Goalkeeper Andy Spooner, Richard Brown and Dan Griffiths in all sorts of trouble as Carlton pile on the pressure in Market Drayton's goalmouth.

Matt Burton is still looking for his first win as Market Drayton Town manager after his side slipped to a home reverse to Carlton Town on Saturday in atrocious conditions.

Town started slowly and were two down inside the opening quarter of an hour through Tristram Whitman and one time Premier League player Paris Simmons.

At that point it seemed a case of how many for the visitors, but Town were a different outfit in the second half and deservedly halved the deficit through Martyn Davies.

And as time ticked down Drayton had their chances to level with Nicky Porter and Stuart Ellis going close before Porter was denied what seemed a certain penalty in the final minute.

But manager Burton remains upbeat that his new look side will turn things around.

He said: “I thought it was a blatant penalty but when it isn’t going your way it isn’t going your way. I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ll stick together and we will work hard.

“We asked for a reaction second half. We needed a little of luck and the ball didn’t quite break for us.

“We went three at the back thinking we might as well lose 3-0 rather than 2-0 and we just went for it.

“We rode our luck a little but we just needed a break in the box.”

Town fielded a new centre-back pairing of James Taylor, who has arrived from Caersws, and Richard Brown – signed from Rushall Olympic.

And with reserve keeper Andrew Spooner deputising for regular stopper Andrew Pryce, who was fit enough only for the bench, it was perhaps no surprise that Drayton were exposed at the back early on.

The first goal was too easy for the visitors as Simmons, who made one appearance for Derby County in the Premier League, found Whitman in acres of space and the front man made no mistake with his finish.

Time and time again in the opening half Carlton cut through the Town rearguard and it was no surprise when Simmons doubled the lead with a neat curling finish.

But after the break it was a different story. The switch to 3-4-3 with the introduction of substitutes Tom Rogers, Paul Bowyer and Marc Stallard gave Town a different dimension as they coped better with the relentless rain.

After Rogers’ superb pass set Davies away for the goal, Drayton camped inside their opponents half for the final 20 minutes but couldn’t find that elusive leveller.

By Alex James