Carlton Town made a raft of changes from their last game against Bedworth United. Dean Freeman returned to centre back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines alongside the superb Ewan Robson with Liam Bateman not involved. Lewis Durow dropped to the bench with Niall Davie starting at left back. Khyle Sargent returned in the centre alongside Ollie Clark. Nat Watson was pushed up to the 10 role with Alex Troke once more on the right wing. There was also a place on the bench for Mansfield Town loanee Ollie Taylor with Niall Hylton not involved.
On a brisk evening Carlton attacked the Shed End in the first half but it was the visitors who started brightly. Lindon Meikle made a positive run at the Millers backline and was felled in a good position, left of centre. Left back Luke Rowe struck the free kick cleanly but was just high of Felix Annan’s crossbar.
Early openings from Carlton came in the shape of Ash Chambers solid hold up play. His layoff found Watson who played in Troke with Clark on the overlap. His cross was overhit but Manneh recovered but a good clearing header from captain Oran Jackson quashed the chance.
Khyle Sargent was forced off with a recurrence of his injury in the eighth minute. Durow replaced him with Davie moving to the wing and Troke dropping more central. There were early cards too for Clark and for Rich Black the Borough centre back in separate incidents.
Midway through the half, Borough threatened again with good work on the left from the speedy and tricky Aaron Nuttall who laid back to Rowe who provided a dangerous cross. Only pressure from Durow forced a Tendai Daire header off target. As the game opened up Meikle found Nuttall again but the wide man couldn’t fashion an opening as Freeman provided the block.
Carlton hit the front in the 22nd minute in spectacular fashion. After dogged work from Ash Chambers and Davie initially on the left to secure possession, the captain played infield to Troke in good space. He set up Manneh who, from fully 25 yards unleashed a howitzer of a strike which crashed into the goal leaving visiting ‘keeper Brandon Ganley with no chance. This buoyed the home side who took control of the following ten minutes.
Jackson was on hand to snuff out a Chambers chance after more good work from Troke. Manneh was then grounded in a tussle with Rowe right in front of the benches. Protestations on both sides and unnecessary involvement from players across the field led to a fairly messy picture, all of which proved inconclusive to the officials who took no action against any player but it led to more needle in the game and it was an outburst from Ellis Myles some ten minutes later which saw him foul Manneh in the box and the referee awarded a spot kick. Davie took the kick himself and powered it to the ‘keeper’s right sending Ganley the wrong way.
Manneh was finding more space down the Carlton left and his cross was unlucky to not result in anything. Chambers got the ball stuck under his feet and both centre backs combined to clear. From a long ball from Robson, Chambers got a good knock on but again, Black and Jackson swarmed around Davie and didn’t allow a clean shot to be released. In the final act of the half, Borough proved they weren’t going to accept the scoreline with a dangerous effort from a corner. Leo Stone really unlucky with a fantastic volley from the edge of the box which whistled over the bar.
As the second period got underway Carlton made a clear effort to get that decisive third goal. Manneh did well to close down an attempted clearance in centre field before playing in Troke. He wasn’t able to get a shot away as Black intervened albeit several behind the goal called for a use of the hand, the ball was recycled to Manneh on the left who supplied a great cross which flashed across the face with no takers in yellow and blue. From a corner, Davie fired in near post and Watson arriving late glanced his header just beyond the far post.
Clark was hustling and harrying Jake Duffy and Cam Collins in the middle of the field and won possession back. He played it right to Troke whose back post cross picked out Chambers but he was unable to keep his header down. Watson, following Clark’s lead, pounced on a loose pass and Troke played a delightful one two with Chambers before trying his luck from range. The goal bound effort was well held by Ganley.
Troke was involved again and the supply chain for Chambers. A defence splitting pass found the Millers top scorer but he seemingly got caught in two minds and the finish lacked any conviction and dribbled past the post. Chambers then turned provider as he latched onto a Davie through ball. His cross just evading those in support however.
Borough increasingly came more in to the game and Collins and Meikle in particular were spreading the ball around well utilising the dangerous wingers in Nuttall and Stone. That pressure eventually told and with little more than ten minutes left the visitors got the goal their pressure deserved. Collins played Nuttall in behind down the left and the winger supplied a superb ball to Collins himself a yard out to tap home.
The rearguard action that followed was one of grit, determination and desire. Freeman and Robson stood strong but were well backed by the full backs, Durow and Shea Thompson-Harris. Clark was throwing himself in front of shots too and Ollie Taylor was thrown on to give energy to the midfield.
When the whistle blew some Carlton players dropped to the floor but were quickly raised to their feet by teammates to take the warm applause of the appreciative crowd as the home side registered their fifth win in the calendar month.
Carlton Town: F Annan, S Thompson-Harris, N Davie (N Saunders 82), D Freeman, E Robson, O Clark, L Manneh, K Sargent (L Durow 8), A Chambers (K Watson 74), N Watson (O Taylor 74), A Troke.
Unused Subs: H Goddard
Goals: L Manneh 22, N Davie 37 (pen); Cameron Collins 81
Carlton Town Supporters Club MOTM: Lamin Manneh
Att: 209
