Millom Amateur Football Veteran Cements His Place In Local History

​Millom football veteran Carl Waters has reached an extraordinary milestone after scoring his 700th career goal during a match at Swarthmoor.

The 46-year-old Millom stalwart reached the landmark while playing for the club’s fourth team in a Furness district second division fixture. Waters scored a right-footed hat-trick as Millom faced Swarthmoor, completing a remarkable personal achievement that has been built over decades of involvement in local football. The veteran striker was also playing alongside a particularly young squad, with seven players under the age of 18 involved in the team.

Waters said the team’s young players were regularly creating opportunities for him during the match, giving him several chances to reach the milestone. He explained that all three of his goals were chipped finishes with his right foot, and although he felt he could have scored even more, he was delighted to finally reach the 700-goal mark. The achievement came after a long career spanning numerous clubs and competitions across South Cumbria.

The milestone was particularly significant because Waters had previously feared that his playing career might end before he reached the target. Four years ago, he suffered a serious torn anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him away from competitive football for around two years. At that stage, he was already in the 690s for his career goal tally, leaving him uncertain whether he would ever return to the pitch and complete the final stretch towards 700.

Waters had even considered making 700 goals the point at which he would retire from playing. The lengthy injury lay-off made the target uncertain, but his return to football eventually gave him another opportunity to continue adding to his tally. Reaching the landmark after recovering from such a significant injury has therefore added another chapter to a career that has already included several decades of local and regional football.

His interest in keeping track of his goals began with his father, John, who was also a respected local footballer. Waters explained that his father encouraged him to record his goals after he began playing senior men's football because he regretted not knowing exactly how many matches and goals he had accumulated during his own career. That advice eventually became an important part of Waters' own footballing history.

Waters' family has longstanding connections with football in Millom and the surrounding South Cumbria area. His grandfather was involved in founding the original Millom club, while his father went on to establish a substantial goalscoring record of his own. Millom later helped establish Waters' career tally by going back through club records, allowing his total to be calculated and giving him a figure that he could continue pursuing throughout his playing career.

The 700-goal total has been accumulated across a career involving several clubs and different levels of football. Waters began with Millom juniors before moving on to Coniston and Haverigg, giving him an early grounding in local football before he progressed to clubs further afield. He subsequently played for Holker Old Boys in Barrow, continuing to build his reputation as a prolific goalscorer.

Waters also spent a season with Barrow AFC in the Unibond Premier League, where he made around 20 senior appearances and scored eight goals. That period represented a different stage of his career, but balancing semi-professional football with shift work at Sellafield eventually influenced his decision to return to his home club. He wanted regular opportunities to play rather than spending too much time waiting for matches.

Looking back on his time at Barrow, Waters said he sometimes wonders whether he should have remained for another season to see how his career might have developed. At the time, however, he was frustrated by limited playing opportunities and the demands of shift work. Returning to Millom allowed him to play more regularly and continue developing a long association with the club and its local football community.

Waters now combines his own playing experience with a role helping younger footballers develop. He coaches his son's under-seven team and uses lessons from his own career when working with young players. One of the messages he passes on is that young footballers should not become too discouraged if they are not selected for a particular match, because opportunities can emerge later during a long season.

His advice is shaped by his own experience of moving between clubs, dealing with periods when opportunities were limited and eventually returning to regular football. Waters believes young players should be prepared to take their chances when they arrive rather than becoming disheartened by one selection decision. His current involvement with youth football allows him to pass that experience directly to the next generation of players.

Despite reaching such a significant goalscoring milestone, Waters does not expect to pursue another major numerical target. He has suggested that 700 could represent the natural conclusion of his goalscoring ambitions, although he remains willing to play whenever Millom needs additional players. His priority is now to support the club and avoid taking opportunities away from younger players who deserve their place in the team.

Waters also has a personal successor already showing plenty of enthusiasm for football. His son has told him that he intends to beat his father's record and regularly practises in the garden. The pair play their own first-to-10 matches, although Waters joked that when he is winning, the target tends to be extended to 20, giving their informal games an extra competitive element.

For Waters, the 700th goal is therefore about more than an individual statistic. It represents the culmination of a career deeply connected with Millom, a family tradition in local football and years spent playing across South Cumbria and neighbouring areas. From junior football and regional clubs to semi-professional appearances and his return to amateur football, the milestone reflects an unusually long relationship with the game.

The landmark also comes at a point when Waters is increasingly involved in supporting younger players rather than simply concentrating on his own playing career. His experience now forms part of the guidance he provides to children coming through Millom football, while his willingness to help the senior team when required means his involvement with the club is continuing even after reaching a milestone he once doubted he would achieve.

Waters' 700th goal has consequently secured another memorable moment in his long association with Millom football. Having overcome a serious injury, returned to the pitch and continued scoring into his forties, he has now reached a career total that began with advice from his father and has been followed throughout generations of the family's connection with the local game.

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