AFC Totton
PROMOTION RIVALS EQUAL IN BACK-AND-FORTH DRAW
AFC Totton and Chesham United played out an entertaining 2-2 on a freezing afternoon at the Snows Stadium.
With temperatures hovering around zero and the air thick with fog that worsened as the game progressed, both sides would have been forgiven for being unable to spark the 1,196 in attendance into life, but the game started at a frenetic pace and never seemed to let up.
Totton perhaps had more early possession while Chesham were more threatening with the ball, and the visitors took the lead midway through the first half. A home corner was cleared to Ricardo GERMAN, and the league’s top scorer ran a brilliant one-man breakaway to slot home for his 19th league goal of the season.
The Stags were nearly level immediately when Leon Maloney broke clear only to be brought down by visiting goalkeeper Zaki Oualah, but the referee waved away the penalty appeals to the bemusement of the home crowd.
Only a few minutes later Totton somehow couldn’t convert a goal-line scramble, and the Generals took advantage of their reprieve. Chesham won the ball high up the pitch, and German was able to thread through Zak JOSEPH who doubled their tally to give the away side a 2-0 half-time lead.
The second half began with Totton pushing strongly for a way back into the game, and found one when Leon Maloney was brought down in the area. Scott RENDELL coolly converted from 12 yards to cut the arrears in half.
This buoyed the home players and fans, and Charlie Kennedy’s shot was headed for the bottom corner before Oualah produced a brilliant save to turn the ball around his right-hand post.
Chesham then had the ball in the net following a set-piece routine, only for the official’s flag to indicate offside and chalk the goal off.
Finally the home pressure told, with the Generals defence struggling to deal with an aerial ball, and Jordan Chiedozie unselfishly squared the ball from a tight angle to allow Leon MALONEY to provide a thunderous finish to bring the two sides level.
The Stags pushed for a winner and nearly found it, first with Maloney’s free-kick fizzing inches wide, then a superb snap save from Oualah denying Chiedozie, but with the clock against them they could not find that final breakthrough, and in the end the spoils were shared - a fair result in what was a stereotypical ‘game of two halves’, with Chesham better before the break and Totton stronger after it.
FINAL SOCRE: AFC Totton 2-2 Chesham United
Goalscorers: Rendell (51[p]), Maloney (81); German (28), Joseph (33)
Star Player: Leon Maloney
Entertainment Value: 5/5
Attendance: 1,196
Author: Benjamin Rees
