PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY #7
Saturday 02 August 2025 | Snows Stadium, Totton | Att: 479

RENDELL STRIKES AGAINST FORMER CLUB TO END PRE-SEASON WITH A WIN

AFC TOTTON                                   1
Scott Rendell 4mins

ALDERSHOT TOWN                   0

AFC TOTTON COMPLETED their pre-season programme ahead of their first-ever Step 2 league campaign with an encouraging home win over National League side Aldershot Town.

Veteran centre-forward Scott Rendell, who played for The Shots from 2016 to 2019, made the difference between the two sides with a fourth-minute strike crashed in off the underside of the crossbar after winger Ralph Vigrass had progressed with intent into the visitors’ penalty area.

Jimmy Ball included two new loan signings in his starting line-up. Full-back Ryan Jackson has arrived from Oxford United, while forward Ashley Clarke has returned for a third spell at the Snows Stadium on loan from AFC Bournemouth.

AFC TOTTON — Starting XI: 13. Ryan GOSNEY; 2. Joe OASTLER; 7. Ashley CLARKE; 9.Scott RENDELL (Capt.); 10. Tony LEE; 19. Christie WARD; 20. Ryan JACKSON; 21. Christos BATZELIS; 23. Ralph VIGRASS; 26. Tyler CORDNER; Trialist A. Substitutes: 1. Max EVANS; 3. Brandon HAUNSTRUP; 4. Mike CARTER; 5. Luke HALLETT; 6. Sam MAGRI; Trialist B; Trialist C.

ALDERSHOT TOWN — Starting XI: 1. Marcus DEWHURST; 5. Ben JACKSON; 6. Theo WIDDRINGTON (Capt.); 7. Cameron HARGREAVES; 10. Josh BARRETT; 19. Ryan HILL; 23. Hady GHANDOUR; 24. Maxwell MULLINS; 32. James CLARRIDGE; 34. Dejan TEDEK; 42. Matt PENNEY. Substitutes: 12. Keane ANDERSON; 13. Pat NASH; 14. Jed MEERHOLZ; 18. Kiban RAI; 20. Haydon VAUGHAN; 25. Kaden HUGHES; 26. Joe LEWIS-EVANS; 28. Archy TAYLOR; 30. Tristan ABRAHAMS.

Aldershot kicked-off wearing their changed kit of all-black with red trim, attacking towards the Aldi End of Snows Stadium. They were soon on the offensive, trying to play Maxwell Mullins in down the right wing, but Christos Batzelis read the situation and intervened to initiate a counter-attack via a one-two with Ash Clarke. As Batzelis advanced into space on the left flank, the incoming Ralph Vigrass was well-placed to receive a low cross to the far post, but Aldershot full-back Ben Jackson made a crucial block.

Joe Oastler swept away one promising Aldershot attack, before Scott Rendell won a free-kick for a shove in the back on the half-way line. As Totton circulated possession amongst themselves at the back, Tyler Cordner passed to Oastler on the right, whose long through-ball enabled Vigrass to chest the ball down and race into the opposition box. Being tightly marked, Vigrass got to the corner of the six-yard box and tried to cut inside onto his left foot, as his marker managed to get his foot to the ball and prod it behind the winger. The loose ball was pounced upon by the ever-alert Scott RENDELL who smashed his shot against the underside of the crossbar, leaving goalkeeper Marcus Dewhurst a mere bystander as the ball bounced over the line for an early Stags lead.

READY, AIM, FIRE: Scott Rendell gets Totton off to a flying start with a fourth-minute goal against his former club Aldershot Town at the Snows Stadium.

The National League side tried to get back into the game straight away, but a clever dummy in the Totton box from a low right-wing cross didn’t fool Christie Ward who carried the ball out of defence. Then a heavy touch while facing his own goal put Batzelis in a tight spot, but he managed to work his way out of trouble and win a throw-in via his deflected clearance.

Oastler stepped out of the defensive line to dismantle Aldershot’s next attack, then Batzelis and Clarke combined down the wing to play Rendell in at inside-left, his shot deflected wide by a last-ditch challenge from Matt Penney, who then remonstrated with his teammates for allowing themselves to be played through. Clarke sent the corner high towards the far post where Cordner headed on target from a narrow angle, forcing Dewhurst to save at his left-hand post.

Aldershot got the ball into the Totton net after some skilful play by Josh Barrett following a free-kick on the left corner of the penalty area. From his pirouette and chip to the far post, the ball was headed down and hooked into the goal but an offside flag ruled it out.

Hady Ghandour dribbled towards the left-wing byline and fired in a low cross that Oastler stretched to divert behind for a corner. Barrett took the set-piece short and received possession again, before his cross-shot flew beyond the far post. Then, Tony Lee forced a corner at the other end, from which Vigrass’s delivery found Oastler but he couldn’t generate enough power in his header to trouble Dewhurst.

CRISTIANO WHO?: Totton winger Ralph Vigrass gets up well to challenge for a high ball.

Batzelis and Clarke continued to demonstrate a fast-developing understanding of one another down the Totton left, stretching the Aldershot defence to scrape the ball clear again. Totton regained possession and a low cross by Vigrass from the right gave Rendell another glimpse of goal, only another late block preventing him from hitting the target but at the expense of a corner. Vigrass crossed and found Oastler, but it was too high and skimmed off the top of the defender’s head.

Totton’s next attack came on the counter, Batzelis showing good awareness of the space around him to slip Clarke in at inside-left. A moment’s hesitation denied Clarke his best chance to shoot, although he did manage to force a left-wing corner. Vigrass crossed in high, again; this time Oastler won his header at the far side of the six-yard box to redirect the ball into the middle. Lee challenged for it but Dewhurst swatted the ball away from above his head with a one-handed punch, before the referee pulled play back for a push on the ‘keeper.

ON-TARGET: Totton centre-back Tyler Cordner heads at goal from a corner.

A poor choice of pass by the Trialist handed the ball back to Aldershot, but a low 25-yard effort on goal did little to trouble Ryan Gosney. Then, Clarke got back to assist Cordner in nullifying a right-wing raid from The Shots, before another attempt forced Oastler to swipe clear from the penalty spot and prompted Aldershot manager Tommy Widdrington to berate his son Theo from the Away team dug-out for not arriving in the box at the right time to finish that chance.

Clarke took advantage of a foul on Lee to direct the loose ball to Rendell in the middle, who spread the play to Vigrass on the right. The pass was over-hit but Vigrass retrieved the ball from close to the corner flag and found the Trialist on the corner of the penalty area, who took aim at the visitors’ goal but struck an incoming defender.

Lee conceded a free-kick right in front of the Home team dug-out. Barrett floated the ball into the Totton box, where it was headed down and knocked out beyond the D on the edge of the box. Ryan Hill tried his luck with a long-range shot that Oastler charged down, leaving Ryan Jackson to complete the clearance from right-back shortly before the referee sounded the half-time whistle.

HALF-TIME: AFC TOTTON 1-0 ALDERSHOT TOWN

Totton got the game back underway and survived an early penalty shout from their opponents when Hill ghosted in at inside-left and went down under a challenge. The referee was unmoved and the ball was cleared. Then, Ryan Jackson introduced himself to the Snows Stadium faithful with a swashbuckling run down the right-hand side that took him the full length of the pitch to earn a corner. It was all for nought, though, as some pushing in shoving in the box while Vigrass’s corner delivery was in-flight resulted in a free-kick to Aldershot.

LET'S GO: Right-back Ryan Jackson makes a marauding run at the Aldershot defence.

Oastler put a stop to an attack at inside-right by tracking the runner and diverting wide. Then, the reigning AFC Totton Players’ Player of the Year repelled the ball from the edge of the 18-yard box as Aldershot began to build sustained pressure.

A delicious pass from the Trialist put Vigrass through on the Totton right, but just as he had his marker backing into his own penalty area, the winger trod on the ball and the chance was lost. Then, Gosney made a strong save with his midriff after a clever series of short, sharp passes saw Aldershot pick their way through the Totton defence — an eventual offside flag would have ruled it out, anyway.

A cross-field pass had Penney gliding in behind Luke Hallett, but his low cross was diverted by the covering Sam Magri. Rendell headed the corner clear from the six-yard line, before Hill’s attempt to keep the Aldershot attack alive was scuppered by Hallett’s punt upfield.

Totton were beginning to get pinned back into their own half. Mike Carter got an important foot in to disrupt The Shots’ next advance, then Magri conceded a free-kick 25 yards out, from which Barrett’s right-footed shot clipped the top of the defensive wall and landed in the gloves of Gosney.

Lee bent a curling cross-shot over the bar from the right-hand side, after receiving possession from a deep free-kick delivered by Brandon Haunstrup. Then, a headed flick-on by Rendell allowed the midfield Trialist to attack the right-wing byline. His first cross was blocked but his second forced a strong parry by Dewhurst at his near post, for a defender to scramble half clear. The ball came back in to another Trialist — on for the second half and playing on the left — who also had two bites of the cherry; slightly greater awareness of the players around him might have seen Lee being teed up sooner, but when the ball did land at the striker’s feet, he was already tightly-marked.

IMPRESSVIE DISPLAY: Left-back Chrisos Batzelis was influential at both ends of the pitch during AFC Totton's pre-season home win over Aldershot Town.

Batzelis got forward on the left, overlapping the forward Trialist to get into the left corner of the box before seeing his shot tipped over the bar by Dewhurst. The subsequent corner was well-defended.

Oastler brought Widdrington down 30 yards out on the Aldershot left. Barrett’s in-swinging delivery was headed away by Magri. Batzelis and the forward Trialist launched a counter-attack which again had Batzelis advancing into the box from the left, but his right-footed effort lacked power.

Totton spent much of the rest of game camped in and around their own penalty area, stopping and blocking Aldershot’s every effort to break them down. The match ended with a speculative shot from the half-way line by Dewhurst, which was timed-out by the three blasts of the referee’s full-time whistle.

Watch JIMMY BALL'S Post-Match Interview

Next Up: DOVER ATHLETIC vs AFC TOTTON
National League South #01 | Crabble Athletic Ground, Lewisham Road, River, Dover, Kent CT17 0JB | Saturday 09 August 2025 | Kick-Off 3:00pm

By Ben Rochey-Adams

Images courtesy of Harvey Gerring