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HAMPSHIRE SENIOR CUP 2021/22
SEMI-FINAL


AFC TOTTON                                     0

EASTLEIGH                                         1
Tom Bragg 19mins


Vanarama National League side Eastleigh defeated AFC Totton by a solitary goal at the Snows Stadium last night (Tuesday) to book their place in the Final of the Hampshire Senior Cup.

With the match scheduled between tough league encounters with Larkhall Athletic and Cirencester, Stags Head Coach Dan Sackman shuffled his pack. Callum Baughan came back into the team at right-back, with Aldershot Town loanee Joe Rabbetts making his first start at left-back to allow Ben Jefford to shift to centre-back alongside Pascal Kpohomouh. Jack Hoey returned to the midfield and Brett Williams made his first AFC Totton start since 21 December, taking the captain’s armband. He was partnered up front by Shaquille Gwengwe with Jordan Ragguette operating on the left flank.

Eastleigh’s new Manager Lee Bradbury, in only his second game in-charge, made 11 changes to the side that beat Wealdstone 4-1 at the weekend. The new man chose to watch the match from the Wessex Heartbeat Stand, leaving his Assistant Manager Lee Bristow and Head of Youth Development Luke Hardy to work from the dug-out.

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The Spitfires, wearing orange-and-black shirts with black shorts and orange socks, got the game underway and it quickly became quite an energetic affair as both sides tried to impose their will upon the other. Vincent Harper’s pace from the left-back position posed an early threat for Totton to contend with, an offside flag coming to their rescue when he advanced a long way and laid the ball off to a teammate in a dangerous position.

Totton’s first attack of note came down their left-hand side, too, slightly against the run of play in the 4th minute, when Brett Williams played Jordan Ragguette into space behind the right-back and the low cross eluded the incoming Jack Hoey by inches.

Ben Jefford, operating at centre-back, had to chase back to fix his own error after his attempted pass to Joe Rabbetts on the left touchline was intercepted by the lively Seung-Woo Yang. Then, Ross Flitney, the Eastleigh goalkeeper, had to come out quickly to prevent Hoey latching onto Pascal Kpohomouh’s through-ball from the defensive line.

Lyle Simpson and Ewan Haylor combined to good effect to progress and attack down the right wing for Eastleigh, but Joe Rabbetts did well to knock the ball out of play. Haylor then went down and had to be replaced by substitute Isaac Ebejer. But despite that early disruption, the visitors began to look the more comfortable of the two sides, enjoying greater possession and moving the ball quickly.

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LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Brett Williams took the captain's armband for AFC Totton's Hampshire Senior Cup Semi-Final with Eastleigh.

A foul by Williams resulted in a free-kick on the left-hand side for Eastleigh. Lewis Noice caught the high delivery and sent Shaquille Gwengwe away with a long drop-kick. Gwengwe controlled the ball instantly but could only win his side a corner on the left-hand side. After the first delivery was put behind for a second corner, the cross was then headed back across the visitors’ goal by a defender, the ball falling to Jack Adams among a posse of Eastleigh players but he couldn’t get it under control to take the shot.

Totton passed the ball neatly across their defence, despite the presence of Yang and Ebejer who were both willing to press the ball at every opportunity. But Hoey and Rabbetts had to combine to win the ball back for Totton in the 17th minute, allowing Hoey to pick out Ragguette on the left, where he was able to advance to the byline and force a corner. Freddie Read sent the ball towards the far post, where Rabbetts took a touch that sent the ball upward and presented him with the chance to volley at goal. Flitney had to get down quickly to parry the shot and the rebound was hacked away.

In the 19th minute, Cameron Munn received the ball on the left touchline for Eastleigh, cut inside across Baughan and Kpohomouh to try a long-range shot that deflected wide for a corner on the Totton left. Hoey headed the cross out but Yang intercepted and, despite Hoey closing him down, the South Korean was able to drive in a low centre that found Tom BRAGG unmarked 5 yards out, and he shot past Noice to give the Spitfires the lead.

Eastleigh found themselves pressed back as Totton went in search of a quick equaliser, but the Spitfires defended well from the edge of their box. Then, Read sent in a free-kick from deep that appeared destined for Brett Williams’ forehead until Brendon Wilson intervened with a clearing header. Jake Adams had to chase back into the left-back area to halt Ebejer’s progress when Totton were momentarily caught too far upfield.

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WAIT FOR IT: Joe Rabbetts and Shaquille Gwengwe prepare for an AFC Totton corner, with Eastleigh goalkeeper Ross Flitney maintaining a watchful eye.

In a high tempo game of few chances, Ragguette looked to be Totton’s most likely source of opportunities. His ability to run with the ball and deliver from wide positions was causing problems for full-back Jamie-Jay Burgess. On the opposite flank, Baughan and Hoey worked their way to the right-wing byline but Hoey’s low cross was repelled before Gwengwe could get to it.

Totton were hungry for the ball, pressing Eastleigh in their own half and forcing them to hurry their passes. Good persistence from skipper-for-the-night Brett Williams presented the ball to Jack Hoey, who worked his way across the edge of the Eastleigh penalty area before shooting from 20 yards out, forcing Flitney into a fine reaction save, catching the ball.

Cameron Munn came infield from the left flank, again, and shot wide with a low right-footed effort. And as the first half came to a close, there was a late scare when Ebejer intercepted an under-hit pass out from the back but Totton got enough bodies back to stop him taking advantage. So, Eastleigh went in at the break with a deserved lead, but Totton were competitive and still very much in the game.


HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON                                         0
EASTLEIGH                                             1


Ethan Taylor came on at half-time for the home side, to replace Jack Hoey who had taken a knock.

Eastleigh fashioned the first opening of the second half, when Yang darted into the inside-right channel and picked out Munn in the middle, but his shot under pressure from Kpohomouh went wide to the right.

Good work from Williams and Taylor enabled them to shift the ball out to Adams on the right-wing. He crossed to the far post with his left foot, forcing Flitney to leap high to beat Williams it. While Totton had plenty of the ball, they struggled to create many clear-cut chances against a well-organised Eastleigh defence that was able to protect the centre to good effect, even when Totton’s wide men could get into advanced positions to cross.

Lewis Noice was rushed into a panicked clearance after the passing between his defenders became a bit too casual with Eastleigh strikers trying to chase the ball down. Then, Totton mounted a quick raid down the left flank to enable Adams to cross but Brendon Wilson, the visitors’ centre-back, headed away.

Shortly before the hour mark, Lyle Simpson dropped deep to receive the ball and threaded his pass into the path of Munn through the centre. Noice came out and cleared the ball all the way upfield to his opposite number.

Dan Sackman then brought on both Ade Olumuyiwa and Hisham Kasimu, taking off Ben Jefford and Shaq Gwengwe.

Composed defending by Pascal Kpohomouh enabled Totton to defend an Eastleigh free-kick and play out from the back. Jake Adams soon found himself trying to burst through three defenders at the other end, an inadvertent ricochet testing Flitney’s reflexes.

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RUN, RABBETTS, RUN: Aldershot Town loanee Joe Rabbetts takes on the Eastleigh defence while making his first start in an AFC Totton shirt.

Joe Rabbetts picked up a yellow card in the 65th minute for pulling Ebejer back when Simpson’s through-ball threatened to put the nippy winger clean through behind the Totton defence. The cross was sent high enough to the far post to tempt Noice off his line but he was beaten to the ball by Wilson, whose header dropped narrowly wide of the left-hand post. Then, Totton went close at the other end when Hisham Kasimu laid off Callum Baughan’s throw-in from the right-wing touchline to present Ethan Taylor with the chance to strike on the half-volley, his shot flying inches wide of the far post to the left.

But, with Eastleigh defending deep, happy to protect their one-goal lead, there were few opportunities for the Stags frontmen to get at their opponents.

Olumuyiwa’s pace enabled him to put the kibosh on an Eastleigh attack down their right wing. Then, a poor pass by Lewis Noice from a goal-kick gave the ball straight to Ebejer who should have scored when he jinked past Olumuyiwa and shot from 10 yards, but Noice redeemed himself with a smart save. Simpson tried to convert the rebound but Kpohomouh got his body in the way before Totton scrambled the ball away. Ebejer then suffered the ignominy of becoming a substituted substitute 7 minutes before the end, when Cade Dyer came on in his place.

Totton’s effort was impressive but they were unable to put their forwards into dangerous positions; too often the through-ball was too long or the cross was easily dealt with by Bragg and, in particular, by the head of Wilson. Flitney marshalled his penalty area well, beating Williams to a Rabbetts pass into the inside-left channel.

Eastleigh were within a whisker of wrapping up the cup tie when Vincent Harper took up the ball mid-way inside the Totton half in the 86th minute. He shrugged off two challenges before striking left-footed from about 25 yards out. His shot deflected off Kpohomouh, leaving Noice rooted to the spot where he could only watch the ball sail onto the inside of his left-hand post and bounce out across goal, with the Eastleigh fans at that end already celebrating a second Spitfires goal.

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ALMOST: Stags substitute Ethan Taylor came closest to scoring for AFC Totton with a half-volley that flew narrowly wide.

The away side had another chance shortly after when Kpohomouh’s header lacked power, allowing Dyer to feed Yang at inside-right. He dropped his shoulder to create an angle for a low drive, but Rabbetts did enough to take the sting out of it and Noice was able to safely gather.

After the fourth official had indicated there would be a minimum of 4 minutes of stoppage time, Totton tried to make one last push. An attempted clearance from Noice’s long-kick down the right flank was charged down by Kasimu, who then used his strength to buffer his way between two defenders and play the ball infield to Taylor in a crowded penalty area. His shot was blocked and fell to Williams, but he couldn’t force it through to goal for the sheer weight of numbers defending the centre for Eastleigh.

Totton kept pushing but, despite Kasimu briefly stealing in down the right-hand side again and a late free-kick on the half-way line that enabled every Totton player to go forward for Noice’s delivery, Eastleigh hung on to keep their clean sheet and confirm their place in the Hampshire Cup Final.

The Spitfires will find out tonight (Wednesday) who they’ll face in the Final, when Southern League Premier Farnborough entertain AFC Portchester from the Wessex League Premier Division.


Match Report by Ben Rochey-Adams

Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography

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