By Ben Edwards
Bridlington Town will kick off their fourth consecutive season in the Northern Premier League East Division with a home fixture, taking on Carlton Town at the Mounting Systems Stadium.
With the excitement building with upgrades both on and off the pitch under the new ownership, it’s a match that supporters will have been looking forward to for some time.
Improvement will be needed, however, from last Saturday’s game, where the Seasiders were knocked out of the FA Cup at the Extra Preliminary Round, losing 3-2 against Northern League side Birtley Town.
After going 2-0 behind due to two goals from corners, Bridlington netted twice just minutes before the break to go into half time level.
It was yet another goal from a corner, as Alex Markham headed home his first for the club, before Freddie Allen, on loan from Doncaster Rovers, produced a composed finish on debut.
Owen Grainger, Matty Bowman, Michael Coulson and Curtis Morrison also made their debuts from the start.
Marshall Nock and Ethan Harrison appeared for the first time as substitutes, with the latter impressing alongside Michael Coulson as the former Doncaster Rovers striker replaced the injured Morrison early on.
Eventually, Birtley netted the winner with 20 minutes to go, heading in at the back post after a cross from the left.
As for Carlton Town, it will be their first competitive game of the season, as they go straight into the preliminary round of the FA Cup on August 17th, making the short trip to AFC Mansfield.
It was a much improved season for Carlton in 2023/24, who after narrowly avoiding relegation the previous campaign, finished 5th, inside the playoffs, where they lost the semi-final 2-0 against eventual playoff winners Stockton Town.
The Millers will be looking to continue their progression, whilst Bridlington Town are also aiming to climb the table having had to avoid relegation on the final day for three seasons in a row.
It was October last season when Bridlington last hosted Carlton, where they narrowly lost 1-0 despite putting in a decent performance overall.
The reverse fixture in Nottinghamshire, however, was much more emphatic, as Carlton came out 5-0 winners on a Tuesday evening in February.
New signings Kyle Fanning (on loan from Hull City) and Simon Heslop will be both available to come in on Saturday. Fanning will provide height to the defence, whilst Heslop adds quality and experience to the midfield.
