Newcastle Town welcomed Prescot Cables to the Red Industries in what was a crunch game for both sides who find themselves in the lower half of the mid-table battle which appears to be happening.
Castle handed a first start to Academy player Will Lloyd in the absence of Challis Johnson, who has impressed off the bench this season and also handed a debut to Taylor McMahon at left-back who had joined the club the previous day from Stoke City on a months work experience loan.
Castle did start the brighter of the two sides with their build-up play but both sides were struggling to get the right ball into the box and test the keepers, but castle took the lead after 17 minutes when Ethan Vale struck a lovely freekick which the Prescot keeper had no chance at and got his first of the season.
However the lead only lasted 8 minutes when Cables pulled level after some neat work down the left side had their initial shot cleared by Askey only for the rebound to fall to Mafolo who powerfully put the ball away to bring the game level, Castle then had a chance just before the half time whistle to pull level from the spot but Jack van der Laan's effort was saved by Cables keeper and we went into the break level at 1 apiece.
The start of the second half was very quiet with both sides holding well with possession and pressing away but neither side could find the breakaway required to go ahead and both keepers were in top form to deny any attempts to break the deadlock.
However, just when it looked like both sides were going to share the points and we could all go inside and get warm, Castle was awarded a freekick inside their own half and Ethan Vale floated a lovely ball into the evening sky and Tommy van der Laan was on hand to rise up and power a header past Cables keeper and give Castle a very late lead and spark the Castle Ultras into a frenzy and silence the Cables fans who has been in good voice all afternoon.
FULL TIME
Newcastle Town 2-1 Prescot Cables
Attendance: 94
Team :
Mooney, Fishman (Jarman), McMahon, Vale, Askey, Dennis, Lloyd (Smith), T van der Laan, Chimenes (Baxter), J van der Laan, Morley
Subs not used: Weldon
Tinsdills Man of the Match: Owen Mooney