NPL First Division East
15 April 2023
Carlton Town suffered a damaging blow to their hopes of step 4 survival as they lost 1-0 at Lincoln Utd.
The Millers’ destiny remains in their own hands thanks to a combination of other results and the fact that their fellow relegation battlers have to play each other but there was no escaping the fact that this was a hugely disappointing performance. The side have done well in recent weeks to even get themselves into a position where they can climb out of the bottom four but if they perform like this in the remaining two games they will be plying their trade at step 5 come August.
Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey made three changes to the side which had lost at Worksop last time out. Into the team came Charlie Marzano, Danny Elliott and Nat Watson, back after his three game ban. Out went Lawrence Gorman, Lewis Durow and Kyle Tomlin.
Lincoln featured former Carlton supporters player of the year Jack Steggles in goal.
Both sides came into the game level on points in the relegation play-off zone. Lincoln had the much better goal difference but Carlton had a game in hand. The winner would go a huge way to securing step 4 safety.
Backed by a tremendous away following approaching perhaps 100, including fans from Manchester, York and Dorking (Dorking!), Carlton got off to the worst possible start and were a goal down after less than two minutes. A long ball played to the left wing position ricocheted into the path of Tobias Liversidge who had all the time in the world to pick his spot from the edge of the box and fire low past Mikey Emery.
If conceding an early goal might have operated to give some spark to the Millers it didn’t work as they virtually sleepwalked through the first half. Khyle Sargent and Watson combined midway through the half only for Sargent to overhit a cross while Dean Freeman headed a Niall Davie corner just over the bar.
But in truth Steggles was as much of a spectator as the vocal support behind his goal. At the other end Matt Cotton hit a long range effort just wide and Liversidge drew a decent save from Emery as he got onto the end of a cross from the right. But in truth neither side created anything of note in the half after the early goal.
Emery did well early in the second half to tip a Jake Park header over the bar as Lincoln threatened to secure the win with over half an hour remaining. Moments later Leo Priestly hit a fierce drive across the face of goal with no one on hand to tap home.
Carlton had their first shot on target on the hour mark when Alex Troke hit a fairly tame effort straight at Steggles before the same player fired just wide of the post after some good work from Watson.
With 25 minutes remaining it seemed as if the visitors had finally woken from their stupor. Niall Hylton, pushed forward after Durow was brought on, advanced down the left and crossed to Watson in space but he mis-controlled and the chance was gone.
Sargent then fired just wide after some decent play from Watson and Troke before Hylton once again ran at the Lincoln defence almost single handed but was blocked at the last.
By now it was all Carlton pressure and the Millers should have been awarded a penalty on 80 minutes when Harry Millard, already on a yellow card, bundled over Watson in the area after another fine run and cross from Hylton. The referee waved away the claims and the Lincoln manager, who after the game fairly conceded it was a clear penalty, reacted by substituting Millard almost immediately.
Substitute Tomlin lifted a late shot just over the bar and in added time Freeman saw a goalbound shot deflected wide of target but in truth Lincoln defended solidly and were good value for the points.
The Carlton support didn’t let up for the entire game and the players thanked the fans at the end. They will know they have two games to show that they mean it.
Carlton Town: M Emery, K Sargent, N Hylton, D Brown, D Freeman, J Holmes (K Dixon 57), C Marzano (L Durow 57), D Elliott (K Tomlin 68), A Troke, N Watson, N Davie. Unused substitutes: R Stainsby, L Gorman
Goals: Tobias Liversidge 2
Carlton Town Supporters Club MOTM – Niall Hylton
Att: 281
