Carlton Town 0 Willenhall Town 2

Unibond Division One South

Saturday 14th November Coming in to this game, Willenhall had gone almost 500 minutes without scoring. They were rooted to the bottom of the table after a traumatic summer that culminated in a 10 point deduction. They had recently been beaten by Spalding, who as connoisseurs of this division will testify, are routinely rubbish year on year. Carlton on the other hand sat mid-table, but with games in hand, and were showing signs of again being a force to be reckoned with in the division. With the two clubs being the two most poorly supported in the division, it was never going to be a bumper attendance, and so it proved, with only 73 hardy souls braving the elements. With Forest on international leave, and County being away, it would have been nice if one or two locals had bothered to rouse themselves and support their community team. But hey ho. Carlton Town are used to the ambivalence of their surroundings, and must thank their lucky stars that Forest Ladies have seen the quality of the Bill Stokfield Stadium.

The Carlton Ultras

Given the status of both sides, one could be forgiven for expecting this to be something of a formality for the home side. Willenhall's problems are chronicled elsewhere, but in short they involve a dodgy ex-Chairman, a multitude of debts, no playing budget and the aforementioned points deduction. But reports had told me that despite results, performances hadn't been catastrophic, and it was clear from the off that spirits remained high. With pace on the flanks, and the standout Sean Findlay pulling the strings in midfield, Willenhall betrayed their league position, and lay seige to the home goal. However, the end product was lacking, and it was clear why they had gone so long without a goal. Every team in the country is persistently looking for a 15-20 goal a season striker, and such a task is made all the harder when the management can't entice potential players with any promises of money. The lads playing upfront were willing runners, but lacked the physical presence to worry the Carlton defence unduly. When shots were offered up, they were either hit too weakly, or lacking in direction. Carlton meanwhile were limited to the occassional foray into enemy territory, and were equally wasteful with what few chances they created. Time and time again shots screwed wide of the far post, and when called upon, Stephen Jackson was up to the questions asked.

It all went through Sean Findlay

As half time approached, Carlton found themselves once again on the back foot. Good work on the right hand corner of the box saw the ball pushed infield to Findlay, who struck an apparently harmless shot goalward, only for the hapless keeper to somehow contrive to let the ball past him. It may have been a long time coming, but it was only what they deserved in truth.

The folk in the posh seats went wild

It is fair to assume that the Carlton half time talk would have been slightly more animated than the Willenhall one, but as the second half got underway, it wasn't too clear what had changed. As the game wore on, Willenhall became more nervous, but continued to defend resolutely. Findlay stood out as a making things happen, and his engine ensured that none of the Carlton players had time to settle. Certainly the home side were more attack-minded in the second half, but they continued to be wasteful in front of goal. And then, another poor clearance by Ali Barcherini in the home goal fell to a red shirt, was pulled across to Sean Pugh, who then hoisted a huge up and under forwards. With the aid of the blustery conditions, it proved to be a masterstroke, as the ball curved over the dispairing Barcherini, and sent the few Willenhall fans into raptures. Two goals!! It was unprecedented. Not to mention unexpected. And of course, 100% intended, according to the player.

Willenhall saw the remaining time out with a few scares, but ultimately, it was a day that had panned out in a way wholly unexpected by pretty much everyone within the ground. A wise sage could say that it was due to happen at some point. It's just that no-one expected it here and now. On this showing Carlton, who have made a habit of conceeding goals, bit scoring more in recent years, are alarmingly blunt upfront. And Willenhall may still have a fight on their hands, but the unity that such tough times creates, both on and off the pitch, can only stand the club in good stead. Those involved currently deserve huge praise for not only keeping faith, but keeping the club going. Non-league football is about such hardships. The respect shown between players, fans and management is something which other clubs could learn a lot from.