On a wet, windy and muddy afternoon in Nottingham it was Carlton who came out with all three points in a relegation six pointer against Tividale writes James Morton.
With Daniel Gordon breaking the deadlock from a free kick that curled into the bottom corner. However Chris Sterling scored just before the break from the penalty spot to send both sides in at half time with the score line level.
It was Sterling who also grabbed the first goal of the second half as he curled the ball past Jack Steggles and into the bottom corner. However, Carlton were not going to accept defeat and a corner from debutant Joe Fitzpatrick avoided everyone before going in the top far corner of the goal. Then Romaine Graham gave Carlton the lead for the second time, as the striker eventually put a goalmouth scramble away. It was Graham who put the result beyond doubt when through one-on-one blasted the ball into the bottom corner. The scoring was then finished when Fitzpatrick got his second of the game, with a shot from the edge of the box that went into the far bottom corner.
It was Tividale that dominated possession early on, and Malachi Farquharson would have been disappointed not to at least get his shot on target when he smartly turned in the Carlton box, but his effort went wide of the target. Moments later and Chris Rabone had a fierce shot deflected off a Carlton defender that looped up and claimed by Jack Steggles.
The visitors kept this tempo up as some smart build up wide right ended up with the ball at Sterling’s feet, but his shot was straight at Steggles. As was his effort a minute later.
Then Carlton broke the deadlock as they were awarded a free kick, after a bit handball appeal. Top goalscorer Daniel Gordon stepped up and curled the free kick into the top corner, Thomas Turner did get a touch, but it wasn’t enough to keep out the effort.
Gordon then almost doubled the hosts lead, but his effort from the left hand side went just wide of Tuner’s far post and out for a goalkick.
Then as half time was approaching Matthew Newton made a clumsy challenge on Rabone, leading the referee to point to the spot. Sterling stepped up and passed the ball into the bottom right corner, with Steggles going the wrong way.
After the restart, the visitors took the lead when Sterling was allowed time to curl a shot into the far corner, giving Steggles not much chance of stopping the effort.
However, as the rain started to come down Carlton grabbed a leveller as Joe Fitzpatrick, on debut, curled a free kick into the box, which seemed to avoid everyone and nestle into the top corner of the goal.
The Millers then had their tails up and a delightful ball from Josh Rae played in skipper Anthony Howell, but on a race with Turner to the ball, it was the Tividale goalkeeper who got there first.
Steggles was called up though to deny Rabone on a counter attack from Tividale, with a rebound being cleared eventually by the Carlton defence.
Then it was to be a siege from the Millers, as firstly Graham came close when through one-on-one, but Turner managed to take the pace off the ball, and was eventually cleared off the line by the covering Tividale defence.
Not that it mattered much, as it was Graham who would give the hosts the lead for the second time in the afternoon. When he converted a goalmouth scramble that before that seemed to avoid the goal at all costs, with the ball coming off the post at one point.
Graham then scored his second of the evening when he was played through one-on-one and this time smashed the ball past Turner, with the ball nestling into the bottom corner of the goal.
The scoring was then complete as Rae battled hard on the edge of the eighteen yard box and byline, to win the ball, before playing the ball back to Fitzpatrick, who from the edge of the box smashed to ball across goal and into the far corner of the goal.
Carlton now move on to Wednesday night when they host Barwell in the League Cup, where they will be hoping to keep up their recent scoring record to pull of an upset against the Leicestershire side who apply their trade in the league above.
Carlton Town: Steggles, Newton, Wholey, Walker, Marshall, Fitzpatrick, Rae, Howell, Graham, Nangle (Knight 80), Gordon (Davie 63).
Unused Subs: Sturgess, J. Law.
Goal Scorers: Gordon 36, Fitzpatrick 57, 86, Graham 75,79.
Tividale: Turner, Jackson, Chilton (C), Fletcher, Barnes, Male, Stevens, Turton, Sterling, Farquharson, Rabone.
Subs: Grainger, Brown, Danks, Thompson, Granville.
Goal Scorers: Sterling 41 (pen), 47.
Attendance: 66
Man of the Match: Romaine Graham
