AFC Totton
Hampton & Richmond 2-0 AFC Totton
Goalscorers:
Reece Grego-Cox 41'
Harry Gardner 82'
Attendance: 329
AFC TOTTON STARTING XI:
1. Max Evans
2. Joe Oastler
7. Ash Clarke (Tony Lee 80')
8. Lee Hodson
9. Scott Rendell (C)
14. Andre Changunda (Ralph Vigrass 75')
17. Dec Rose
18. Sam Ashford (Malachi Linton 63')
21. Christos Batzelis
26. Tyler Cordner
27. Craig Tanner
Unused Substitutes:
13. Ryan Gosney (GK)
20. Ryan Jackson
29. Hisham Kasimu
By Josh Cole
A tough night for The Stags away at Hampton & Richmond saw the game end 2-0 to the hosts.
It was a controlled start to the game from AFC Totton, dominating the ball and keeping Hampton & Richmond very much camped in their own half.
However, The Stags did struggle to really create any key chances early in the first half.
Just after the 21st minute when the Beavers had their first chance, they started to grow more into the game and became less stuck in their own half.
The 41st minute saw Reece Grego-Cox score a peach of a volley.
A free-kick was floated into the Totton box, and was headed back across the box to Grego-Cox and he controlled the ball with his chest and on the volley stuck it into the top corner.
At half-time it was 1-0 to the hosts and it was a pretty uneventful first half, Totton didn’t play bad, just couldn’t muster any real clear chances.
The cagey affair continued into the second half, with H&R having a good chance on 50 minutes when Grego-Cox entered the box open but didn’t catch his shot cleanly enough to beat Max Evans.
A lot of Totton’s play came in wide area, especially down the right utilising Lee Hodson’s experience and Andre Changunda’s dynamism but as he cut in on his left foot inside the oppositions box, he could only find the side netting.
Malachi Linton, replaced Sam Ashford and seven minutes after coming on, in the 71st minute, he raced clear away from the Hampton & Richmond defence and bared down on goal, but it was a weak shot straight down the throat of the ‘keeper.
Five minutes later, Junior Dixon got past an isolated Tyler Cordner on the right and his shot stung the palms of Evans.
In the 81st minute, a golden chance would fall the way of Tony Lee.
Ralph Vigrass dug out a cross and found Lee at the back-post, and he directed his header goalward, the side of which the ‘keeper was coming from as he rushed across the goal, but Rowley pulled off a wonder reaction save to keep the game at 1-0.
Which would turn out to be pivotal as straight up the other end, the hosts doubled their advantage.
Harry Gardner latched onto a loose clearance from Joe Oastler and through countless Totton defenders, his shot rifled along the floor through them all and into the bottom corner.
Despite Totton controlling the ball, it just wasn’t their day in front of goal.
Attendance: 329
GO STAGS
