AFC Totton
City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1
Matchday #4 | Testwood Recreation Ground, Totton
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 2
Matt Harrington 73mins; Dan Gain 76mins
EMPIRE FC 2
Aaron Dunne 33mins; Jamie Johnson 44mins
For the second time in as many matches, a patched up AFC Totton Sunday had to fight back from a two-goal half-time deficit to get a result from their latest City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1 match at home to Empire FC from Sherfield English.
The Sunday Stags had already suffered a setback before a ball had even been kicked this week, when they learned that 6 points have been wiped from their CoSSFL Div.1 record for the current season due to Boujee Pint CF folding and withdrawing from the league. Sam Conway's men have already beaten the Southampton Sports Centre-based team both home and away (by an aggregate score of 8-1) on their way to maintaining a 100% record from their first five league matches this season. Meanwhile, their closest rivals Chamberlayne Athletic Sunday have accumulated 15 points without playing Boujee at all, meaning AFC Totton Sunday have lost top spot through no fault of their own, and have it all to do again versus their remaining opponents.
A growing list of injuries and the general physical wear and tear of a long season on often poor quality winter pitches are having their deleterious affect on the squad. With captain Gary Bagley ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, his midfield partner and vice-captain Lewis Gundry - a vastly experienced player who is looked up to by the whole squad - was forced to sit this one out due to an injury sustained on the 3G pitch at Cantell School during last week's 4-2 comeback win against Unity 101 in the Southampton Divisional FA Cup.
Leon Tatavossian was not available, so Mitch Coleman had to play in goal despite a hip injury that was clearly restricting his movement and left him vulnerable to high crosses throughout the match. Forward Josh Carey was also missing with a broken finger. Player/Manager Sam Conway was left with little option but to name himself in the starting line-up, coming into central midfield to partner Jason Calcutt, who was returning from a recent thigh injury. Striker Nathan Gray, who is also on the books of Sholing in the Southern League Div.1 South and was integral to last week's stirring comeback, took the captain's armband.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY
Starting Line-Up
1. Mitch COLEMAN
2. Luke SCOULAR
3. Simon ROWSON
5. Tom RAFFERTY
7. Sam CONWAY
8. Jason CALCUTT
9. Matt HARRINGTON
10. Nathan GRAY (Capt.)
11. Tom MUNDAY
12. Dan GAIN
13. Michael MACLEOD
Substitutes
4. Jay BRADING
6. Lewis BAILEY
On a cold morning at Testwood Park Recreation Ground on Salisbury Road in Totton, the match got off to a quiet start with both teams struggling to impose themselves on a bobbly pitch. Dan Gain conceded an early corner after being caught in possession close to his own goal and a near post ricochet from the cross forced Mitch Coleman into the first save of the match.
Nathan Gray and Matt Harrington, who together form a classic Little & Large strike partnership in the mould of Keegan & Toshack, began their often fruitful combination play in the 5th minute to attack down the right flank but ran out of pitch at the byline.
Aaron Dunne, the Empire FC centre-forward, went close in the 9th minute when he was able to dig the ball out of his own feet on the edge of the Totton penalty area, turn and shoot straight at a well-placed Coleman. Then, Jason Calcutt had to react quickly to throw his body in the way of an attempted long shot from Empire's Joe Selby.
A free-kick from the left-hand side, midway inside the Totton half, made it over Simon Rowson's head at the back post and enabled Dunne to direct a header at goal where Coleman made the catch. Then, on 14 minutes, AFC Totton Sunday's continuing injury woes were exacerbated further when Michael MacLeod went down with an injured leg and had to be replaced by Jay Brading.
Tom Munday headed narrowly wide at the back post from Gray's left-wing corner, amid claims from the Stags that the ball had actually come off an Empire defender. Shortly after, a long throw from the left-hand side travelled across the Totton defence before Empire's Carl Steadman fired over the bar as Totton defenders closed in.
On 22 minutes, a free-kick awarded for handball about 25 yards from the Empire goal was curled over by Gray, who scored from a similar position against Unity last week. And Totton were presented with the best opportunity of the game so far when a poor goal-kick was intercepted by Harrington who advanced on goal before turning his back to the goalkeeper and laying the ball off to the onrushing Sam Conway on the edge of the area. As he closed in to shoot with the keeper out of position, Conway was taken down from behind by a recovering defender. The referee deemed the foul to have been inside the D, while Totton players were adamant that their Player/Manager had already entered the penalty area. Nathan Gray stepped up again, this time hitting a low shot that curled around the wall and struck the foot of the right-hand post with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. Empire scrambled and hacked the ball away to safety.
Jason Calcutt came close to making a goalscoring return to the side with a near-post header from Gray's left-wing corner in the 27th minute, but the big Yorkshireman got too much on the ball and sent it over the bar. Totton then failed to capitalise on another poor place kick by the Empire goalkeeper, allowing a short period of dominance to pass without a goal.
Empire began to raise their game, getting numbers into midfield and playing the ball around with assurance despite the bumpy surface. One promising counter-attack was halted by an offside flag but then Dunne shot high and wide from inside the Totton area after an impressive team move. Another long spell of possession by the away team led to a left-wing corner in the 33rd minute. The ball was sent in high to the back post where, from virtually under the crossbar, Aaron DUNNE charged into a crowd of blue-shirted defenders to bundle the ball over the line to give Empire the lead.
Simon Rowson and Tom Munday, who had been switched to the left flank to make way for Brading on the right, combined to get Rowson in behind the Empire right-back but Harrington couldn't convert his low cross with a defender on hand to clear from the goal line.
Tackles were flying in across the midfield with neither side able to put their foot on the ball and assert much control over proceedings. Luke Scoular sent a high ball forward towards the inside-right channel for Conway to challenge in the air, only to get clattered from behind by an Empire centre-back, leaving him writhing on the ground in pain. After he'd received treatment, the game resumed with a Nathan Gray delivery to the edge of the 6-yard box where Tom Rafferty was afforded the freedom of the New Forest but could only direct his header within reach of goalkeeper Shane Mavrodaris. It was a good save but Rafferty's reaction as he ran back to retake his defensive position made it clear that he knew he should have levelled the scores.
Alex Hopcroft showed good skill to get away from Scoular down the Empire left wing but the Totton right-back stuck to his task, made up the ground and won the ball back. Then, a diagonal ball into the box from the left-back Rowson was controlled by Calcutt on his chest before attempting an overhead kick that dropped wide of the post.
The visitors were well aware that Mitch Coleman was struggling to move in the Totton goal, so any and all set-pieces were directed into the areas he would have most difficulty dealing with them. And the away side doubled their lead with another left-wing corner which Jamie JOHNSON jumped to head home from close range.
Steadman came close to extending Empire's lead to three goals just before half-time with a low curling shot that Coleman got down well to save, as Totton ended the half with striker Gray dropping deep to help his team hang on.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 0-2 EMPIRE FC
The half-time team talk in the AFC Totton Sunday changing room was understandably flat. The home side was well aware that they were fighting injury, fatigue and the elements as much as the opposition, but they are united in their belief of their own footballing ability and fighting spirit, having experienced plenty of difficult situations before.
A cross from the Empire right wing threatened to put them further behind at the start of the second half but Jamie Johnson could only direct his header into the side-netting. Then, at the other end, Munday played Jay Brading in on the Totton right but the winger needed a little too much time to get his shot away and was shut down by a sliding challenge.
The last thing you want on a cold Sunday morning is a fully-pumped up football smashed against your bare legs from close range, so please spare a thought for Tom Rafferty who, understandably, needed a minute to recover after blocking Aaron Dunne's angled shot in the 51st minute.
Matt Harrington did well to hold the ball up on the Totton right when he found himself isolated in the attacking third. He picked out Tom Munday rushing into the penalty area but the dynamic midfielder's right-foot volley whistled wide of the right-hand post with defenders struggling to keep up with him.
But Totton were showing signs of fatigue midway through the half and, despite having reshuffled their formation to get more bodies in midfield, they were conceding a lot of possession to the more energetic and mobile Empire team. Another Empire corner delivered close to the Totton goal line was headed away by Scoular and then, on the subsequent corner, Coleman was charged by an opponent seeking to further unsettle him.
A defence-splitting pass from the centre-circle put Empire's Hopcroft clean through on 65 minutes but, with Coleman exposed and the Totton goal at his mercy, the ball hit a bobble on the pitch and escaped Hopcroft's control. It was a massive slice of luck for the home team.
Sam Conway withdrew himself in favour of new signing Lewis Bailey, who slotted into the defensive line with the 6'7" Dan Gain given licence to get forward. Bailey was immediately in the game, displaying a neat touch and calmness under pressure to bring the ball out of defence and find Munday in the inside-left channel. His first-time lay-off played the ball around a defender and into the feet of Harrington, but the centre-forward's shot lacked power.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS: Dan Gain and goalkeeper Mitch Coleman, pictured in the first meeting between these two sides in September which Totton won 5-1.
Gain headed away a dangerous cross as the visitors sought to press home their advantage and the spritely Nathan Gray popped up in the right-back position to terminate an Empire raid down the flank with his teammates caught upfield by a quick counter-attack. And the skipper on the day helped to bring his team back into the match on 73 minutes, playing a long straight pass down the centre of the pitch. Watching the bounce of the ball closely, Matt HARRINGTON inserted himself between two defenders just inside the penalty area and, with the goalkeeper coming out to close the angle, steered his shot low to the keeper's right and into the left side of the goal to halve the deficit.
Buoyed by their proven ability to fight their way back into football matches despite adversity, the Sunday Stags suddenly came alive. Harrington played the ball out to the left where Rafferty, still forward from a set-piece, worked the space to deliver a cross to the far post. Calcutt headed back across goal where a defender managed to head away only as far as Jay Brading whose side-foot volley looked to be destined for the roof of the net before Mavrodaris thrust up his right hand to push the ball over the crossbar, for a brilliant one-handed save.
But the keeper could do nothing from the resulting corner. Playing Empire at their own game, Gray swung the ball in from the left-wing quadrant and Dan GAIN - nicknamed "Crouchy" due to his imposing height - got above a crowd of players close to the back post and headed into the top-right corner to bring the Stags level at 2-2.
Empire were rocking and Totton had their tails up. A free-kick from 40 yards out was delivered into the box by Bailey. Gain got something on it and Rowson picked the ball up on the left. He redirected it back to Gain who forced Mavrodaris to parry at his near post. Then, Rafferty had a shot blocked after good approach play from Scoular and Harrington.
An 82nd minute foray down the right flank by Brading earned Totton a corner on the opposite wing. Gray once again sent the ball high to the back post where Luke Scoular headed against the upright, though the referee awarded a foul against him for pushing.
From a match that had appeared lost, it was now one-way traffic. Harrington's neat lay-off put Tom Munday through on goal in the inside-left channel but Mavrodaris came out quickly to block the low shot. From the corner, Gain demonstrated his aerial dominance once more but Brading's shot from his teammate's knock down flashed wide.
Harrington burrowed down the left wing to win another corner, as the Empire defence fell back in retreat. Dan Gain got another header on target, the ball striking the left arm of the defender marking the post and the away side managed to scramble the ball away amid desperate shouts for a penalty that went unheeded by the referee. The match resumed with another corner, from which Gain's header was deflected over for a third consecutive corner. And the big defender was again the target for Gray's cross, his header this time dropping over the bar and onto the roof of the net.
With time rapidly running out, Totton lay siege on the Empire goal. Calcutt combined with Gain and Rowson down the left flank from his own throw-in before crossing to Munday, whose header was high and wide. Then, a long throw from the right-wing touchline was headed on by Harrington and Gain connected with a right-foot volley that flew narrowly wide of the left-hand post.
The full-time whistle confirmed the first points dropped by AFC Totton Sunday in the league this season, but both they and Empire FC had left everything on the pitch in a hard-fought but good natured battle. Though disappointed to have not taken all three, a point-a-piece was the right result on the day and the Totton camp was left to reflect upon what still remains a positive situation for them in the CoSSFL Div.1 title race.
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
