WITTON Albion matched Shaw Lane’s result last night, and resume a potentially defining week on Thursday in the knowledge a victory against Spalding will send them top of the table.

They visit Gresley on Saturday, while Shaw Lane head to promotion play-offs hopefuls Newcastle Town.

However Carlton served a reminder on Tuesday that neither of the title contenders can afford to be distracted by their meeting in Barnsley next week.

“We stumbled,” admitted Albion boss Carl Macauley.

“In the first half, we didn’t perform.

“It’s right that they offered very little in attack, but nor did we trouble their goalkeeper.

“We lacked quality in the final third of the pitch, and our decision-making wasn’t right.”

Second-half goals from Michael Wilson and substitute Karl Noon settled the outcome Witton’s way – a fifth successive win since a surprise loss at home to Rugby last month.

It leaves Albion a single point adrift of the Northern Premier League’s Division One South summit.

Macauley added: “We kept plugging away, and a change of formation helped us to get into the game.

“We needed a bit of luck too when Carlton hit the woodwork, but my players have earned that – look at some of the runs we’ve been on.

“I rely on every one of those players – it doesn’t matter if they start a game or play 60 seconds at the end.

“Karl was probably our man of the match at the weekend, but we wanted to freshen things up and so he was back on the bench.

“His response was exactly what I wanted, and he showed great composure to score an important goal.”

He told the Guardian that midfielder Prince Haywood, who left the field after half an hour, had complained of a twinge in his right hamstring.

Full-back Matty Devine, who was not included in the squad, was rested after only recently recovering from a similar injury.