BROOKBANKS UPBEAT ABOUT THE FUTURE AFTER POSITIVE MESSAGES FROM PLAYERS.
Carlton Town joint manager Tommy Brookbanks was delighted to hear that Gedling Borough Council had comfirmed that the club would get the £10,000 rates grant to help them pay their ground rent and insure the stadium.
The grant is a massive lifeline for the club and comes on the back of the superb 100 club iniative launched by Alan Murphy and featured in today’s Non league paper thanks to an excellent letter sent in by Season Ticket holder and Supporters club member Julian Wilson.
Brookbanks pictured after rejoining the club with Club President Roger Smith and Mark Harvey today brings more good news following talks with his squad with many feeling there is unfinished business to be taken care of next season, with the Millers having had a fantastic season this time round, looking almost certain to finish in a playoff position with the team in barnstorming form prior to the lockdown.
Brookbanks told Chairman Mick Garton to step up all efforts to get grants in to improve the ground as he genuinely believed Carlton had a real chance of not only qualifying for the playoffs, but winning them as well.
“We had the same momentum as when we took Coalville up, I could really feel it and the good news is those players want to go again” Brookbanks told us.
“We had already contracted some of our key players for next season before all this took hold and the remaining players in the squad have verbally told me, they wish to stay and complete unfinished business”
“This is very much a young squad and myself Mark and the coaching staff feel they can develop even further next season”
“No future potential signings have been contacted by us as a club at this stage as we feel it’s not morally correct to do so in these trying times, even though other clubs have been talking to our lads, all be it before the official end of season date which technically is not until next weekend. That is their prerogative, but contracts for example are still running till then.”
“Obviously verbally it can count for nothing and lads change their mind, but for now we feel as a club that we can continue to progress in a positive way” said Brookbanks
Brookbanks also comfirmed their coaching staff had recommitted and this website also understands that Dave Hodgson is his role has made some real progress in opening doors for the club and is really hopeful of securing funding in the not to distance future which would help enable Carlton to improve their facilities and bring their ground up to Northern League Premiership standard.
Hodgson will keep his Council for now because he does not want to raise false hopes and important meetings which were scheduled for the end of last season have had to be postponed, but once they can, he and Chairman Mick Garton intend to carry on where they left off.
How easy that will be remains to be seen but Hodgson, like Brookbanks and Harvey has achieved much in life and will be relentless in his efforts.
For now, Supporters can be boosted by the positives noises coming out of Stoke Lane, not least today from Tommy Brookbanks and what the players are saying to him and Mark, everyone connected with the club will be hoping they are true to their word, because there really is unfinished business and never has that statement been any truer that it is now!
