DISAPPOINTMENT AS MILLERS LOSE AGAIN

The damage was done in the first half as Carlton shipped two soft goals and were unable to get back into the game until it was too late.

With captain Ashley Kitchen having been taken to hospital with a kidney infection, Jack Davis continued at centre-half. There was more bad news for Les McJannet as Terry Hawkridge was missing due to injury so Curtis Shaw made a first start of the campaign, and Rob Gill replaced Ian Brown.

The Millers began well and Jermain Hollis fired wide after good work by Shaw. Massiah McDonald then beat his man down the left hand side before squaring to Gill who was tackled just prior to unleashing the trigger.

McDonald then shrugged of the attentions of the United centre-half to create a one-on-one after Fletcher’s through ball, but the keeper was equal to the striker’s effort.

Lincoln took the lead against the run of play on 16 minutes. Brendan McDaid found himself completely unmarked and headed home a right wing corner.

Back came Carlton and Gill fired just over after good work by Ryan Goward.

Rob Darkin cleared well from under his cross bar as Lincoln forced a rare chance but the Millers then went two down when Scott Coupland’s effort was deflected past Danny Marshall.

Carlton’s collective performance dropped from that point and Lincoln looked relatively comfortable, although McDonald and Hollis continued to cause problems.

Gill thought he’d pulled a goal back on 38 minutes with a superb free-kick but his effort struck the bar and rebounded to safety with the keeper completely beaten.

Into the second half and the Millers were handed a lifeline on 53 minutes when the referee awarded a penalty for handball, but Lincoln keeper Craig Turner saved Shaw’s side-footed effort

Gill struck another excellent free-kick which Turner tipped onto the bar but if anything, Lincoln may have increased their lead on a couple of occasions.

In the first minute of stoppage time Jermain Hollis scored a neat goal with a curling effort from the edge of the box after McDonald had an effort blocked but it was too late to salvage anything from the game.

Carlton Town: Marshall, Thornton, Fletcher, Davis (Brown 61), Darkin, Shaw, Hollis, Goward (Smith 78), Hall, Gill (Grayson 71), McDonald. Unused substitute: Large.

Goal: Hollis 90

Carlton Town Supporters Club MOTM – Massiah McDonald

Att: 82