AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH
Matchday #33
AFC TOTTON 1
Hisham Kasimu 12mins (pen)
EVESHAM UNITED 0
AFC Totton were forced to batten down the hatches and fight hard for three valuable Southern League Div.1 South points yesterday afternoon (Saturday), playing most of the match with 10 men following the first-half dismissal of captain Harry Medway and ending it with only nine players on the pitch when substitute Ben Jefford was shown a straight red card during the last 10 minutes. It was a vital win for Jimmy Ball’s side that keeps them in touch with Winchester City and Bristol Manor Farm, either of whom the Stags could overtake to claim a spot in the end of season promotion play-offs.
After drawing blanks in both of their last two league outings, Totton hit four goals in the Southampton Senior Cup in midweek and the scorer of the first of them, Lewis Waterfield, was retained in midfield for the visit of the Robins from Worcestershire, with whom the Stags shared a 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture in November. Ade Olumuyiwa came back into the side to partner Rob Flooks and Harry Medway in the back-three. Jordan Ragguette recovered from a kick on the shin against Hamble Club on Tuesday to maintain his place in the side. Ethan Taylor and Hisham Kasimu were both restored to the starting line-up, after being rested in midweek.
On a mild Hampshire afternoon, both sides had chances to take an early lead. Lewis Waterfield found Jordan Ragguette in space on the left wing and, allowed the time and space to advance and deliver a low cross, he found Callum Baughan on the right side of goal, who shot over the crossbar. Then Evesham, wearing two-tone red shirts with black shorts and socks, earned a corner on their right flank. Jordan Lymn crossed to the edge of the 6-yard box where Lewis Noice attempted to punch the ball away but was beaten to it by Toumani Sidibe, whose header almost apologetically nudged the crossbar and fell to the feet of Harry Medway who was able to clear for the home side.
Roughly five minutes into the game, a forward pass from Evesham was overhit and ran through to AFC Totton goalkeeper Lewis Noice, sweeper-keeping outside his penalty area. He took a touch and then launched the ball upfield and, for a moment, it looked like it might catch out his opposite number Isaac Parry, who began to backpedal but was relieved to see the ball bounce over his crossbar and go out for a goal-kick.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: AFC Totton striker Hisham Kasimu races through, shortly before being brought down for the penalty that he converted for the Stags' 1-0 win over Evesham United.
It was only a temporary reprieve for the visitors, though, because seven minutes later Ethan Taylor’s pass behind the Evesham back line allowed Kasimu to use his pace to advance into the penalty area. Defenders managed to get around him but he went down and the Referee decided there was enough contact to warrant a penalty. Hisham KASIMU has been known to rip the net off from the spot this season, but he opted to roll this penalty kick into the bottom-right corner as Parry dived the wrong way, to put the Stags’ noses in front.
Evesham defended a Totton attack on 14 minutes and sent Sidibe away to lead a counter-attack down their right wing. With no teammates covering behind him, Harry Medway decided to take the man rather than the ball, charging Sidibe to the ground in front of the Totton dug-out and earning himself a yellow card. The free-kick was defended and then quickly despatched upfield, but Taylor was penalised for going in late on Parry as the goalkeeper came to the edge of his area to scoop up the ball.
A foul by Baughan just outside the right corner of his own penalty area presented Evesham skipper Adam Mace with the opportunity to send a pinpoint free-kick to the far post, from which Adam Pepera really should have equalised after getting goal-side of Ade Olumuyiwa only to glance his free header wide of Noice’s left-hand upright.
Noice was lucky on 18 minutes to not be dispossessed on the edge of his own 6-yard box as he tried to skip around an on-rushing forward while dealing with a back-pass, ultimately forcing the ball out of play off an opponent. Then, at the other end, an up-and-under from the left-hand side was helped on by the head of Kasimu to play Taylor in on the right, but Parry was quick to come out and grab the ball before Totton’s second-top goalscorer could latch onto it.
Kasimu had the chance to double his side’s lead in the 22nd minute. Baughan played the ball into the space between the Evesham defence and their goalkeeper, and the Stags striker latched onto it, despite being pulled back by his arm. He shrugged the challenge off and appeared to have set himself for the finish but could only drive the ball against the shins of Isaac Parry. The rebound came out to Jake Adams, who squared to Baughan on the right wing. His cross was diverted out of the Evesham box, only for Waterfield to take aim from the edge of the area, firing narrowly over the top.
A neat turn on half-way by Ragguette in the 28th minute was followed by a clipped pass into the path of Adams in the inside-left, but the ball was just ahead of him and he was called up for a foul on Parry, when the goalkeeper beat him to the ball by a fraction.
EARLY BATH: Skipper Harry Medway (blue shirt) was shown a red card for two bookable offences in the first half of the Southern League Div.1 South match at the Snows Stadium.
Medway got caught in possession deep inside his own half and had to concede a corner, which Totton managed to defend and launched a counter-attack on 31 minutes. Ragguette fired in a low, angry cross from the left that Parry used his foot to prod away from his goalmouth. Adams followed-up with a shot on target, but Evesham had players back and were able to clear the ball off the line and out for a corner on the right. The Robins managed to force the cross out to the edge of their box, where Harry Medway made a late lunge to try and keep the attack going, catching the defender to prompt the Referee to show him a second yellow card and send him off for his second dismissal this season. Before leaving the pitch, Medway handed the captain’s armband to the experienced Rob Flooks.
It took Evesham about 10 minutes to work out how to take advantage of their extra numbers. Jordan Lymn gathered the ball outside the Totton area and picked out Sidibe on the left, who pulled it back to the edge of the box for Kyle Belmonte, who has been among the goals in recent matches for the Robins, to shoot just over the bar. Then, Noice did well to gather under pressure after Lymn got the better of Ragguette on the Evesham right wing and crossed to the near post area.
Jake Adams picked up a yellow card for a foul near the touchline, similar to the one that had earned Medway his first ticking off. From the free-kick, Mace’s in-swinging curler hit Olumuyiwa on the hip and bounced out to where Mace was able to regain possession, but Noice caught his follow-up cross to the far post to ensure the Stags went in ahead at the break.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 1
EVESHAM UNITED 0
Jimmy Ball made two changes at half-time, bringing on Ben Jefford and Brett Williams for Jordan Ragguette and Ethan Taylor. Despite being a man down, Totton went straight on the attack, with Jake Adams displaying his skills to progress down the left-hand side. His cross was turned away to where Freddie Read picked it up just outside the box and returned it to the young playmaker, whose second delivery was too heavy for Kasimu to connect with.
Three minutes into the second half, Brett Williams picked midfielder Callum Clayton’s pocket inside the centre-circle and turned to find himself with space to bring the ball forward. Baughan provided an option on the right but the veteran striker went for a long-range shot from all of 35 yards, which was wide of the left-hand post without troubling Parry. Then, Williams chested a high ball down to Waterfield on the right touchline, who chipped over a defender to put Kasimu in, but the keeper claimed the ball before the Frenchman could nick it past him.
Totton were good value despite their one-man disadvantage. Read’s corner from the left, close to the hour mark, was headed back across goal by Rob Flooks, enabling his centre-back partner Ade Olumuyiwa to direct a header towards goal, which lacked the power to beat Parry. Both players got back quickly to defend an Evesham counter-attack, Flooks restored to his position in time to head a deep cross from the visitors’ left out for a corner, which was subsequently arrowed to the far post and headed wide. The former Winchester City defender then took a ball straight to the face while blocking Sidibe’s effort from the edge of the Totton penalty area, causing a break in play while he received treatment from AFC Totton physio, Andrew Hanley.
NOICE ONE: Totton goalkeeper Lewis Noice leaps to claim the ball late-on in the hard-fought 1-0 victory over Evesham United, in which the Stags were reduced to nine men.
Shortly after play resumed, left-back Jefford took a throw-in midway inside the Evesham half. Williams brought the ball under control and turned to lay it off to Waterfield in the centre, who in turn fed the overlapping run of Callum Baughan into space on the right wing. The right-back’s driven cross-shot was a cause for concern for Parry, until it veered narrowly high and wide of the far post, bringing appreciative applause from the majority of the 544 crowd for the move as a whole.
Evesham manager Neil Hunt decided to introduce man-mountain centre-forward Michael Symons for the last 20 minutes, whose late goal levelled the scores in that 3-3 thriller at The Spiers & Hartwell Stadium in November. The Robins attempted to probe the Totton defence, with Sidibe coming out to the left wing and running at Baughan, who stuck to his defensive task well to see out the danger at the expense of a corner. The cross was partially cleared before Jordan Lymn curled a well-struck shot just over the crossbar.
Moving the ball faster across the deck and trying to exploit the full width of the pitch, Evesham had Totton pressed back into their own half for a while but they struggled to muster quality deliveries into dangerous areas and created few clear cut chances. It was the Stags who came closest to adding to the scoreline when Isaac Parry misjudged the bounce of a ball that was hooked into his penalty area with Hisham Kasimu nipping at his heels, trying to steal the ball away from him. Facing towards his own goal, the keeper managed to fall on the ball before Kasimu could complete a drag-back that would have left him with an empty net.
Evesham had a free-kick about 25 yards out, to the right of the D for a foul by Williams. Brandon Smalley’s shot hit the defensive wall, the rebound effort flying high and wide of Noice’s goal. Kasimu needed treatment after a strong challenge from Clayton, then Smalley tried again with a speculative strike from 30 yards that Noice had to get down quickly to push wide with his right hand, for a corner that Totton ably defended.
CLEVER PLAY: The skill of Jake Adams on the ball was fundamental to Totton's ability to cope with their reduced numbers and see out the win to claim a valuable three points.
Adams passed to Kasimu on the Totton right in the 82nd minute and the striker’s cross found the head of Brett Williams near the back post, whose effort was on target but deflected wide off a defender. Another move a minute later had Jefford, Adams and Read combining on the left-hand side before Lewis Waterfield joined in to dribble wide of one defender and fire a low shot across the Evesham goal and just wide of the far post.
The Stags’ chances of safely seeing out the three points were dealt a massive blow seven minutes from the end of the regulation 90 when substitute left-back Ben Jefford made a late, high challenge on an Evesham player, earning himself a straight red card to join Harry Medway for an early bath, leaving his side with just nine men to fight for the result. Jake Adams used his head, running the ball into space and isolating the Robins right-back Joseph Hunt near his own corner flag, where Adams was able to dance around the ball with tricks and stopovers to eat up valuable seconds.
Former Manchester City and Southampton Academy defender Pascal Kpohomouh was then brought on for Kasimu, as Jimmy Ball prepared his team to withstand a late onslaught shortly before the Referee confirmed there would be five minutes to additional time.
Williams, who was successfully pressed into service as an emergency centre-back to cover for the injured Kpohomouh at Frome Town in early-February, now found himself operating as a makeshift left-back. He promptly added his name to the Referee’s naughty list with a foul on Hunt, conceding a free-kick just wide of the Totton penalty area. The cross into the box was overhit, enabling Flooks to chase the ball out on the far side before Evesham could regather it and try again.
Evesham pushed forward but had to wade through all eight remaining outfield Stags to get to Lewis Noice’s goal, as Totton dug in and fought to keep their slender advantage intact. Smalley lined up another long-range shot but could only ricochet the ball off two blue-shirted defenders, amid half-hearted appeals for handball. And when Smalley tried to dribble his way through near the end, he was crowded out by defenders and the ball ran harmlessly through to Noice who was able to fall on the ball.
Totton held their opponents at arm’s length and while Evesham shuffled the ball across their defensive line near the centre-circle, the Referee took that last look at his wristwatch and called time on a well-earned three points for Jimmy Ball’s team.
GET IN THERE: AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball shows his satisfaction after watching his side battle to an important home win under difficult circumstances.
Elsewhere, league leaders Plymouth Parkway lost for the first time in 13 matches, going down to a 1-3 defeat at Cirencester Town. Two Levi Irving goals in the last four minutes sealed the win for the Centurions. Frome Town were unable to take advantage, though, being held to a goalless draw at home by Bristol Manor Farm.
An Oliver Balmer double helped Winchester City to a routine 3-0 victory over mid-table Melksham Town, while a hat-trick from ex-Stag Stuart Green saw Sholing to a handsome 4-1 away win at Cinderford Town in Gloucestershire. And Totton’s next league opponents Highworth Town were resoundingly beaten at bottom of the table club Barnstaple Town by a scoreline of 4-0.
All of which leaves Parkway, Frome and Cirencester just one point apart in the top three positions, albeit that Parkway still have one game in-hand, which will come on Tuesday night when they entertain Highworth at Bolitho Park. Winchester City’s trip to Bristol Manor Farm on the last matchday of the regular season - and the fact that both the Citizens and the Stags have a game in-hand over the Farmy Army - means that if AFC Totton can secure a maximum 9 points from their three remaining matches against Highworth (away), Sholing (home) and Slimbridge (away), they will definitely qualify for the promotion play-offs, irrespective of the result of that match at the Creek. It’s all to play for!
The latest Southern League Div.1 South table
Meanwhile, the Stags will be in action again this Wednesday evening, taking on Winchester in the semi-final of the Southampton Senior Cup at Sholing’s Mackoy Stadium on Portsmouth Road.
Match Report by Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
