AFC Totton
FA YOUTH CUP | EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND
Thursday 15 August 2024 | Love Lane, Petersfield, Hampshire | Att: 79
YOUNG BUCKS PROGRESS IN FA YOUTH CUP WITH SHOOT-OUT WIN
PETERSFIELD TOWN 2
Tyler Sarjeant 21mins;
Charlie Stamper 75mins
AFC TOTTON YOUTH 2
Ebenezer Asare-Akoto 23mins;
Own Goal 34mins
(AFC Totton Youth won 4-2 on penalties)
AFC TOTTON’S FA YOUTH CUP team came through a tough Extra Preliminary Round encounter in the drizzling rain at Petersfield Town’s Love Lane to book themselves another away tie at Gosport Borough in September.
Scott Rendell’s charges fell behind to a well-struck shot from The Rams’ Tyler Sarjeant mid-way through the first half, but hit back immediately through big centre-back Ebenezer Asare-Akoto. Danny Spence’s shot ricocheted off two defenders before deceiving home goalkeeper Riley Garrett to put the Young Bucks ahead by half-time. But an error by Totton ‘keeper Bradley Kemish-North allowed Petersfield substitute Charlie Stamper to prod into an open net to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out.
Kemish-North redeemed himself with an impressive save, setting up Dan Reynolds to strike the decisive spot-kick and book Totton a Preliminary Round date at Privett Park.
ALL-WHITE ON THE NIGHT: Scott Rendell's AFC Totton FA Youth Cup side prepare to do battle with their Petersfield Town counterparts in the Extra Preliminary Round tie at Love Lane.
AFC TOTTON YOUTH: 1. Bradley KEMISH-NORTH; 2. Joshua CHAMBERS; 3. Dylan BIRKS; 4. Mason REDWOOD; 5. Ebenezer ASARE-AKOTO; 6. Jack GOOD (Capt.); 7. Ned ROBERTSON; 8. Albert CHATINDO; 9. Josh ALDERTON; 10. Danny SPENCE; 11. Daniel REYNOLDS. Substitutes: 12. George HERBERT; 13. Josh ELSEY; 14. Oliver MASON. Substitution: MASON for ALDERTON.
Totton headed to East Hampshire without several key players, including Zachariah Earley and Hugo Rawlings, who have both already featured for Jimmy Ball’s first team. Dan Reynolds chased a long ball into Petersfield territory, before Sarjeant tracked back to nick the ball off his toe before he could get a shot away.
Ned Robertson weaved his way to the right-wing byline, only to pull back too far for either Josh Alderton or Reynolds to strike at goal. Mason Redwood intercepted a poor pass out of the home defence to take aim from 18 yards, his effort taking a deflection that sucked the power out of his shot and allowed Garrett to collect.
Ebenezer Asare-Akoto’s Scrooge-like attitude towards the ball possession of Rams forwards was a boon for fans of nominative determinism. The offside flag stayed down when Danny Spence snuck into the inside-right channel and fired narrowly wide of the near post, under pressure from two retreating defenders.
The home side took the lead somewhat against the run of play on 21 minutes. Using the slope of the Love Lane pitch to their advantage, two Rams players managed to isolate captain Jack Good in the left-back position before Tyler SARJEANT stole the ball close to the byline, drove infield and struck a powerful low shot inside the far post.
Totton were level within two minutes. From a free-kick on the right-hand side, midway inside the oppostion half, Albert Chatindo floated the ball into Petersfield’s area. It was allowed to reach the far post where, having gone forward to make his consdierable presence felt in a potential aerial battle, the unmarked Ebenezer ASARE-AKOTO tapped the ball into the net with his boot from close range.
High-pressing from AFC Totton appeared to unsettle the Petersfield defence. Alderton bullied his way through two defenders before his shot deflected kindly into the arms of Garrett. Then, at the other end, Sarjeant went close to notching his seond goal of the game with 20-yard snapshot after Totton had partially cleared a left-wing free-kick.
A Ryan Giggs-like mazy dribble into the left side of the penalty area, that saw Totton’s No.11 leave three defenders in his wake, deserved a better finish than Dan Reynolds was able to muster. But his side took the lead shortly after.
A left-wing corner dropped in the middle of Petersfield’s box. A rushed clearance fell to Spence, left of the six-yard box, and his cross-shot took deflections off two defenders, the second of which diverted the ball past the off-balance Garrett for an Own Goal.
Reynolds continued to keep the home defence occupied with skilful dashes to the left byline. Robertson’s sliding tackle disrupted a burgeoning Rams attack on their left, then within seconds, Garrett missed his kick from a back-pass to concede a corner.
Again, the delivery was allowed to bounce in the box. The home side hooked it out but Redwood kept it alive at the edge of the box to enable Robertson to hang a high cross to the far post, where Alderton headed over — although, he may have been flagged offside had it gone in.
Another right-wing cross from Robertson was unconvincingly punched down by Garrett, who was relieved when Alderton couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball enough to do anything more than prod it back into the Town ‘keeper’s grasp.
Alderton tested him more effectively with an angled shot that he’d fashioned for himself by bundling through two defensive challenges. Then, Reynolds should have extended Totton’s lead when a wayward back-pass put him clean through in the middle, only for him to roll the ball agonisingly past the foot of the right-hand post with Garrett rooted to the spot.
Reynolds also had the last chance of the first half, ghosting in behind the Petersfield box from a free-kick delivered from deep on the left flank. Again, the winger steered his effort wide with Peterfield’s goalmouth at his mercy.
HALF-TIME: PETERSFIELD TOWN 1-2 AFC TOTTON
Ned Robertson had the first chance of note in the second half, when he latched onto an angled cross from the left to out-pace his marker and strike a half-volley narrowly over the Petersfield crossbar from the edge of the box.
Rams defender Harry Graham had to hook the ball out for a corner on the Totton left, which was bent in a fraction too high for Asare-Akoto to connect with his attempted header from a few yards out.
Back at his central defensive station, Asare-Akoto’s strong tackle ended one Petersfield attack and began one for his own team, which culminated in Chatindo letting fly with a 20-yard strike that Garrett claimed well, low to his right.
Totton were ensuing confidence. Redwood sprayed the ball to the top of the slope on the right wing, from where full-back Josh Chambers fizzed in a cross that had Reynolds trying an acrobatic finish at the far post, without success.
A misplaced pass near the centre-circle allowed Sarjeant to send Mikey Reynolds away down the left for Petersfield. Chambers applied pressure, and the winger’s shot was driven straight into Bradley Kemish-North’s midriff.
The home side then made a triple substitution, shortly before Garrett had to swipe the ball away from Spence’s head as the forward ran after a looping clearance into the box.
Dan Reynolds made a determined run down the left and fed the ball infield for Chatindo to fire towards the near post, and Garrett parried for a corner. Asare-Akoto got his head to the cross but couldn’t keep it down.
Chambers intercepted a pass on the half-way line and, via a sharp one-two with Robertson, advanced to thread Spence into inside-right, before his cross was scrambled away.
Just as Totton looked to be in control, Kemish-North took his eye off a routine cross from the Petersfield right, fumbling the ball onto the boot of substitute Charlie STAMPER, who accepted the gift of an open goal to level the scores.
Stamper was lurking again when a low cross was angled into the box from the left, but Kemish-North was alert to it and claimed the ball at the near post.
Sarjeant glided through a tiring Totton defence and shot just past the right-hand upright. Then, the visitors survived a penalty shout for a shove on a Petersfield forward.
The home side’s high defensive line suggested Totton might still get some joy by sending the pacey pairing of Spence and Reynolds after through-balls, but it wasn’t to be and the tie had to settled with a penalty shoot-out.
FULL-TIME: PETERSFIELD TOWN 2-2 AFC TOTTON YOUTH
PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Skipper Jack Good got the Bucks off to a good start; Toby Veale skied The Rams’ first kick over the bar. A composed finish from Redwood was followed by a left-handed save by Kemish-North to stop Stamper’s effort. Chatindo fired home, meaning Charlie Restall had to score to keep the home side in it, which he duly did. Spence fired over to give Petersfield a glimmer of hope, which Emmanuel Kabeya maintained by scoring his kick. Riley Garrett got a foot to Dan Reynolds’ spot-kick but couldn’t prevent it becoming the winner. AFC Totton Youth won 4-2 on penalties.
AFTER THE MATCH, AFC Totton FA Youth Cup team manager Scott Rendell commented:
“Given how little time this group has had to train together, I am absolutely delighted with the levels of desire and commitment they have shown tonight.
“They worked hard on and off the ball, and demonstrated a real confidence in possession to try things that tested the opposition a lot.
“We were without some good young players and didn’t have as many subs to call upon as Petersfield, but the boys put in a real shift to make sure we were never at a disadvantage.
“Mistakes are part and parcel of the game. Bradley’s response to his error was unbelievable. He kept his head up and came up big in the penalty shoot-out, and ultimately won us the cup-tie. The rest of the lads never let their heads drop, either, even when they were running out of steam at the end of the game against some fresh-legged Petersfield subs.
“The boys have done the club proud, tonight. Gosport away will be a tough one but we’ll have some more players back by then, so we’ve every reason to be looking forward to it.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Image courtesy of Rob Good
