a match for the side from Kircudbright.

The 1st attack of the match came from Saints as Baker almost directly from the kick off ran past 2 or 3 Newton players before failing to find the back of the net with his effort. This seemed to kick the home side into life and they started to take contol of the match by playing possession football, building from the back and looking the more composed side. The front two of Taylor and Sutherland were looking dangerous, however it was Cloy on the left wing that was giving the number 2 for Saints a torrid time going by him at ease. Despite Newton dominating the match Saints still looked dangerous on attack and their pace was causing problems on the counter and it was the away side that were to open the scoring around 13 minutes into the game. A weak effort on goal by Maxwell that would usually have been dealt with comfortably by goalkeeper Fidler, slipped through the big goalkeepers fingers and into the back of the net. At 1 nil Newton fought hard to get themselves back into the game and not long after were on level terms when the ball broke to James McColm 12 yards out and he fired a shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Newton with their heads up were brimming with confidence and taking the game to the saints side and Cloy once again went by the Saints number 2 only to be pulled back in a desperate attempt to stop the Newton winger hitting the by line. Cloy becoming annoyed at the constant fouls voiced his concerns and the Saints player responded by pushing Cloy in front of the ref. Somehow the ref deemed both players deservant of the same punishment and booked them both which would become even more important in the 2nd half. Newtons dominance of the match was soon to change with an incident that altered the direction of the game. With 25 minutes gone a through ball was played in behind the Newton defence and Fidler came out to collect. Baker for the away side chased the ball in and slid into the home keeper. Although there was no denying the striker had the right to go for the ball, the Newton goalkeeper was furious and felt the leg had been left in after the ball had been collected. This then sparked furious scenes as Newton keeper and players vented their anger. After the ref had regained control of this situation Baker was yellow carded and Newton player Lamont was shown the red card for violent conduct in what appeared to be a moment of madness from the defender. Being down to 10 men so early in the game left Newton with a major headache as they tried to readjust to cope with the loss of their player. For the next 20 minutes the away side controlled much of the match but failed to threaten the Newton goal and at half time the score remained 1 all.

Newton started the 2nd half well and despite the numerical disadavantage continued to cope with anything Saints threw at them, as the away side struggled to break the home side down. As Newton started to realise the match was still there for the taking they started to push forward more and looked to cause problems on the break. However 60 minutes into the game, a deflected cross from the right hand side looped over the Newton defence and found White at the back post to head in from a few yards out. Although a goal down and a man down Newton still never lost their belief and a cross come shot from Sutherland almost found the Saints goal after hitting the far side post. The newton players were working extremely hard but things were about to get worse for the home side. Cloy, already on a booking, challenged for a header and as the Saints player fell to the ground the ref suprisingly judged this to be worthy of a 2nd booking and sent him off much to the shock of the Newton players and management. Although the Newton side were still very much in the game, with 10 minutes to go Saints were awarded a penalty and even after Fidler made a superb save, the ball broke to a Saints player who chipped it back into the box and McMillan headed home. This put the game beyond doubt and the game was to finish this way with a 3 1 victory for the away side.

Newton will feel that on a different day they could have walked away with 3 points from this game. Saints failed to impress during the 90 minutes and Newton showed signs that on a different day they would have been the side coming out on top. Losing a player so early in the match cost the home side and they will be looking to make amends against Heston on Saturday.

Wigtown 1 Newton Stewart 5

Wigtown welcomed Newton Stewart to Trammondford Park looking to pick up a victory that would put them back into the top half of the table, whereas Newton were arriving into the derby match hoping to put their first points onto the table after a difficult start to the season. Although the league table would have suggested a win for the home side, the Newton lads felt they had shown enough in spells of previous games to suggest they could getter the better of their local rivals.

 Newton missing 5 or 6 players faced a Wigtown team with only Wilson and Blain missing and early in the match Wigtown looked the more lively side taking the game to the Creesiders. 10 minutes into the game, after a couple of half chances Wigtown forced a corner and from this the ball was played into the box and McCrindle nipped in front of his marker to volley home and give his side a one nil lead. Although Newton were obviously disappointed to go behind, the goal acted as a bit of a wake up call and Wullie Rennie was starting to cause real problems on the right hand side. Minutes later Rennie glided by a couple of Wigtown players with ease then preceeded to play a pinpoint pass over the the static defender which landed at the feet of Sutherland who cooly slotted the ball past Sheppard in the home goal. At one all Newton were continuing to cause problems going forward against a very susceptible Wigtown defence who were struggling to cope with Sutherland and Hyslop up front. Although McMillan and McCrindle were working well in attacking positions the Wigtown midfield was being dominated by the impressive Newton midfield and it was two of the players from this that were to combine to give newton the lead. Gary Smith, who had a superb game collected the ball on the left hand side and made a great run before showing excellent vision to play the ball to Jonny fisher who was through on goal after once again losing his marker with his powerful running. Fisher took the ball in his stride and from 12 yards out fired past Sheppard to give Newton a two one lead. Wigtown were in disarray and left the pitch at half time shaken by the performance of Newton and possibly already regretting comments such as lets get a few goals up, play some nice football and look towards Saturdays game.

Into the second half and Wigtown looked to get back into the game that they should have been focusing on and nearly drew level from a 20 yard free kick which hit the top of the bar. Nevertheless the wind was soon to be taken out of Wigtown sails in what was an important goal for the away side. A long free kick from Davidson was aimed towards Sutherland and he got the slightest of touches with his head to knock the ball over Sheppard who lay on the ground after an unnamed Wigtown defender had at last managed to tackle somebody even if it was his own player. Although a simple goal the signs were there for all to see as the Wigtown defence continously mistimed headers under the pressure of Sutherland. Wigtown continued to huff and puff but by this stage Newton were comfortable with their two goal lead. Harry 'I will give you £500 to sign for us' Fidler had very little to do but when required showed the usual class which everybody has come to expect and defensively Walsh, Davidson and Marshall were working extremely hard and not allowing the Wigtown players any space in attacking areas. Newton with their heads held high were also playing some lovely football through the likes of McColm and Rennie and the frustration was starting to show for Wigtown as McClymont launched a wild tackle at Rennie in what had been a frustrating performance for the Wigtown wide man. Although he somehow escaped punishment for this, Rennie was to have the last laugh as after some good work on the left hand side the ball was played to the back post and Rennie arrived late to head into the net with another good finish. Newton were in a bouyant mood and continued to look dangerous finding space going forward with Sutherland losing his marker and Hyslop holding up the ball well and turning his men which would have impressed his local fan club. As the game wore on Newton looked the fitter side and Jonny Fisher was getting all over the park as the Wigtown players, weighed down with the bundles of SFA notes they had stashed in their socks, struggled to match his energetic display. There was also to be one more goal in the game and again it was Sutherland. As he had done for most the game, he worked his way into space before drilling the ball into the left hand corner to complete his hat trick. With still some time on the clock Newton decided to ease off and make a couple of substitutions and allowed themselves a bit of time to look towards the visit of Mid Annandale on Saturday with the 3 points comfortably in the bag. As the final whistle blew with the game finishing 5 1 a dejected Wigtown side, guilty of underestimating their opponents, trudged off the park into the dressing room to be faced with a furious Micky Dougan while the Newton players got quickly changed and headed to the pub.

In what was a superb win for the Newton Stewart side they should be proud off the way they out played their opponents showing a greater desire throughout the team and at the same time playing football in an attractive manner. Each and every player showed an excellent attitude and many produced performances much beyond their years. If they can continue with this attitude throughout the season the side should still do well despite their disappointing start. To the credit of Wigtown many of their players commented after the game that Newton were the worthy winners and apart from a couple of incidents the game was played in good spirit with no bookings.

Newton Man of the Match- Micky Sutherland- His 3 goals secured a comfortable win but in all honesty every player deserved the award and could have been man of the match as part of an outstanding team performance

Team- Fidler, Davidson, D Hyslop, Walsh (Holmes), Smith, Rennie, Marshall, Fisher, McColm, N Hyslop (Garrett), Sutherland

Newton Stewart v Annan Athletic

Newton Stewart 2 Mid Annandale 4

Newton turned in their worst performance of the season in a display which showed no comparison to Wednesday nights game against Wigtown. The lackluster Creesiders never really started the game and at no point reached the standard expected and were made to pay with a strong finish from Mid Annandale to go through into the next round.

The Lockerbie side started the match with only one man up front and it was obvious from the outset that the energetic style of Kuklinski was to be the away sides main avenue for attack as they hoped to hit the home side on the break. However although the home side still looked to dominate the game through their passing style that had worked so well previously, basic errors were making this ineffective and the Mids side were able to enjoy more of the game than what Newton had hoped for. There was very little quality in the game at this point from both sides and the best chance came from good work from Wullie Rennie who put in a dangerous low ball into the box but the Mids defender managed to knock it by the post for a corner. The referee was also having a major influence at this point and a string of decisions were given against the homeside as the Mids central defenders continued to carry out WWE wrestling manouvers on the Newton forwards without any punishment. Midfielder Sloan was starting to take control of the midfield at this point especially in the air and him and Kuklinski were combining well to cause problems for the home side. It was the latter of the two who was to open the scoring after 25 minutes when a ball into the box was flicked on by the head of the in form striker and into the top corner to make it 1 nil. However this lead wasnt to last long and an intelligent pass from Smith played in Sutherland on the left wing who managed to get the ball across for Neil Hyslop to place it into the back of the net from close range to level the scores. This was to be the score at half time with neither side setting the heather on fire and the watching crowd of 6 hoped for better in the 2nd half.

The 2nd half started very much the same, although Mids had pushed another man up front in the hope to add to their scoring, but as the game progressed Newton started to look slightly more dangerous and Cloy was causing problems for the Mids defence with his running with the ball. After a throw on the left hand side Cloy collected the ball cutting inside a few Mids players before lashing a shot past the keeper to give Newton a 2 1 lead. At this point although Newton would still not have been happy with their performance, they looked comfortable and the match seemed to be heading for a victory for the home side. However Mids had different ideas. As Newton sat back with less than a quarter of an hour to go and hoped to play the game out, Mids attacked and after a corner was cleared by Davidson the Newton side failed to respond quick enough and watched as Henderson unleashed a great strike into the top right hand corner. With 10 minutes left Newton should have been back in front. A free kick from Newton was spilled from the Mids keeper and Marshall made a late run into the box to knock the ball home and past the floundering keeper. However as Marshall celebrated his 1st goal in 2 years, the ref put his hand up and disallowed the goal much to the disbelief of everybody including many of the away side. Referee Stitt failed to explain his decision and this was to prove a vital turning point in the game. The Mids midfield looked the more lively and were causing problems breaking forward and in the 82nd minute a foul was given just outside the box. Sloan was to step up to take the free kick and fired another excellent strike round the Newton wall and past Fidler to give the away side a 3 2 lead. The Newton team looked shocked and as they pushed to get back into the game Mids broke free again as the Newton defence struggled to cope with the movement of the strikers and Kuklinski whose confidence (and fringe) was high finished cooly to make it 4 2 to the Lockerbie side. By this point the dejected home side were all but beaten and when the final whistle blew the faces of the players said it all as they walked off the park knowing that this was a match they let slip through their fingers.

In a match with very little between the two teams the away side possibly deserved the victory as they looked as if they wanted it more and worked hard up until the final whistle. the only bright spot to be taken out of the game for Newton was that this was the SFA cup and more important league and cup matches are to follow in the forthcoming weeks. As a team Newton failed to deliver and they will be hoping to get back on track on Tuesday night with another cup match against Fleet Star.

Man of the Match- Wullie Cloy- The best of a bad bunch and looked dangerous going forward

Team- Fidler, Davidson, D Hyslop, Smith, Cloy, Rennie, Marshall, Fisher, McColm, N Hyslop, Sutherland