Garton Is Pride Of Gedling

If you’ve ever been to an MSR news and stared at the framed shirts and photos of Nottingham Forest memorabilia or flicked through the unsold football programmes midst the magazine section at the shop on Market Square or on Radcliffe Road you might already know that the owner is not just a keen lover of the beautiful game, but in fact the Chairman too of one of our counties own sporting success stories.

Mick Garton has just won a ‘lifetime achievement award’ at the 2020 Pride of Gedling Awards hosted by Gedling Borough Council and in his own words, this humble but proud man, a Forest fan and chief of Carlton Town Football Club, said “I had no idea what it was for”.

With over 30 years in the news agency business Garton has seen troubled times in recent years but has still kept his signature shops open against the odds, but it is with Carlton Town FC, a team only formed as recently in 2002, where people will suggest he’s had his biggest success.

I myself played many a time at the old Stoke Lane ground where Sneinton FC were housed in the 1990’s. A Central Midland outfit who’s crumbling old venue improved its aged but stunning pavilion with a portacabin, the first step in becoming the venue it is today.

Roughly 20 years later, investment courtesy of Mick Garton and thanks largely to his MSR business, the Bill Stokeld Stadium has been home to one of the longest serving teams in the second tier of the Northern Premier League, just four divisions from the football league.

Hardly recognisable from the venue it was, these days it includes turnstiles, floodlights and modern equipment, a brick built changing facility, a seated stand behind the goal, a 3g training pitch, oh and the portacabin is still there.

Garton has ploughed money into the sport he loves over the years and in return has taken little but joy back, but in his own personal joy he’s given the Borough of Gedling and the town of Carlton something to shout about, as his own football club Carlton Town have been a competitive little team rubbing shoulders with ‘bigger, better-known, longer established’ clubs along the way.

In 2005/06 Carlton became Northern Counties East League Division One champions finishing twelve points higher than second placed Retford United and also ahead of then neighbours from down the lane, Gedling Town who finished fourth.

A team with Allan Jeffries, Phil Bignall, Steve Chaplin, and managed by Tommy Brookbanks, a man who returned in 2019 to share duties alongside Mark Harvey.

Today the Brookbanks/Harvey duo has seen Carlton improve on recent years performances with Garton himself saying “last season was certainly one of the most enjoyable in that 20 years”.

After winning the league in 06 they won promotion again after finishing third in the NCEL Premier Division the following season. This time behind Retford United and Sheffield FC, promoted to the Northern Premier League South Division in 2007, they have been there ever-since.

Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Grantham Town, Shepshed Dynamo, Leek, Stocksbridge, Hucknall Town and Ilkeston to name a few, the Millers as they’re known, finished second in 2011/12 missing out in the playoffs via penalties after their highest ever season finish.

Since then, things have been tough in the NPL for Carlton who have continued to be competitive against sides like Kings Lynn Town, now in the National League, like Scarborough Athletic who were once in the football league. And it’s all credit to Garton who has been there and seen it all.

Garton said himself “I would be lying if I did not admit, the role can be challenging at times.”

“There have certainly been more good times than bad however, the success we had at the start of the decade with Tommy Brookbanks with repeated promotions, winning back to back Senior Cups with firstly Les McJannet and Mark Clarke and then Les and Iain McCulloch, a competition the club had never won (previously), before winning it again against all the odds at Meadow Lane (verses Basford United) under Wayne Scott”

Garton who has thanked his players, managers, staff and friends for achieving his local award in recognition to them helping him achieve such success with Carlton stated “This sounds like a resignation speech, but I’m not planning on going anywhere at the moment if that’s alright with you guys, we need to spin some records on those new turntables I have invested in, hopefully after celebrating many more victories under Tommy and Mark”