Fair play kings are back on top!

Newcastle Town picked up where they left off last season when they collected the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League's inaugural First Division South Fair Play Award.

After scooping the division's overall accolade for good behaviour and sportsmanship at the end of the 2014-15 campaign in May, Ivan Lodge's side are out in front again after winning the combined award for August and September.

The Castle were unveiled as the first monthly winners of the season alongside Grantham Town in the Premier Division and Northwich Victoria in First Division North.

Like all winners of the competition to reward the league's best behaved sides, they collected a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne and an inscribed certificate to record their achievement.

League representatives Alan and Mark Ogley are pictured making the presentation to assistant manager Robbie Van Der Laan and chairman Jeff Harrall before the club's 2-0 win over Kidsgrove Athletic at The Aspire Stadium on Saturday 10 October.

Currently fifth in the regular table, Lodge's side recorded a disciplinary average of 0.89, their eight cautions from nine outings setting the pace in the division's behaviour stakes in the opening six weeks of the new season.

Launched to support for the FA's Respect campaign and the EVO-STIK NPL's own efforts to promote sportsmanship and fair play, the monthly accolades are handed out after a totting up of red and yellow cards divided by the number of fixtures clubs have played. Where clubs are tied on points, marks awarded by referees over the month for behaviour in the technical area are taken into account.

* 2015 was another award winning year for the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League after it was named as the best behaved competition in the top levels of Non-League football for the fifth time in six years.

Premier Division play-off winner Curzon Ashton also completed a ‘Respect double’ at the Football Association’s 2015 Fair Play and Respect Awards when they were named as Non-League’s best behaved club to continue the league's monopoly of the accolade.

The Nash's triumph saw an EVO-STIK NPL League club win the FA’s National League System Step 1-4 Respect and Fair Play Club Award for the sixth year in a row since the accolades were launched, John Flanagan's men following in the footsteps of inaugural winners Garforth Town in 2010, Lancaster City in 2011, AFC Fylde in 2012, Nantwich Town in 2013 and Skelmersdale United in 2014.

To view the latest Fair Play Tables click on the 'League Info' button on the home page and then 'Press Releases' under the downloads tab.

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