AFC Totton
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY#7
Tuesday 30 July 2024 | Snows Stadium, Salisbury Road, Totton | Att: 287
STAGS OVERCOME NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH OPPOSITION THANKS TO RENDELL PENALTY
AFC TOTTON 1
Scott Rendell 68mins (pen)
EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 0
SCOTT RENDELL’S PENALTY was enough to make the difference as AFC Totton continued their pre-season preparations with a home win over National League South side Eastbourne Borough at the Snows Stadium last night (Tuesday 30 July 2024).
In a competitive encounter that occasionally bordered on the overly-aggressive, a trip by Borough goalkeeper Joe Wright on Ethan Taylor inside the visitors’ box resulted in a spot-kick that The Sunburnt Assassin comfortably converted to hand The Stags a deserved win. Tony Lee had gone close to opening the scoring in the first half from Tom Blair’s high delivery into the box, and substitute Harvey Rew had a late effort pushed onto the crossbar by Wright, after excellent wing play from Taylor to create an opening from the left.
Fans arriving early ahead of the game got to see Jimmy Ball’s latest new signing, the former Southampton and QPR striker Charlie Austin, give an interview and pose for photographs following confirmation of his recruitment to the AFC Totton squad.
AFC TOTTON: 13. Josh GOULD; 2. Joe OASTLER; 5. Charlie KENNEDY; 6. Luke HALLETT; 9. Scott RENDELL (Capt.); 10. Ethan TAYLOR; 14. Josh OWERS; 15. Sam MAGRI; 17. Declan ROSE; 18. Tony LEE; 19. Tom BLAIR. Substitutes (All-Used): 4. Connor BENT; 7. Harvey REW; 8. Adam TOMASSO; 16. Owen PELHAM; 20. Marcus DAWS.
EASTBOURNE BOROUGH: 1. Joe WRIGHT; 3. Isaac PITBLADO; 4. Bradley BARRY; 7. Siya LIGENDZA; 11. Finn McBRIDE; 14. David SESAY; 15. Carson DAVISON; 16. Freddie CARTER; 19. Alfie PAVEY; 25. Brayden JOHNSON; 33. Pierce BIRD. Substitutes’ names not provided.
Before the match, everybody in the ground observed a minute’s silence in respect of the victims of the horrendous multiple stabbing attack in Southport. Totton got the game underway, wearing their brand new home kit of royal blue shirts, white shorts and blue socks. Eastbourne Borough were in red-and-white hooped shirts with a solid red back, and red shorts and socks.
The Stags fashioned the match’s first chance when Marcus Daw got in down the right wing and pulled back to Declan Rose, who angled his shot over the crossbar. Totton bossed the early possession, but Charlie Kennedy had to make a strong tackle in the centre-circle to prevent the visitors launching a counter-attack after a loose pass in midfield threatened to expose the Totton defence.
FIRE ONE: Marcus Daws lets fly from just outside the Eastbourne Borough penalty area.
Eastbourne’s David Sesay struck a cross-field pass that Siya Ligendza brought under control in an advanced position on the left flank, but he found Luke Hallett too solid an obstacle to get past. Then, Joe Oastler was caught out by Sesay at the intersection between the half-way line and Totton’s left-wing touchline, conceding the first of many free-kicks that punctuated the game.
Josh Owers shifted the ball forward to Scott Rendell, as Totton players began to flood forward with plenty of Borough defenders in position to monitor them. Daws received possession on the right and stood a high chip to the far post, where Tony Lee got above his marker to head back across goal, prompting Rendell to attempt an overhead-kick that was immediately smothered by the defender behind him. The ball fell to Daws, and he and Rose maintained possession on the right, before and short interchange of passes between Kennedy and Rendell became too intricate with so many red shirts around them.
Hallett had to stretch to prevent a through-ball releasing Ligendza into Totton’s defensive third. Then, Pierce Bird, wearing the No.33 shirt for Eastbourne, took a considerable risk trying to head back to his goalkeeper with Lee lurking with intent. Joe Wright came out to the edge of his area to grab the ball for the striker - who scored a hat-trick in the Mally Thomas Trophy victory over Totton & Eling at the weekend - could get a telling touch.
Tom Blair won a corner on the Totton left, after Kennedy’s pass enabled him to run at Sesay. Blair’s curling cross was headed out just as Wright was about to claim it. He was able to get his hands on the ball when he caught Daws’ follow-up cross from the right.
Declan Rose was shown a yellow card for a late tackle on the Eastbourne left in the 16th minute. The free-kick was delivered long into the box and hooked back across goal by the right instep of Freddie Carter before Sam Magri headed it clear. Then, Oastler needed treatment after coming off worse from an aerial challenge that appeared to result in a leg injury.
GET SHIRTY: Josh Owers gets to grips with an Eastbourne player in midfield.
Hallett showcased his trademark high-leap headed clearance to repel Wright’s long free-kick. Magri did likewise shortly after to turn away a right-wing cross from Sesay. Having struggled to control a couple of direct passes out to him on the right flank, Daws managed to bring Josh Gould’s pass down with his chest and nip between two defenders, before he was tripped just outside the right corner of the Eastbourne penalty area, about 20 yards from goal. Owers and Lee were both interested in it; Lee stepped up and struck his shot too high.
Tom Blair was booked for tugging back his opponent, after losing the ball mid-way inside Eastbourne’s half. Borough’s Carson Davison followed him into the referee’s notebook for a clumsy, aggressive foul on Kennedy that sparked a spell of pushing and shoving among players from both sides.
Totton thought they should have had a penalty when Lee was shoved to the ground left of the penalty spot, trying to connect with a Daws cross, but the referee turned down their appeals. Then the striker tussled with the same defender a few moments later and was penalised with a free-kick, prompting a frank exchange of views between him and the senior match official. Ironic cheers met the award a free-kick to Totton’s No.18 when he was pushed in the back while competing for Oastler’s high forward pass. Blair floated the ball into the area from the free-kick, but it arced too high and Wright claimed comfortably.
Totton ended the first half on the front foot. Goalkeeper Gould picked out Daws on the right touchline, who passed square to Owers, standing in the centre-circle. He quickly spread the play to the left wing, where Blair was advancing. Blair stepped infield and bent a high cross into the box. Rendell, Lee and the two defenders monitoring them all jumped in a cluster of hopeful headers, and as the ball dropped, Lee was able to strike right-footed off the bounce, sending the ball narrowly over the crossbar.
HALF-TIME: AFC TOTTON 0-0 EASTBOURNE BOROUGH
Josh Gould had to take evasive action straight from the restart to prevent Eastbourne going ahead. The ‘keeper rushed out to the edge of the area to make a block and then had to sprint towards the left-wing touchline and make a sliding tackle clearance before an incoming red shirt could steal the ball and take advantage of an open goal.
Daws won a free-kick on the right flank, but Oastler’s delivery curled over everyone and went out beyond the left-hand post. Then, Owers got himself into a good crossing position with a short dash into the inside-left channel, before pulling the callback for Rose whose drive from just outside the area flew wide to the right.
Josh Owers had his name taken for a foul in midfield, which sparked another heated confrontation on the pitch, just as the sun was descending behind the trees on the far side of the Aldi construction site. Gould made a solid catch from an Eastbourne corner. Then, a miss-placed back-pass by Rendell was tidied up by headers from both Kennedy and Hallett, safely seeing the ball back to their goalkeeper.
By this point, the match was being liberally punctuated by the introduction of substitutes. Adam Tomasso and Ethan Taylor came on for Totton, in place of Rose and Blair, while Eastbourne made several changes of their own. Luke Hallett then joined the referee’s long list of names due to a late tackle on an Eastbourne forward.
TAKING A TUMLBE: Ethan Taylor is sent to ground by Eastbourne goalkeeper Joe Wright to earn a penalty-kick for The Stags.
Taylor attacked from the Totton right, controlling a high pass and laying it square for Lee, who couldn’t quite get there. Then, The Stags pressed with three players against one to win the ball back just outside the visitors’ penalty area, with Daws coming in from the left wing to engage with Tomasso and Taylor. The attack stalled but Totton retained possession, and when the ball was launched forward from the back once more, Ethan Taylor ran onto it at the inside-right channel. Wright came out to challenge and caught the winger, sending him to ground and encouraging the referee to point to the spot. Scott RENDELL converted with ease to put AFC Totton ahead on 68 minutes.
Harvey Rew replaced Marcus Daws. Oastler had to slide in to turn the ball behind for a corner as Ligendza lined up a shooting chance from the Eastbourne right. Two short corners later, Totton managed to clear their lines. When Borough attacked again with a cross from their right, Magri was well-positioned to head away from within the six-yard box.
Owen Pelham replaced Josh Owers in the 76th minute. There was more anger following a late foul by Eastbourne’s No.27 on Kennedy, right in front of the AFC Totton dug-out. Taylor bent the free-kick into the penalty area where Luke Hallett was inexplicably unmarked. The defender ran onto the ball and directed his header on target, pulling an impressive save from Joe Wright with his left arm.
Pelham’s willingness to press gave Wright some difficulty trying to clear with his feet. Totton quickly regained possession and Pelham played Rendell in at the right-wing byline. He pulled the ball back for the incoming Kennedy, who side-footed over the bar from 18 yards.
Gould make a block at his left-hand post to stop Ligendza levelling for Eastbourne with a right-foot volley, while under pressure. New signing Connor Bent then stepped off the bench to replace Tony Lee.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Winger Tom Blair takes on an Eastbourne Borough defender.
A foul on Pelham between the two dug-outs gave Hallett the chance to launch the ball into the Eastbourne area from the half-way line. Rendell rose high to nod the ball down and Harvey Rew attacked it, towards the left of the six-yard box. The ball wouldn’t sit down, though, and the Borough defenders were able to crowd him out.
Ethan Taylor was booked for dissent, shortly after he was somehow penalised for a defender jumping onto him from behind and landing awkwardly when gravity kicked-in. Taylor was then pressed into defensive action to block a cross at the expense of a corner, which The Stags managed to defend with Tomasso running the ball forward to release Bent down the left. He was cynically tripped, earning the Eastbourne defender a yellow card.
Totton almost went two-nil up at the end of the game. Taylor dribbled past two defenders on his way to the left-wing byline, before wrong-footing a third and rolling the ball to the edge of the box. Harvey Rew ran onto it and struck his shot on-target, with Wright doing exceptionally well to push the ball onto the crossbar and out of play, before the referee took one final look at his watch and called time on the game.
Next Up: AFC TOTTON vs FOREST GREEN ROVERS
Pre-Season#8 | Snows Stadium, Salisbury Road, Totton SO40 2RW | Saturday 03 August 2024 | Kick-Off at 3:00pm | BUY TICKETS Online in Advance
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Sayers Sports Photography
