AFC Totton
HAMPSHIRE FA SUNDAY SENIOR CUP
Semi-Final
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 0
EAST CHRISTCHURCH SSC 3
Callum Dickenson 33mins; Elliott Hartnell-Baker 70mins; Levi Ridealgh 90mins+4
AFC Totton Sunday suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of East Christchurch Sports & Social Club at a muddy Testwood Recreation Ground today (Sunday), and missed out on their chance to book a place in the Hampshire Cup Final.
Sam Conway's Sunday Stags were given a bye in the 1st Round of this competition, and were then granted a walkover in Round 2 when their scheduled opponents Boujee Pint CF - who they had already beaten three times this season - folded. In the Quarter-Final in early-December, they triumphed comfortably against a weakened West Howe Sunday to set up this semi-final against another Bournemouth-based team. For their part, East Christchurch beat Boyatt Wood 8-1 in the 1st Round and followed that up with a 5-3 away win at Rushmoor Celtic, before thrashing North End Cosmos 8-0 in the Quarter-Final.
Gary Bagley is on the long-term injured list, while Jason Calcutt and Jordan Canning both had to step down from potential selection with persistent injuries still plaguing them. Central midfielder Liam Hanlon came in for his first start of the season, having played for the team last year when they were still known as AFC Forestlake. Left midfielder Luke Cron also made his first start of the campaign, having previously been limited to substitute appearances.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY
Starting Line-Up
1. Mitch COLEMAN
2. Simon ROWSON
3. Luke SCOULAR
4. Dan Gain
5. Tom RAFFERTY
7. Lewis GUNDRY
8. Liam HANLON
9. Matt HARRINGTON
10. Nathan GRAY
11. Tom MUNDAY
14. Luke CRON
Substitutes
12. Sam CONWAY
13. Jay BRADING
15. Michael MacLEOD
16. Kaine STANTON
The whole AFC Totton Sunday squad was on Weather Watch during the week, with some expectation that the match might fall foul of any weekend rainfall. But the pitch passed its scheduled inspection and AFC Totton Sunday lined up in their customary blue, while East Christchurch sported a tangerine-and-white ensemble reminiscent of Blackpool.
The pitch was muddy, heavy and slippery, and the sun was hanging low over the allotment at the back of Testwood Rec, so it took both sides a little while to adjust but the conditions didn't appear to particularly favour either team more than the other.
East Christchurch centre-back Callum Dickenson was alive to an early attempted through-ball by Liam Hanlon, which the visiting defender cut out with a strong header while Nathan Gray was ready to sprint clear behind him. His headed clearance reached Levi Ridealgh, who cut in from the left wing and tried a long-range shot, Dan Gain getting his head in the way for the home side.
Simon Rowson and Luke Cron combined down the left wing for Totton in the 4th minute to win a corner, which Gray crossed with his right foot, but East Christchurch managed to clear the danger.
Tom Rafferty was the next to make a timely defensive intervention, as both sides seemed to favour direct passes down the middle in the early exchanges. Then, Rowson and Cron linked up again down the left. Cron's cross was too long but Tom Munday managed to retrieve the ball on the right flank and feed it back into the centre, where Cron was hurt in a collision as he tried to divert it towards goal.
At first glance, Jack Smith is too short to play in the centre of defence, but his ability to read Matt Harrington's flick-ons and to pick on somebody his own size by tracking the runs of Nathan Gray nullified Totton's usual Big Man, Small Man routine. The East Christchurch No.12 is also comfortable in possession and has the ability to pick a pass from a deep position, if afforded the time and space to do so. In the 9th minute, he beat Munday to Harrington's header to quell one Totton attack, and within a minute, Mitch Coleman was in action at the other end, saving low at his left-hand post to concede a corner. As the ball came in from the right-hand side, Jamie Trimble found himself with the freedom of South Hampshire from 5 yards out but could only glance his header across goal.
Central midfielder Lewis Gundry is an important influence on the AFC Totton Sunday squad, so there were a few hearts in mouths after about 12 minutes when the former Yeovil Town man misjudged a forward sliding tackle and straight-legged Darren Orchard near the centre-circle. After a lengthy conversation, the referee produced a yellow card for the Stags' skipper, with a warning to watch his step in difficult conditions for more than an hour of a cup semi-final.
From the resulting free-kick, East Christchurch managed to get a headed effort on target, but Coleman was equal to it and made the catch. Then, the away side switched the play mid-attack to test Rowson in the left-back slot, who did well to stick to Alex Whitehouse and block his attempted cross at the expense of another corner. Dan Gain headed the cross clear, but the runs made by a few of the East Christchurch players as the ball came across suggested they had some well-drilled training ground routines up their sleeve.
East Christchurch tried a long-throw, which almost backfired as Totton got the ball away and counter-attacked, but Harrington and Gray weren't quite on the same wavelength, enabling Smith to regain possession for the visitors.
Tom Munday set off on a charge down the right flank and was unfortunate to be called up for barging his opponent off the ball, as he wrapped his right leg around the defender and seemed to take the man and ball in one move, landing his opponent in the mud amid the referee's sympathy. Gundry tried to capitalise on Munday's frustration by picking him out again for another raid down that side, but the pass was too straight and eluded him, despite his willingness to chase.
Ridealgh won a corner from Luke Scoular down the East Christchurch left. The ball travelled across the goalmouth and hit the unmarked Jamie Trimble on the knee at the back post, the ball rebounding quite hard but straight at Coleman. Once again, when AFC Totton tried to counter-attack, the diminutive Jack Smith tidied up at the back for the men in orange.
Liam Hanlon tried to release Luke Cron with a well-struck diagonal from central midfield out to the inside-left area, but goalkeeper Ollie Bull was out quickly to gather before Cron could reach it. Then, Hanlon flicked on with his head to release Gray through the centre, but Smith was there again to reclaim the ball.
Centre-back Dan Gain brought the ball out of defence for the home side shortly before the half-hour mark, advancing well into opposition territory and laying off to Munday on the right, even as he was being tripped in the process. The referee allowed play to continue and Munday curled a cross into the centre; it was just a little too high for Harrington, who couldn't direct his header.
Totton were making good ground down the right flank, in particular. Scoular played the ball forward for Harrington, who fed Munday again on the touchline and this time his whipped cross was well-defended by the 6ft-plus Dickenson, with Gray well-positioned to finish had the centre-back not intervened.
But then, from a seemingly innocuous incident, the match suddenly turned. The two opposing No.10s, Nathan Gray for Totton and Darren Orchard for East Christchurch, clashed mid-way inside the visitors' half after a Totton attack had been repelled. A free-kick was given but then the two players squared up to one another and in the ensuing scuffle, Gray was alleged to have pushed his opponent in the face. Orchard was shown a yellow card for his part in the altercation; Nathan Gray was shown a red card and AFC Totton Sunday were reduced to 10 men.
When play restarted, Hanlon went in strongly but fairly to win a challenge near the half-way line, but in the 33rd minute, Totton conceded a free-kick just inside their own half, near the left-hand touchline. Jack Smith took it and sent a high cross over everybody to pick out Callum DICKENSON who was unmarked at the back post and made no mistake in guiding his header into the top-left corner before Coleman could react.
Totton won a free-kick on the half-way line which, with their numerical disadvantage in mind, goalkeeper Mitch Coleman came forward to take. East Christchurch managed to clear the ball but couldn't get forward fast enough to embarrass Coleman, Luke Scouler eventually standing strong to prevent Ridealgh getting a shot in from the left.
As half-time approached, it was apparent that the loss of Nathan Gray had not only deprived the team of one of their most creative players and a reliable source of goals, but it also prevented them from being able to press the opposition when they knocked the ball around among their defenders and midfielders, forcing the Stags to drop off and allow East Christchurch to dictate the tempo of the game.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 0
EAST CHRISTCHURCH SSC 1
With only one goal in it, a rousing half-time team talk sent the AFC Totton Sunday team out with a renewed determination to stick to their game plan and try to hit East Christchurch on the break, with Matt Harrington given the thankless task of leading the front line on his own.
Set-pieces were also going to be important. Rafferty flighted a high ball to the back post from the half-way line, but Ollie Bull read it and claimed the ball confidently. Then in the 49th minute, Luke Cron's corner from the left wing picked out Dan Gain amongst a crowd of defenders and Bull did well to catch the 6ft 7in defender's thumping header just under the crossbar.
Tom Rafferty had a gilt-edged chance to level the scores from Cron's right-wing corner delivery, shortly after. Rafferty escaped his marker as he made a run to the near post and glanced his header across goal, his audible frustration with himself suggesting he had a clear sight of the East Christchurch net.
Led by Lewis Gundry and Liam Hanlon in central midfield, Totton were battling hard for the ball, trying to impose their will on the game even if they couldn't get their usual rhythm or playing style going. Hanlon won a free-kick inside the opposition half and then Harrington won another just outside the penalty area for holding from behind, 10 minutes into the second half. Gundry and Gain stood over the ball, 20 yards out in a central position, with a five-man defensive wall to contend with. Dan Gain smashed his right-foot shot straight through it, forcing Bull to get both hands behind it and parry away for a corner.
Cron sent the ball across from the left-hand quadrant, Rafferty met it on the far side and headed back across goal where Harrington flicked his forehead to divert it goal-ward, but Ollie Bull made a diving catch to his left to maintain his clean sheet.
East Christchurch's veteran midfielder Gavin Haynes, who aims to turn 41 this year, tried his luck from distance, sending the ball high, wide and handsome of Mitch Coleman's goal, much to the loud amusement of a hearty crowd of Totton supporters on the muddy touchline, which he took in good humour. Then, Luke Cron had to work his socks off in the defensive third to prevent the away side getting in down the Totton right.
After Gain's attempted clearance rebounded off the shin of an opponent to wrong-foot the Totton defence, Levi Ridealgh managed to wriggle his way around Luke Scoular at the byline to tee himself up for a narrow-angled drive that Coleman parried away. Gundry quickly hit Munday on the left wing with a diagonal pass but the right-back Jordi Gentle slid in to slam the door shut.
Although they had started the second half well, Totton were now struggling to maintain possession with several players running out of energy. When they got forward, Luke Cron and Matt Harrington were often isolated among several East Christchurch defenders, unable to lay a harmful glove on them.
Orchard pulled a save out of Coleman with a long-range effort from the middle, which the keeper had to watch carefully as it swayed in mid-flight.
On 69 minutes, player-manager Sam Conway decided to enter the fray in place of Tom Munday, who had endured a frustrating morning down the flanks. But the switch did not have the desired effect.
A loose back pass in midfield presented the ball to East Christchurch, despite Gain's attempt to get a firm foot on it. They worked the ball to their centre-forward, who had been having a quiet game but kept his composure with defenders scrambling to get around him as he advanced on Coleman's goal and, with a firm right-footed strike, Elliott HARTNELL-BAKER hit the underside of the crossbar and then the inside netting behind the left-hand post to double his side's lead.
Totton heads dropped, inevitably, and Coleman had to come out to claim the ball from substitute Yusuf Akanni to keep his side in touch, after a neat passing move by the visitors down the inside-left.
With 15 minutes to go, Simon Rowson was withdrawn from the left-back position with Michael MacLeod stepping off the bench to replace him. And he was straight into the action as Hartnell-Baker showed strong hold-up play to feed Trimble's run to the byline, the midfielder's shot turned away by a smart save from Coleman.
With Dan Gain having been sent forward in search of a more physical presence up-front, Callum Dickenson was left free from the corner and came within inches of wrapping up the cup tie with a strong connection on Orchard's cross, his header soaring over the crossbar with no Totton player anywhere near it.
Sam Conway struck the opposition wall with a 40 yard free-kick, which resulted in a corner on the left. But once again, Bull showed strong hands to take control of the situation inside his own 6-yard box.
Conway was fortunate not to see a yellow card for a hefty challenge on Akanni with 7 minutes to go. The free-kick from the right corner of the penalty area was played square by Orchard. Conway came out to clear it but missed his sliding kick, the ball bobbling to Dan Hancock whose shot went over via a deflection. Then, Coleman pulled off an impressive close-range save to deny Trimble, who had got free at the back post.
Despite his imposing physique and obvious defensive qualities, the 37-year-old Dan Gain does a neat line in slow-motion stepovers, much to the amusement of the watching fans. But while the Big Man showed great commitment to the cause by trying to make something happen, East Christchurch were happy to stand off and let him meander around the field without doing any damage while the seconds ticked away. Goalkeeper Ollie Bull didn't agree, though, berating his team for failing to dispossess the man we call "Crouchy".
He did manage to get a shot away from the right-hand side with one such run, but it was a tired effort that didn't threaten. The whole Totton team were looking exhausted and had lost their shape while going in search of a Hampshire Cup lifeline. Rafferty joined the attack for the last few minutes and saw his shot blocked on the edge of the area. Then, Hanlon managed to squeeze his low effort through from 20 yards but Bull got down to save comfortably.
Deep into stoppage time, with the tie already over as a contest, Michael MacLeod got turned in the right-back position as Yusuf Akanni made progress along the byline. He teed up Levi RIDEALGH on the edge of the 6-yard box, who picked his spot with a firm side-foot finish across the exposed Coleman and into the right-hand side of the goal to confirm East Christchurch's place in the Hampshire Cup Final.
And in that Final, East Christchurch will face Hawley First, who beat Sarisbury Spartans 5-1 away in the other semi-final, today.
After the match, Sam Conway told me:
"It's a disappointing result but I am proud of every one of those players today who dug in and gave it everything they had against a very good team in difficult circumstances. Luke Scoular and Simon Rowson in the full-back positions were as good as I've ever seen them. The midfield worked their socks off, as did Matty Harrington with a horrible task on his own up there for most of it. And Mitch Coleman made some brilliant saves to keep us in it for as long as possible.
We gave it everything and just came up short. But we have to recover, regroup and focus on the other trophies that are still there to be won this season. There's still a lot of work for us to do and we're up for it!"
Man of the Match: Dan GAIN
AFC Totton Sunday would like to thank our sponsors Gentlemen's League Barbers and Hurst Auto Assistance for their invaluable ongoing support.
Match Report: Ben ROCHEY-ADAMS
