FINAL MANAGEMENT INTERVIEW BEFORE THE PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL
Carlton Town have reached the Northern Premier League playoffs for the third time in their history.
In 2008-2009, the Millers finished 4th under Tommy Brookbanks, winning 20, drawing 10 and losing 8 and scoring 83 and conceding 50 and claiming 70 points from 38 games, before going down 5-2 to third placed Stockbridge Park Steels in the playoffs, where a certain Jamie Vardy put in a man of the match performance for our opponents.
Stocksbridge went on to beat Belper Town away in the final and gain promotion and spent 5 years in the premier league finally going back down during the 2013-2014 season.
The Millers meanwhile had to wait until the 2011-2012 season under Les Mcjannet, before they made it there again, finishing 2nd, winning 26, drawing 5 and losing 11 and finishing with 83 points from 42 games scoring 101 goals and conceding 52.
The Millers were 2-0 up in the Semi Final, before being pegged back late on by Leek and the game eventually finished 2-2, before Leek won on penalties in a dramatic shootout.
Leek went on to lose 2-0 to Ilkeston in the final.
Carlton were almost certainly set to be in the playoffs in the first Covid season under Tommy and Mark claiming 48 points from 26 games winning 14, drawing 6 and losing 6 scoring 52 and conceding 33 and were in cracking form and 5th in the league with 4 games in hand on Stocksbridge who were below the Millers in 6th place, before Boris Johnson shut the country down and the Non League football season was brought to a premature conclusion with no playoffs.
Roll on 4 years and the Millers are back in the mix finishing 5th on 65 points from 38 games with a comfortable 5 point gap over 6th placed Belper Town.
The Millers won 21, drew 2 and lost 15 games finishing with 59 goals scored and 52 conceded.
If Carlton are to reach the final, they have to go and win at Stockton on Tuesday night, a tough ask indeed, but the Millers are the only team to have done it this season.
Carlton Town TV’s final interview ahead of the big game was with Mark Harvey at Brighouse post match on Saturday, hear what Mark had to say below ahead of the Semi Final.
