Carlton's Textbook Showing at Loughborough Students

 

Online-only programme accessed with a QR code from the bar area.

Hopperational Details
Date & Venue	19 August 2025 at Loughborough University Stadium
Result	Loughborough Students 0 Carlton Town 3
Competition	Northern Premier League D1 Midlands (Step 4)
Hopstats	#802 on the lifetime list
Context
The kindest way to describe the Students’ start to the season is to say that they are undefeated at home – with one point from three games. Carlton have two league wins and a big FA Cup victory on their list already. The visitors will start as favourites.
Match Report
This is an extremely impressive facility, set within a large university campus. The site is also hosting two international tournaments for teams of men and women with cerebral palsy, so there was a lot going on in and around the central stadium. There is unlikely to be a main stand and playing surface better than this anywhere else at Step 4 in the country. I made the most of a rare opportunity to sit a few metres above ground level, whereas many of the Carlton faithful kept to their habit of installing themselves and their flags behind the home goalkeeper, including of course the half-time change-of-ends. Carlton showed their status as favourites early on with a pressing game to disrupt the students playing out from the back. They made the first few half-chances but the Students couldn’t take the best one of the game so far after 11 minutes. They soon went behind to an old-school corner, with the big number five Dean Freeman winning the ball in the air, and his textbook downward header found the back of the net with the help of a deflection. My photo seems to show a bit of streetwise shirt-pulling in the process. At half-time there was only one goal in it and the home side could not be discounted. There had been some lovely one- and two-touch approach play from both sides. The student defenders caught the eye, but probably because they had been the busiest players on the field. They always looked just a bit more anxious and stretched than their comfortable Carlton counterparts. Insert your own “degrees of freedom” joke here. I wrote a note to myself that “Carlton will need a second”, and went for a Mars Bar (also a second). That game-settling goal duly arrived after 66 minutes with a volley from striker Ashley Chambers, and then the third was an absolute screamer from wide on the left flank from Niall Davie. Great goal, ten minutes to go. To their credit, young heads did not drop and the Students almost got a consolation in the dying moments, but this was a fair result in an enjoyable game for this passing neutral. The day ended with a dreadful journey back south down the M1 “thanks” to a series of roadworks. Good job it wasn’t a school night.
So What?
The early league table has Carlton top, ahead of Corby on goal difference after three wins out of three games. Loughborough’s earlier point keeps them one place off the bottom.
Pix
Students in purple.
Goalkeeper Top Colour Stats Update
The background to this, and the latest keeper top colour league table, is here on this dedicated page. Today, Grey beats Orange (as predicted) and keeps a clean sheet. Pre-match Prediction based on Keeper Top Colour: Prediction: Away Win Was the prediction correct? Yes % of correct predictions so far 48% (90 from 187)
What Next?
No idea, to be honest, with other duties and commitments in the diary. I unfortunately can’t get to the West Lancs hop this coming weekend but I may be able to get to something down south. @ModusHRandom on Twitter/X for the reveals.