AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH - Matchday#2
Saturday 12 August 2023 | Snows Stadium, Totton | Att: 1,295
SALISBURY SAIL AWAY AS WINNERS THANKS TO SIDO’S SPOT-KICKS
AFC TOTTON 0
SALISBURY 2
Sido Jombati 30mins (pen), 43mins (pen)
TWO FIRST-HALF PENALTIES, both converted by captain Sido Jombati, handed visitors Salisbury a valuable away win on a frustrating afternoon for AFC Totton at the Snows Stadium, yesterday (Saturday 12 August 2023).
Totton Manager Jimmy Ball was forced into a change in midfield, with injury robbing skipper Mike Carter of the opportunity to line up against his former club. Josh Carmichael came in to replace him, while former Portsmouth and FC Volendam attacking midfielder Leon Maloney was handed his AFC Totton debut. Ethan Taylor, who was a substitute at Harrow Borough last weekend, got his first start of the season with Alfie Stanley dropping to the bench. Charlie Kennedy was named as captain. Keane Anderson, a midfielder signed on-loan from Aldershot Town on Friday, took the No.19 shirt and a place on the bench.
AFC TOTTON
Starting XI
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Benny READ
5. Charlie KENNEDY (Capt.)
6. Luke HALLETT
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
12. Josh CARMICHAEL
8. Adam TOMASSO
17. Leon MALONEY
9. Scott RENDELL
10. Ethan TAYLOR
18. Jake SCRIMSHAW
Substitutes
11. Matty BURROWS
15. Sam MAGRI
16. Alfie STANLEY
19. Keane ANDERSON
20. Owen PELHAM
Salisbury, wearing their all-yellow with blue trim away kit, conceded an early free-kick. Ethan Taylor took it from close to the touchline on the Totton right, about 30 yards from goal. His cross was headed upward by a defender before another managed to half-clear it for Salisbury and Benny Read caught the Referee’s attention by pulling back an opponent to prevent a counter-attack, resulting in a free-kick to the visitors and a lecture for The Stags right-back with Charlie Kennedy also in attendance.
A long, high punt down the middle of the pitch threatened to put Joshua Hedges through on the Totton goal until Luke Hallett intervened, with Kennedy having to complete the clearance after Salisbury had briefly regain possession in midfield. From Kennedy’s ball forward, Taylor was able to advance within his own half before threading a pass behind the visitors’ defence for Jake Scrimshaw to run onto and slip the ball past goalkeeper Joshua Gould and into the net, only for the Referee’s Assistant on the far side to raise the offside flag.
A midfield tussle presented ex-Stag Charlie Gunson, wearing the No.7 shirt, with the chance to feed Theo Lewis down the Salisbury left, but Read stretched to intercept. Then, Gunson’s charging run into the inside-left had Totton on the back foot. He passed back to Noah Coppin, who found Joshua Sommerton pushing forward from left-back to send over a cross that Jordan Ragguette managed to deal with on the far side.
NEW BOY: Attacking midfielder Leon Maloney made his AFC Totton debut in the Southern League Premier Division South match at home to Salisbury.
Leon Maloney won a throw in an advanced position on the Totton right. Salisbury’s attempted clearance hit Tomasso and rebounded back t Gould, who was quickly closed down by Scott Rendell, the ball hitting the centre-forward and rebounding behind for a goal-kick.
Taylor looped the ball forward over one opponent’s head to enable Scrimshaw to knock it down to Rendell, whose improvised volley flew wide of the left-hand post but drew applause from the Totton crowd. Salisbury came back up the other end, Hedges getting in behind Ragguette to enter the penalty area on the right-hand side, before the St. Vincent and the Grenadines U21 international got back in to make an important tackle at the expense of a corner. The ball was crossed in and knocked down for Hedges to line up a shot from the edge of the area, which he fired over.
It had been an even start to the game. Totton tried to press Salisbury around their own penalty area, but The Whites remained calm and drew applause from their travelling fans with the accuracy of their passing as they manoeuvred the ball between the blue shirts and into the open space occupied only by the left-back, Sommerton.
Joshua Hedges was emerging as a major influence on the game from Salisbury’s right wing. Right-back Jamar Smith got forward to help him escape Ragguette’s grasp and supply a cross to the far post, where Lewis headed over the bar.
Benny Read was given another lecture and a visible final warning by the Referee for a trip on Lewis but, for once, Charlie Gunson’s delivery into the box was poor and Totton were able to get it away.
Sido Jombati scooped away a dangerous-looking Taylor cross that was aimed towards Scrimshaw. Then, a neat drag-back in the centre-circle bought Maloney half a yard from which to turn and run away from Gunson, the Salisbury midfielder being suitably incensed to chase his tormentor down and trip him, conceding a free-kick 40 yards from goal. Carmichael clipped the ball over the defensive row towards the right-wing byline and Kennedy managed to get there to direct a cross into the middle. Gould got hands to the ball close to his near post; he didn’t catch it but the ball fell kindly enough for Salisbury to clear their lines.
THREE AGAINST ONE: Surrounded by defenders in yellow, Stags striker Jake Scrimshaw lines up a shot from just outside the Salisbury penalty area.
A mistake by Taylor gave the ball back to Salisbury on the half-way line but Hallett was well-positioned to save his teammates’ blushes with a well-timed tackle. Then, after the Referee had allowed a tussle between Fitchett and Kennedy to go unpunished, Salisbury won a free-kick on their right further up the pitch, just off the corner of the penalty area. Carmichael headed Gunson’s delivery away from close to the penalty spot. Salisbury regathered the ball quickly and probed the area just outside the Totton box looking for a way in. A miss-hit shot from Hedges landed at the feet of Lewis, inside the area on the left. He tried to dribble closer to goal but Hallett did enough to force a goal-kick.
Totton were beginning to crack under the pressure, and a misunderstanding between Hallett and goalkeeper Lewis Noice as the ball bounced down the middle of the pitch towards the Totton box almost allowed Fitchett to steal in for what would have been an easy finish. Noice managed to hack the ball clear before engaging in a frank exchange of views with his No.6.
Salisbury seemed to gain confidence, and a swift one-two between Hedges and Fitchett resulted in the former crossing to the latter; his header went upward rather than at goal and Read was able to clear. But the yellows took possession again and Taylor’s foul just off the corner of the box earned him a booking and gave Gunson another chance to deliver the ball into the danger zone. He opted for a low cross to the near post, where Jombati appeared with a right-foot shot that Noice saved in the middle of his goal.
The visitors took the lead on the half-hour. More clever combination play between Gunson, Hedges and Fitchett forced the home side back into their own area. Josh Carmichael made a sliding challenge and appeared to get the ball first, but also clipped his opponent. The Referee awarded a penalty and booked the Totton midfielder, playing against his former team. Sido JOMBATI approached the penalty-kick with a slow motion run-up, waiting for Noice to make his move before slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner.
Totton tried to hit straight back but when they got the ball into the Salisbury box, Gould scooped it up before Scrimshaw could connect. Then a series of poor final passes by the men in yellow were the only thing standing between Totton and a two-goal deficit.
Benny Read came close with a speculative long-range effort that flew narrowly over the bar in the 37th minute, having gone forward for a throw-in. But then, The Stags’ right-back earned himself the most predictable booking of the season, irking the Referee for the third time when he pulled Lewis’s shorts to prevent the winger scampering away down the flank.
Salisbury pegged Totton back into their own half, with some poor clearances by players not necessarily renowned for their defensive qualities contributing to the home side’s difficulty in clearing their lines. Hedges continued to get at Ragguette down the Salisbury right, wriggling his way to the byline and crossing low to force Hallett into a last-ditch clearance. Moments later, Hedges jinked his way into the box and drove in a low cross that Fitchett converted from an offside position.
It was clear that Salisbury were aiming to double their lead before half-time, while Totton were trying to hold on. As Salisbury came forward again, Taylor was caught on his heels as Hedges darted in from behind him to take the ball. His pass into the box was intercepted by Ragguette, but as the ball caught between the defender’s feet, he was surrounded by yellow shirts. He was given a nudge and fell down, and as an opponent tried to skip past him, he used his head and shoulders to bring the player down. Another penalty for Salisbury and another yellow card for a Totton player. Sido JOMBATI repeated his earlier trick, again waiting for Noice to move before scoring to the bottom-left corner.
Scrimshaw capitalised on the Referee playing advantage when Rendell was pushed off the ball, receiving Taylor’s knock-on to tee himself up for a volley that flew too high. Then, Taylor went down clutching his face but the Referee saw nothing untoward and no reason to discuss the matter with his Assistant on the near touchline.
Just before the break, Maloney and Rendell combined through the middle, before the big No.9 spread the play out to Scrimshaw on the right touchline. He advanced whipped in a cross at waist height, tempting Taylor into trying a spectacular flying back-heel volley which Gould caught.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 0
SALISBURY 2
As the teams emerged after the interval, club captain Mike Carter clapped his squad mates onto the pitch from the touchline, no doubt frustrated at not being able to join them for what promised to be a tough second half. Before play restarted, midfielder Josh Carmichael came off to be substituted by central defender Sam Magri.
CAPTAIN KENNEDY: AFC Totton central defender Charlie Kennedy took the captain's armband in the injury-enforced absence of Mike Carter.
Totton found themselves under pressure again, though, and Charlie Kennedy’s was the next name to be written in the Referee’s notebook as his ongoing duel with Daniel Fitchett resulted in a free-kick to Salisbury in a dangerous position. Charlie Gunson’s shot was a greater threat to passing aircraft than Lewis Noice’s goal, giving the fans a chance to admire the many and varied flags flying around the Snows Stadium, each of them representing the nationalities of AFC Totton players of the present and recent past.
Magri received the ball in the centre-circle with space ahead of him to advance and, when he’d got to about 25 yards out, go for goal, his shot dragging wide of the left-hand post.
Kennedy had to turn on the afterburners to beat Fitchett to a diagonal through-ball and pass back to Noice. Then, a cute back-heel from Fitchett on the Salisbury right put Kennedy in a foot-race with Hedges with virtually half a football pitch ahead of them. Hedges appeared to be getting away from his man, but as he lined up for a shot from just inside the area, Kennedy swooped in to whisk the ball off his toe.
Scrimshaw found his progress down the right wing halted by the two-goal centre-back Jombati. The Totton striker found a little more joy on the left, managing to squeeze in a shot from a tight angle that was blocked by one defender, with Taylor’s follow-up effort blocked by another before the visitors cleared. Scrimshaw then won a corner on the right, which Taylor took and Hallett met at the far post, but he couldn’t get direction on his header.
LUKE SKYWALKER: Centre-back Luke Hallett gets forward to lend his considerable leaping and heading ability to the Totton attack.
Totton hearts were momentarily in mouths when Noice was closed down by Hedges, with the ball at his feet. The Stags’ No.1 side-stepped his opponent and cooly played the ball out to one of his defenders. But then, Kennedy was caught in possession by Fitchett, who advanced to the edge of the area on the right and drilled the ball across. Magri initially intercepted but then ran into Aaron McCreadie, who had the time and space to pick his spot and really should have made it three-nil, instead firing past the left-hand post.
Ragguette pushed forward down the Totton left, exchange passes with Scrimshaw to create an opening for Taylor to hit a low, angled shot that Gould did well to save and keep hold.
Totton’s best chance of the game came shortly after the hour mark, when Scrimshaw ran onto Rendell’s flick-on, gave his marker a timely shove to create half-a-yard before shooting from inside the box. The ball struck the defender’s leg, taking the weight off it and enabling Gould to make a comfortable save.
Maloney and Scrimshaw, two relative newcomers for AFC Totton, paired up to chase down the Salisbury defence in their own left-back corner. Then, Read swept forward along with Taylor and Scrimshaw, who had to dig the ball out from between his feet to lay it off to Read who scuffed his shot into a wall of yellow-shirted defenders.
Totton were bossing possession now, with Salisbury content to fall back, defend the middle of the pitch and pounce on the break when the opportunity arose. Ragguette did well to escape Hedges, but his cross from left to right was too strong.
INSTANT IMPACT: Within moments of stepping off the bench, Matty Burrows pulled a brilliant save out of Salisbury goalkeeper Joshua Gould.
Matty Burrows came on in place of Scrimshaw in the 69th minute, and he made his presence felt straight away, withstanding Jombati’s attempts to shove him off the ball by retaining possession and dancing between three defenders on the edge of the box before unleashing a lethal left-footed shot towards the top-left corner that pulled an exceptional save from Joshua Gould, pushing the ball over the crossbar. Burrows found himself closely marshalled, thereafter, by Jamar Smith, who his manager Brian Dutton had switched from right-back to left-back.
In the 78th minute, striker Alfie Stanley came on in place of left-wing back Jordan Ragguette. While that was happening, Gould developed an ailment that required the attention of the Salisbury physio. When play resumed, Noah Coppin showed neat control to bring a high cross-field ball under control at the left-wing touchline, before getting past Read and into the area, to shoot for the near post. Noice made the save.
Totton continued to pass the ball around, patiently looking for and trying to create openings within the stubborn Salisbury defence. They earned a corner on the right in the 84th minute. Taylor sent it low to the near post, where Hallett ran onto it and shot, Gould reacting with excellent reflexes again to shovel the ball over the bar with his right hand.
ACTION STATIONS: Totton players Alfie Stanley (near), Matty Burrows (hair) and Scott Rendell (No.9 on his shorts) await the delivery of a set-piece, as Totton try to find a foothold in the game.
With Hallett now operating as a makeshift centre-forward, he and Maloney worked the ball to the right-wing byline. Maloney’s pull-back gave Read another chance to shoot, Gould deflecting wide with his feet. Taylor’s corner was headed upward by Hallett, then blazed over on the volley by Burrows, who was unable to contort his body sufficiently to keep it down.
A high diagonal from deep on the left found Rendell on the right of the box. His header into the middle was cleared as the Salisbury defence stood firm. Maloney, warming to his task as creator-in-chief, began pulling the strings, laying the ball off to Tomasso in midfield before darting forward to connect with Read’s pass to centre for Burrows, whose first shot was blocked before his second attempt was also charged down and cleared.
Seven minutes of stoppage time were indicated, but the pattern of the game didn’t change, other than first Jamar Smith and then substitute James Harding both being booked for time-wasting, with Luke Hallett becoming the sixth Totton player to have his name taken shortly before the end.
Noah Coppin had a late, late chance to make it three-nil for Salisbury, but Ethan Taylor sprinted across from the left-wing to the right-back position to make a well-executed sliding tackle, when the safe money would have been on a horrendous foul and a chance for Jombati to complete his hat-trick of penalties.
When the Referee sounded the full-time whistle, it merely confirmed a well-earned away win for the visitors.
After the match, AFC Totton Manager Jimmy Ball (pictured) said:
“The first half was very poor from us. We can’t deny that. You can’t play like that against teams of this quality, it’s just not acceptable. That’s two games in a row now where we just haven’t performed in the first half - I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s disappointing and is something we will be working on.
“I thought the first penalty decision was laughable, if I’m honest. Josh Carmichael got the ball. We’ve offered the Referee the chance to watch it back, but why the linesman on that same side of the pitch didn’t offer his opinion is beyond me. There were some head scratching decisions throughout the league last week, and more again today, unfortunately.
“But, we need to take care of our own business and we have to arrest this malaise of the two recent first-half performances. In the second half, we had nothing to lose but we’d allowed them to get into a position where they could just sit back and defend. We had a lot of possession but we couldn’t find that telling final pass or that little bit of composure when we needed it. We snatched at a couple of opportunities and their goalkeeper made a couple of world-class saves, particularly the one from Luke Hallett.
Leon Maloney played well. He is a lovely footballer with a lot of skill. He’s still relatively new to men’s football and needs to learn the other side of the game when you don’t have the ball. We’ll work on him and I’m sure he’ll prove himself to be a real talent during his time at this football club. I wanted to bring Keane Anderson on, as well, but I was having to pull rabbits out of hats by the end, so it wasn’t to be. But he will get plenty of football while he’s with us.
“We will have to reflect on this defeat and, I think, get back to the basics of working hard and communicating better on the pitch. We have a number of promising young players in the squad, but when the bullets are flying and it gets very difficult, we need them to stand up and show their character. We need to improve on what we’ve seen so far this season.”
Next Up: AFC TOTTON vs POOLE TOWN
Southern League Premier Division South | Matchday#3 | Snows Stadium, Totton SO40 2RW | Wednesday 16 August 2023 | Kick-Off at 7:45pm | Purchase tickets online
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
