AFC Totton
TOTTON ROUND-OUT PRE-SEASON WITH HOME WIN OVER HAMMERS
FOUR GOALS FROM AFC Totton saw them round-out pre-season with a handsome win over beaten Southern League Div.1 South play-off finalists Hamworthy United.
Wearing their waspish yellow-and-black hooped away kit, Hamworthy held their own in the early stages. A right-wing attack had Kennedy lift the ball over his own crossbar to prevent a whipped cross finding its target. From the resulting corner, Eddie Hodge worked his way along the byline and stung Noice’s palms with a near-post shot.
Hodge isolated Davis, covering at left-back while Ragguette had been caught upfield, before sending in a fierce cross that Read hooked out at the back post, as Totton struggled to impose their passing rhythm.
Read provided a useful outlet from right-back, which Rendell and the trialist combined to take advantage of, earning a right-wing corner on 20 minutes. Taylor’s high cross to the back post was nodded into the bottom-left corner by Josh CARMICHAEL.
A quick give-and-go between the trialist and Davis wrong-footed a defender to put the trialist in at inside-right. With Rendell rushing towards the left-hand post, it wasn’t clear whether the trialist took a shot or tried to cross; Rendell slid in and stretched out that long left leg but he couldn’t connect as the ball flashed past the post.
On 38 minutes, Noice came out to deal with a loose ball on his left but retreated when he saw Kennedy coming across. The defender was immediately set upon by two yellow-and-black shirts, one of whom forced it to Eddie HODGE in enough space to move infield and curl a left-footed shot into the uncovered portion of the goal.
The trialist bent a right-footed shot narrowly wide from about 20 yards just before the break, after Davis had rolled the ball to him from a left-wing free-kick.
In the second half, Stanley, on as sub, fired wide after Rendell laid back from a low Ragguette cross. Burrows got to the left-wing byline and won a free-kick. The trialist took it but Steve Walker headed clear for the visitors from the six-yard box.
Kennedy played Stanley through. He twisted and turned to unsettle the defender; his low shot was parried across goal by Kai Sturr. Rendell slid in but couldn’t reach. Then, Burrows won another free-kick; the trialist forced Sturr into a double-fisted punch.
Carter put Burrows through on goal on the left but a heavy touch allowed Sturr to snatch the ball. Then, Burrows had his near-post shot blocked as he connected with Stanley’s fizzed ball in from the right wing.
Read intercepted the ball at half-way and fed Burrows down the right. His fierce low cross struck Tony Rolls and ricocheted into the top-right corner for an OWN GOAL.
The trialist intercepted a clearance to put Stanley in; the striker scuffed his shot wide. Then, a mistake by Leo Taylor gave Munn a sight of goal but his effort was too high.
Totton went three-one up a minute later. Stanley held the ball up inside the opposition half, before feeding Pelham, who sprinted into space to the right of the penalty area. The teenager’s low cross picked out Scott RENDELL for a close-range finish.
The Stags put the result beyond doubt on 86 minutes. Whiteley’s flick shifted the ball from a cluster of players to Rendell, before latching onto the return pass at inside-right and squaring for Stanley near the penalty spot. Stanley’s shot was charged down by the arm of Tony Rolls for a penalty, which Scott RENDELL comfortably converted.
Author: Ben Rochey Adams
Photos: Craig Hobb Photography
