MANY UPS AND DOWNS BUT A DECADE TO REMEMBER FOR CARLTON TOWN !
After recent postponements, Carlton Town will be hoping to re engage with their home fan base with a succession of home league games during January.
Kidgsgrove visit on New Year’s Day followed by Wisbech on Saturday 11th January and Chasetown on Saturday 18th January.
It has been a fascinating decade for Carlton with many ups and downs!
Many of the positives during the decade belong with Les Mcjannet (pictured). In 2011 he along with his assistant manager Mark Clarke led Carlton to their first ever Senior Cup Final and despite a heavy defeat to Eastwood Town, Carlton got a taste for cup finals.
In 2012, Mcjannet and Clarke led Carlton to their highest ever pyramid finish finishing second in Division one south, before losing on penalties to Leek Town in the Semi Final playoff at Stoke Lane.
2013 was another fantastic year for the Millers as they won their first ever Senior Cup Final after 111 years defeating Sutton at Eastwood Town with legendary centre half Grant Brindley having to play in goal.
Carlton were on a role and retained the trophy beating Rainworth Miners Welfare 6-2 at Hucknall Town in 2014 with Ian McCulloch now alongside Les Mcjannet at the helm.
2014 also saw Carlton have a fantastic run in the league cup featuring extensively on Radio Nottingham as they reached the semi final after beating Fc United of Manchester at Stoke Lane with that man Grant Brindley heading home the historic winner.
Carlton had plenty of chances to win the semi final but Skelmersdale Fc triumphed at Stoke Lane to end an historic run in the competition for Carlton.
2015 proved a disappointing one for Carlton with the team fighting relegation and Mcjannet departed at the end of the campaign after keeping the Millers up, with his legacy well intact and his achievements along with assistants Mark Clarke and Iain McCulloch never to be forgotten at Stoke Lane.
Wayne Scott had stepped up to the assistant managers role after success with the club’s Academy and it was he who took over from Les Mcjannet.
Scott pulled off possibly the greatest result in the club’s history as the Millers defeated highly fancied and high flying Basford United 4-1 at Meadow Lane in the 2017 Senior Cup Final.
Scott also led Carlton to the final in 2019 but Basford took their revenge at the One Call Stadium running out 3-0 winners with Carlton paying the price for missing first half chances.
League form under Scott however had been patchy and Carlton would have been relegated at the end of the 2018/2019 season had Afc Mansfield not failed ground grading.
Scott departed by mutual consent at the end of last season and the man who was certainly the star of the club in the first decade of this century Tommy Brookbanks triumphly returned along with his new partner in success Mark Harvey.
It’s fair to say they have hit the ground running with Carlton entering 2020 in a playoff position after they finished 2019 by winning the big local Derby.
The impact made by Brookbanks, Harvey and their coaching staff and the return of Martin Ball and the likes of Danny Elliot as been unprecedented and the progress of the club’s younger players leaves the club well positioned for 2020 with brilliant managers at the helm.
Ilkeston Town 2 Carlton Town 4 was a decent way to end the decade!
The saddest stories of the last ten years were the passing of Chuck Fowler and Paul Shelton and both are still missed every day, but alongside Bill Stokeld, they not only lay in the goal mouth, but remain steeped into the fabric of this club now and forever.
So as we enter 2020, it would be interesting to see who Supporters would say was their hero of the Decade, Les Mcjannet would undoubtedly be the choice of many and Grant Brindley would certainly be in the frame, but there are many people who have passed through this historic and fantastic club, many who made outstanding contributions in particular towards 5 Cup Finals and 3 wins and one legend whom sadly is in prison!
Happy New year to all the Carlton Town family 👍😀🤞
