AFC Totton
AFC Totton 1 – 2 Cinderford Town
Attendance – 231
A late aerial sucker punch from promotion chasing Cinderford Town was enough to see off AFC Totton at the Testwood Stadium, who will rue missing a host of chances throughout the game.
Neil Williams put Steve Hollick’s side in the ascendancy in the first half before two second half Cinderford town efforts sunk the Stags, but boosted their promotion charge in the process.
The Stags came flying out of the traps early on in the first half against a Cinderford side who had the opportunity to go top with a win. The impressive Neil Williams saw a strong headed effort just tipped onto the post, before Michael Gosneys speculative effort from about 40 yards out forced Alex Harris in the away goal into a wonderful acrobatic save.
After a flurry of early efforts from the home side, the visitors gradually began to get a foothold in the game and show their class, as the tricky George Lloyd fizzed a couple of efforts just wide of the mark.
After withstanding wave after wave of testing Cinderford attacks, AFC Totton were looking equally as dangerous on the counter attack. Michael Gosney lead one particular home side charge, with the ball eventually falling to Jake Burgess in the box, only for his strike to be blocked bravely by Nick Rhodes in the nick of time.
The Stags efforts certainly paid dividends in the 32nd minute, as another tricky counter-attack ended in the game’s first goal. Dylan Knight threaded a cute through ball into midfielder Williams who tucked the ball past the advancing Harris to make it 1-0.
The home side certainly showed no signs of attempting to park the bus however, as just five minutes later the Cinderford town bar was rattled by Nick Watts after a delightful back-heeled pass by Gosney.
In the second half it was Cinderford who looked the brightest in the early exchanges, with stand in goalkeeper Victor Silvestre forced into an important early save from Ryan Shaw, denying the midfielder from close range.
As the away side threw caution to the wind and turned up the heat, the solid Totton defence eventually gave way. A 58th minute corner eventually made its way to the feet of full back Kieran Thomas, who drilled the ball past the hapless Silvestre to make it 1-1.
As the second half wore on the game descended into a scrappy and tense affair, with both sides wasting a host of chances to grab the winning goal. Williams nearly grabbed his second for Totton after what was yet another fine save from Harris in the Cinderford net, before Lee Smith hit the bar for the away side.
AFC Totton would eventually come to rue all of those missed chances in the 87th minute, as Lorcan Sheehan’s dangerous ball was met well by Ethan Moore who leapt highest to head home right at the death.
The result saw Cinderford Town move back to the top of the Southern League Division One South & West table, whilst Totton remain in mid-table at 14th.
AFC Totton take on Swindon Supermarine at the Testwood Stadium on Saturday 16 April 2016. The game is “Kids Go Free Day”.
