Sam Bunce and Kian Gadsby
When discussing Nottingham-based football, the discussion rarely extends beyond Nottingham Forest, and almost never below Notts County. Despite that, there are other local teams that form the foundation of the football pyramid and define the passionate culture of English football.
One of these sides is Carlton Town, and Impact’s Sam Bunce and Kian Gadsby attended their recent game against Bradford Park Avenue on Saturday 7th December to find out more.
Carlton play in Step 4 of the Non-League system, which is the 8th tier of English football. Upon arrival, the club had a warm community feel with a clubhouse full of people socialising and talking about football and football only.
The team themselves sat in 14th place before kick-off, having gone the entirety of November without a win. Their opponents Bradford Park Avenue have suffered back-to-back relegations in the last two years from the National League North down to this level. They sit in 8th place, nine points above Carlton, and within striking distance of the play-offs.
But, despite the 9-point gap, the visitors had only scored one more goal than Carlton in the league this season, and the teams drew 1-1 when they played in October.
In the disruptive weather conditions caused by Storm Darragh, it was Non-League football at its finest.
“I thought we thoroughly deserved the win and now it makes us look to the top 10 rather than looking the other way.
Story of the Match:
Goal-kicks from the first minute drifted out of play and ball after ball was being lost, and it was going to be a long day for the kitman as well.
With the Notts County game postponed at Meadow Lane, it was great to see the game go ahead at the Bill Stokeld Stadium.
Following a torrid run of form in the month of November for the home side, joint managers Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey made three changes to their lineup from Brighouse’s 4-1 defeat on the road.
Laurence Stewart, Oliver Clark, and Niall Davie, who took the captains armband, made their way into the starting lineup for The Millers.
Carlton Town were on the front foot in the opening stages with Nat Watson clipping a ball into Alex Howes on the left, who struck his volley just wide.
The first corner of the game went Carlton’s way and it was an opportunity to use the assistance of the strong winds to their advantage.
After some neat play on the right-hand side and Nat Watson’s characteristic hold-up play facilitating control in the chaos in possession for Carlton, the ball was whipped in and hit the bar directly from the corner in the 12th minute.
A chance then fell to Charlie Carter, who drilled his shot on target but too close to the keeper, as the hosts were pushing but could not find the clinical edge to break the deadlock in the first half.
Bradford Park Avenue had their first real sight of goal in the 30th minute with a tame effort well wide following a counterattack.
The momentum did swing to the away side with the first half drawing to a close as they found themselves with a flurry of possession in the final third in the final five minutes. Mark Beevers heading a free kick onto the crossbar being their most threatening attempt.
The second half commenced with the 171 fans emerging from the clubhouse and back into the stormy Nottinghamshire setting. Alex Howes instantly scored for Carlton Town with a brilliantly executed volley into the top left corner.
Goalscorer Alex Howes commented that, “It’s challenging but it’s the same for both teams, I thought we were better than them at managing the game today and getting the ball down and playing.”
Another chance fell to Charlie Carter, who forced a magnificent save from Jack Hall, as Bradford Park Avenue gave the ball away cheaply. The game was becoming more open and intense with the skies darkening in Carlton.
In the 60th minute, Bradford Park Avenue had their first of a few goalmouth scrambles initiated by some well delivered set pieces, but bodies on the line for Carlton ensured that they defended their goalkeeper Felix Annan well, and they retained the ball well when they had it.
Sliding tackles, end-to-end action, and abhorrent weather conditions continued to make the game interesting.
However, the match was complimented by many moments of individual and team quality and a high level of competitiveness between both teams.
The next goal was crucial in this tie and Carlton were the team who found it. A free kick was put into a good area in the box for Oliver Clark to also score a great volley, before running to celebrate with the fans behind the goal.
2-0 to Carlton with a considerable amount to play and it was all about keeping tight defensively and not being costly when they had the ball.
Bradford Park Avenue did pull one back in the 88th minute with a goalmouth scramble being converted by Ben Blythe following a wind assisted free-kick, and it was a nervy last few moments until referee William Cavanagh would blow the whistle.
A big three points were secured for The Millers as they moved up to 11th and look to kickstart a more positive run of results in December.
Post-Match Comments:
Carlton Town manager Tommy Brookbanks, speaking to Impact, highlighted the importance of the victory and how his side deserved to get a result from a good performance.
“Up until last Saturday against Brighouse our performances have been outstanding with no real reward which happens in football.
“I thought we thoroughly deserved the win and now it makes us look to the top 10 rather than looking the other way.
“In them conditions, against a really strong Bradford Park Avenue side, managed well by Craig Elliot, I thought it was a superb win.”
The hold up play from established number 9 Nat Watson was a crucial asset for The Millers in the tricky conditions that had to be navigated, especially with the ball, and the Carlton boss emphasised the striker’s value in this game and to the club in general.
“Nat’s probably one of the best players in the league. He’s been with me and Mark for many many years, and he’s always been the best player around.
“Certainly in the second half that hold up play meant that we could get up the pitch and we could get bodies beyond him, because with that wind against us, I said it was essential that it stuck in there.”
With this match being one of three games in this league on Saturday played despite the weather, and a 10am pitch inspection being passed thanks to pitch investment over the summer, it was a game that went ahead in the stormy weather, which both teams had to take into consideration.
Goalscorer Alex Howes commented that, “It’s challenging but it’s the same for both teams, I thought we were better than them at managing the game today and getting the ball down and playing.”
Managing the game in difficult moments especially when the wind was against them was pivotal in securing all three the points. Carlton Town’s joint manager also spoke about his messages to his team prior to the game regarding the weather:
“Today was basically who wanted it the most, you had to win all your personal battles, all your 50-50s and once you’ve done that you had to have courage to get the ball down and play in really difficult conditions.”
Carlton Town FC will make an almost 200 mile journey to Ashington on Saturday 14th December, where they will be looking to pick up three points against one of the weaker sides in the division regardless of the travel inconveniences.
Carlton Town and Bradford Park Avenue demonstrated how football really does mean everything to these teams at this level and to all those involved. The competitive, defensively-resilient, and quality performances impressed. The community and culture around the club showed what football in England is all about.
Sam Bunce and Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of [@piensaenpixel] via [Unsplash]. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
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[…] Finally the 2 University Media students who were at Carlton Town last Saturday, have now filed their report on their afternoon at Stoke Lane and the link to their afternoon take on proceedings is below.https://impactnottingham.com/2024/12/carlton-town-fc-storm-to-2-1-win-over-bradford-park-avenue/ […]