AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH | Matchday#01
Saturday 10 August 2024 | Snows Stadium, Totton SO40 2RW | Att: 980
10-MAN STAGS STAND FIRM TO MAKE WINNING START TO NEW SEASON
AFC TOTTON 1
Marcus Daws 23mins
WALTON & HERSHAM 0
A DEBUT GOAL from winger Marcus Daws and a Man of the Match display from goalkeeper Joshua Gould ensured AFC Totton opened their 2024/25 Southern League Premier Division South campaign with a win against Walton & Hersham, despite playing more than half the game with only 10 men.
Daws marked his first competitive game in a Stags shirt by applying the finishing touch to a rapid counter-attack to edge the home side ahead on 23 minutes. But, shortly before half-time, Joshua Owers – who was also making his competitive debut for the club – was dismissed, having been judged by the referee to have made a dangerously high challenge with his foot.
Walton & Hersham created several chances but, when they weren’t profligate in front of goal, they found the colossal figure of Josh Gould impossible to by-pass. The former Salisbury No.1 made several important stops to propel his team to a welcome home win with which to kick-off the new season.
AFC TOTTON: 13. Joshua GOULD; 2. Joe OASTLER; 6. Sam MAGRI; 8. Adam TOMASSO; 9. Scott RENDELL (Capt.); 12. Luke HALLETT; 14. Joshua OWERS; 17. Declan ROSE; 18. Tony LEE; 19. Tom BLAIR; 20. Marcus DAWS. Substitutes: 5. Charlie KENNEDY; 7. Harvey REW; 10. Ethan TAYLOR; 11. Charlie AUSTIN; 15. Logan LAIRD. Substitutions: KENNEDY for BLAIR, 45mins; AUSTIN for DAWS, 45mins; TAYLOR for LEE, 90mins. Yellow Cards: OASTLER (Foul); HALLETT (Foul); ROSE (Foul); AUSTIN (Foul). Red Card: OWERS (Foul).
WALTON & HERSHAM: 1. Josiah BARKER; 2. Paul FIELD; 18. Elliott BOLTON; 4. Joseph JONES (Capt.); 5. Archie PROCTER; 6. Lucas DEFISE; 7. Adam MEKKI; 8. Mason OBENG; 9. Dawid ROGALSKI; 10. Johl POWELL; 16. Jaden CROWHURST. Substitutes: 11. Cameron THOMPSON; 12. Alexandros ANDREOU; 14. Anis NUUR; 19. Alexander BODY; 20. James HALL. Substitutions: THOMPSON for MEKKI, 45mins; NUUR for DEFISE, 60mins; BODY for OBENG, 70mins; HALL for CROWHURST, 81mins; ANDREOU for BOLTON, 90mins. Yellow Cards: FIELD (Foul); JONES (Foul); NUUR (Dissent).
A change to Southern League rules introduced for the new season now allows teams to name and make use of up to five substitutes during the course of the game. Totton manager Jimmy Ball chose to start with new star signing Charlie Austin on the bench, while Tony Lee partnered captain Scott Rendell up front.
Walton & Hersham took the first kick-off of the new competitive season at the Snows Stadium, wearing all-red with white trim, while Totton wore their new home kit of all-Royal blue with white trim. And, setting up the answer to a future quiz question, the first AFC Totton player to take a touch in-play was goalkeeper Josh Gould, to take a goal-kick after The Swans’ opening attacking salvo ran out of pitch at the right-hand byline.
MY BALL: Defender Luke Hallett takes care of the ball on Totton's right flank.
In the early stages, the visitors found they were able to exploit space on the left side of Totton’s defence. Mason Obeng sent in a cross that Luke Hallett did well to head away at the far post, with red shirts arriving at pace on either side of him. Then, Tony Lee spotted goalkeeper Josiah Barker off his line and went for a 25-yard snapshot that sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
Gould was quickly out of his area to beat Dawid Rogalski — the striker who scored 45 goals in all competitions for Marlow last season — to a long ball into the inside-right channel. Then, Totton’s hearts were in their mouths when a sharp one-two between Obeng and Johl Powell played the former in on goal and Sam Magri stepped across to make a clumsy challenge. All eyes turned to the referee while he glanced at his assistant, and then crossed and uncrossed his arms to make the universal “nothing doing” signal, much to the relief of The Stags’ No.6. The visitors were incensed, with players, fans and those in the away team dug-out offering the match officials plenty of advice every time the ball went out of play for the next several minutes.
Magri resorted to more conventional defensive play to head clear a cross from the former Belgian U17 international midfielder Lucas Defise, who was once on Southampton’s books. Then, at the other end, Adam Tomasso won the ball just outside the Walton & Hersham penalty area, after the first wave attack had broken down, and fed Declan Rose on the right touchline. He directed a high cross into the middle, where Scott Rendell brought it down and laid-off to Marcus Daws, who glided past the first challenge only to see his shot smothered by a red wall of defenders in front of him.
Magri headed out for a corner from Powell’s cross, and Lee was back to clear from the edge of the Totton six-yard box from the resulting corner. Joe Oastler became the first AFC Totton player to incur the wrath of a match official when he was booked for a foul, after finding himself on the wrong end of a two-on-one situation in front of the home dug-out. Adam Mekki bent the free-kick into the penalty area, where it was deflected to Elliott Bolton, whose ferocious shot hit Magri in the face. Play was stopped so the big central defender could receive treatment but he was quickly back on his feet and able to continue.
Mason Obeng was gifted the freedom of Hampshire when a low, angled pass played him into acres of space on The Swans’ right wing, with a clear run on Josh Gould’s goal. As the fans behind that end got their hopes up at what they thought was going to be their team’s first successful strike of the new season, the winger fluffed his lines with a blundered drag across the face of goal and wide of the far post.
A Marcus Daws knockdown from a long ball out to the right corner of the penalty area put Lee into a shooting position at inside-right. Barker spread himself like a handball ‘keeper and managed to deflect Lee’s low shot into the air with his right foot. Rendell tried to stretch out his long right leg to prod the ball home but Joseph Jones hooked it away before the centre-forward could get there.
Another long diagonal from Oastler was flicked on by Rendell for Hallett, pushing high up the pitch on the right touchline, to square infield to Daws. He skipped past a defender to the right byline and pulled it back just a little too much for Lee to wrap his foot around it, the striker firing wide of the near post as he stumbled.
Totton’s quick, incisive attacking play was garnering the approval of the Snows Stadium crowd, and there was more to come when Lee braved a whack in the centre-circle to direct the ball out to the lively Daws on the right. He advanced to the byline and had to check back in search of attacking support. Totton recycled possession and brought Tom Blair into the game from the left flank, but his high cross into the box was comfortably claimed by Barker.
Walton & Hersham got forward to win a corner but once again, Lee was well-placed to belt the ball out of the Totton box. The Stags galloped forward on the counter-attack, with Blair using his strength and skill to waft between two red shirts on his way to the right-wing touchline. Before the defenders could take a second bite at him, Blair hit a low, curling cross behind the rest of the retreating Swans. Tomasso had the presence of mind to jump over the ball on the edge of the area to allow it to run to Marcus DAWS, who controlled it as he advanced to the penalty spot and prodded under Barker to mark his competitive AFC Totton debut with The Stags’ first goal of the season.
OFF THE MARCUS: Winger Daws opens his AFC Totton goalscoring account with a debut goal to secure all three points against Walton & Hersham at the Snows Stadium.
Hallett and Rose both demonstrated impressive reading of the game to nip in front of their opponents to win the ball back for Totton. Rose put Totton on a promising counter-attack down the left-hand side until his pass inside was cut-out before it could reach Daws. Then, Rendell was shoved in the back as he tried to bring the ball down about 30 yards outside the visitors’ penalty area. Rose drifted an in-swinging free-kick into the box; Lee jumped to challenge for it but Barker got above him to knock the ball down and then flung himself prone along the deck to smother the loose ball before anyone in a blue shirt could turn it towards goal.
Gould came out of his area to chip the ball onto the clubhouse roof, as Walton & Hersham threatened from their right, again. Rendell headed out the throw-in, and Rose dealt with the subsequent delivery into the Totton box.
After play was stopped for a Walton player to receive treatment, play resumed with an uncontested drop-ball that allowed Mekki to pick out Rogalski inside the box, with his back to goal. He attempted an overhead-kick, which Rose deflected away with the top of his head before Totton cleared from their right.
Walton & Hersham came forward, again, this time down their left wing. Defise treated the watching audience to a symphony of stepovers, as he edged into the corner of the penalty area, before blazing the ball harmlessly over the bar. Then, a cross from The Swans’ left deflected off Hallett and had to be cleared into touch by Magri from the edge of the six-yard box.
Owers tussled with two Walton & Hersham players in the centre-circle, eventually winning a free-kick for shirt-pulling. Then, Rendell won a free-kick for being held back as he tried to latch onto a bouncing ball towards the left of the visitors’ penalty area, for which The Swans’ No.2 Paul Field was shown the yellow card. The free-kick was well-within shooting range for Lee, whose well-struck effort soared narrowly over the bar.
Joseph Jones was booked for pulling Rose’s shirt on the half-way line. But the referee’s next intervention was much to AFC Totton’s detriment, when debutant Josh Owers was sent-off for making a challenge with his right foot raised as the ball bounced between him and Bolton, close to the touchline on the Salisbury Road side of the ground.
With three minutes remaining until half-time, and buoyed by their numerical advantage, Walton & Hersham went on the attack. Rogalski played Powell in at the right of the area while Totton appealed for offside. The flag stayed down and the low cross found Mekki at the far post, who evaded one challenge before firing past the post and into the advertising hoardings behind the goal, as he put his head in his hands in recognition of a good chance to equalise gone begging.
An additional three minutes of stoppage time were indicated at the end of the first half. Declan Rose put in overtime to defend the Totton goal, first blocking Defise’s cross for a corner, and then halting Mekhi’s progress into the box from the Walton & Hersham right from the short corner. The former Poole Town man then headed away another corner, with Gould diving on the ball as Mekki tried to keep the attack alive at the right-wing byline.
Gould almost got caught in possession on the edge of his own penalty area, but he managed to get the ball out of his feet before Rogalski could take advantage.
CLOSE ONE: Striker Tony Lee goes close with a shot that Walton & Hersham goalkeeper Josiah Barker did well to save with his right foot.
HALF-TIME: AFC TOTTON 1-0 WALTON & HERSHAM
Both teams made changes at the break. Jimmy Ball brought off Marcus Daws and Tom Blair to send on a pair of Charlies; Messrs. Kennedy and Austin, the latter making his competitive AFC Totton debut to make for a lethal-looking frontline of himself, Tony Lee and Scott Rendell.
Hallett clipped the ball forward down the Totton right. Lee and Austin exchanged headers, with the latter sending the former into space on the right edge of the box. Lee’s low cross-shot struck the foot of the near post and bounced out for a goal-kick.
A first-time pass from Austin injected urgency into Totton’s next attack, the striker finding Rendell on the right, who released Lee further up the wing. Tomasso raced into the box on the far side but Lee’s cross was turned behind for a corner. Walton & Hersham cleared and sprung a counter-attack. Powell got the better of Oastler and brought the ball forward on The Swans’ right. His low centre found Rogalski near the penalty spot. With only Gould to beat, the Walton & Hersham No.9 struck a first-time, right-footed shot that Josh Gould somehow managed to divert onto the post with his left arm. Obeng controlled the rebound on his chest at the right corner of the six-yard box, but with Tomasso and Hallett both flinging their bodies at him and Gould and Magri occupying the goal line, Obeng dragged his shot across goal and wide of the left-hand post.
GO-GO GADGET LEG: Scott Rendell reaches out one of his telescopic limbs as Walton & Hersham skipper Joseph Jones clears the ball for the visitors.
Tomasso’s robust challenge halted Powell’s progress on the visitors’ right. Then, at the other end, The Totton Terrier darted into the inside-left channel to latch onto Oastler’s pass and cross into the danger area. It was headed out but Charlie Kennedy nodded it to Rendell, whose headed flick-on was returned to him via Austin’s forehead. Rendell let the ball drop at the edge of the area and struck a right-foot volley that flew inches past the right-hand post.
Powell tried to weave his way into the Totton box, but found the combined presence of Tomasso and Magri too big an obstacle to traverse, after Bolton had stolen in behind Austin to switch the play from The Swans’ left wing to the right.
The visitors made their second substitution of the game when Lucas Defise came off to make way for Anis Nuur. A quick free-kick gave Rogalski a chance to aim at Gould’s goal from an angle on the right, just outside the area. The ‘keeper reacted promptly to save low to his right. Then, the lanky shot-stopper made light work of plucking a long diagonal out of the sky before any forwards could make a meaningful challenge for the ball.
The game had to be stopped while Tony Lee received treatment for a bloody nose. The referee insisted the striker remain off the pitch while Totton — temporarily down to nine men — defended the next wave of Walton & Hersham attack. The visitors then made another substitution, bringing off Mason Obeng and introducing Alexander Body, a young forward who came through the club’s youth set-up.
A poor pass from Anis Nuur allowed Hallett to interrupt a Walton & Hersham attack in the making. Then, Field showed composure on the ball to neatly turn away from Austin’s challenge on the edge of the box to play out from the back.
Cameron Thompson’s cross from The Swans’ right reached Rogalski in the middle. As he controlled the ball on his chest and stepped away from goal about eight yards out, Hallett managed to get goal-side, forcing Rogalski further back to set himself for a shot, before he tried to steer a low shot into the bottom-left corner, firing narrowly wide of the post.
STRIKER POSE: AFC Totton debutant Charlie Austin takes aim at the Walton & Hersham goal during their Southern League Premier Division South opener at the Snows Stadium.
A trip on Lee resulted in a free-kick high on the Totton right. Rose bent his delivery into the near post area, where the incoming Lee flew across the front of the nearest defender to aim a glancing header on target and pull an impressive reaction save out of Barker to push the ball over the bar. Rose’s corner from the right was headed up as much as out; Austin forced it to Lee, standing left of the far post, and his angled shot struck Barker’s legs before going behind for another corner on the opposite flank. Rose supplied an in-swinging cross this time, which Lee flicked on at the near post and the unmarked Hallett headed over at the far, with Austin having run under the flight of the ball in the meantime. Hallett, whose attacking prowess from set-pieces is by now well-proven, put his hands to his head, knowing that he should have opened his account for the new season.
It was Hallett’s name that formed the next entry into the referee’s little black book, for a foul on Walton & Hersham’s left wing. The free-kick was taken short and Tomasso slid in to prevent The Swans’ captain Jones getting into a crossing position from inside-left, at the expense of a corner. Bolton sent a high cross the far post, where Gould once again took charge of the situation by reaching above everyone to make the catch.
Gould came to Totton’s rescue again when more good work from Jones created space for Powell drive in an angled shot from inside-right, which the ‘keeper parried to his right, enabling Hallett and Magri to smother Rogalski’s rebound effort for Gould to scoop up unopposed.
James Hall replaced Jaden Crowhurst for the visitors, as the game continued to reflect an attack vs defence training session. Charlie Austin earned himself a yellow card for a foul in front of the Walton & Hersham dug-out, prompting ironic cheers of “Off! Off!” from the travelling fans behind the Totton goal. The free-kick was played short to Jones, who took aim from the edge of the penalty area but drove his effort directly at the in-form Gould.
Hallett took a throw-in midway inside the opposition half, and received the ball back, before crossing. Austin chested down to Rendell, whose shot hit a defender and fell back to Austin. The former Southampton and QPR striker tried to muscle his way through the defender and prodded it goalward, but Barker got down to smother the chance. Austin then forced a corner on the right, which Walton & Hersham cleared. Magri prevented them launching a counter-attack with a well-timed tackle.
With three minutes of normal time left on the clock, Rose was booked for a foul on the halfway line. The visitors edged forward with intent, until Tomasso dispossessed Jones before he could put a meaningful delivery into the Totton box. The midfielder’s clearance put Lee in a foot race with Barker, which The Swans’ goalkeeper won in time to kick clear.
GREAT START: Defender Declan Rose made an impressive beginning to life as a Stag with an impressive competitive debut in AFC Totton's 1-0 win over The Swans.
Gould was forced to make another save, as an increasingly desperate Walton & Hersham flung everything they had at Totton’s goal. Tomasso was on-hand to head the rebound back to his ‘keeper. At the other end, Austin got between Nuur and Bolton to pull back from the right-wing byline. But the ball came back too sharply for Rendell to connect and the visitors set off on another counter-attack, which culminated in Lee catching Jones as he was about to pull the trigger from just outside the Totton box, as the board went up to indicate seven minutes of stoppage time. Jones took the free-kick himself, but could only blast it into the defensive wall of blue shirts. Jones pushed the rebound square to Bolton, whose effort was also charged down before Hall’s effort came off Hallett for a corner on the right. Again, though, Gould rose above everyone to reclaim the ball into AFC Totton possession.
A well-timed shove by Magri made Thompson lose his stride pattern and inadvertently kick the ball out of play next to his team’s dug-out, amid claims from the Walton & Hersham contingent that they should have been awarded a free-kick.
Ethan Taylor was sent on, in place of Tony Lee. Taylor tried to get into the game immediately, using his strength to bustle through two challenges before play was stopped to allow Bolton to receive treatment for a bloody nose. He was substituted to make way for Alex Andreou, making his Walton & Hersham debut after joining the club in the summer.
Before play resumed with a drop-ball, Anis Nuur was booked for something he said to the referee — presumably, for questioning why it wasn’t a free-kick to the visitors. Walton & Hersham’s next attack ran aground when Taylor was fouled midway inside Totton’s half, allowing Gould to pump the ball upfield to waste more precious seconds.
The Swans ended the game on the attack, as they had spent much of the second half. Barker came out of his goal to add another body into the box for a right-wing corner, and even though he managed to get his head on the cross, there were too many blue-shirted bodies between him and the goal, who managed to hack the ball clear as the referee sounded the full-time whistle.
View the GALLERY of images from AFC TOTTON 1-0 WALTON & HERSHAM
Watch JOSH GOULD’S Post-Match Interview
Watch JIMMY BALL’S Post-Match Interview
Southern League Premier Division South LEAGUE TABLE
Next Up: SHOLING vs AFC TOTTON
Southern League Premier Division South | Matchday#02 | Mortgage Decisions Stadium, Portsmouth Road, Southampton SO19 9PW | Tuesday 13 August 2024 | Kick-Off 7:45pm
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Sayers Sports Photography
