AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH
Matchday #29
AFC TOTTON 1
Hisham Kasimu 79mins
BRISTOL MANOR FARM 2
Ben Bament 27mins; Owen Howe 85mins
Despite a much-improved second-half performance at the Snows Stadium yesterday (Saturday), AFC Totton paid the price for a lacklustre opening 45 minutes when journeyman striker Owen Howe, making his return for Bristol Manor Farm after a short spell away, added to Ben Bament’s first-half goal by forcing the ball past Lewis Noice late-on to claim all three points for the Farmy Army, to take them ahead of the Stags in the Southern League Div.1 South table.
A proven goalscorer at this level of football, Owen Howe has an impressive record against the Stags over the years, including two excellent free-kick goals for Bristol Manor Farm in the 2-2 draw at the Creek Stadium in early-September. Having left the club in mid-season, initially for Southern League Premier outfit Tiverton Town, he made the switch to Barnstaple Town in the New Year to join the so-called ‘Barum Revolution’, playing his part by making a goal-line clearance with the last kick of the game to keep out Sam Griffin’s strike, ensuring Totton and Barnstaple drew 0-0 at the Snows Stadium a month ago. And, after returning to Bristol Manor Farm just last week, Howe stepped off the bench to prove a thorn in the Stags’ side once again, bundling in a late winner against the run of play that could have massive repercussions for Totton’s promotion play-off ambitions.
Stags Head Coach, Dan Sackman largely kept faith with the team that defeated second-placed Cirencester Town last weekend, with Nathan Hurst coming into midfield to replace Freddie Read, who dropped to the bench, in the only change to the starting XI. Sam Griffin and Pascal Kpohomouh returned to the matchday squad after both missing out last week, with Jordan Ragguette and Shaquille Gwengwe filling out the bench.
The sun was out and shining brightly as the game got underway, and it was Bristol Manor Farm - wearing red shirts, white shorts and red socks - who had the first shot in anger when Totton goalkeeper Lewis Noice came out of goal to clear off his line but only succeeded in presenting the ball to full-back Mason Winter, whose long-shot was off-target. The other Bristol full-back, captain Aron Robbins, picked up an early yellow card for a late challenge on Nathan Hurst near the centre-circle.
A foul on Jake Adams about 30 yards out, 15 minutes into the game, had the visiting defence second-guessing whether the talented attacking midfielder, who picked himself up to take the kick, would opt to cross or shoot. To his credit, he chose the latter, striking left-footed to force Bristol goalkeeper Ben John to make a smart save low to his right, Kasimu latching onto the rebound but firing over the bar under pressure from a defender.
Totton found themselves defending a free-kick shortly after, from which Manor Farm moved the ball from left to right and back again with long diagonal passes and overhit crosses, until one cross from the right flank was headed away by Medway, only for Joshua Ford to meet the ball on the half-volley just outside the penalty area, sending his shot wide of the right-hand post.
MIDFIELD BATTLER: The combative Adam Tomasso goes to ground during a midfield tussle with a Bristol Manor Farm player.
As their hosts struggled to impose their usual rhythm on the game, Manor Farm were playing the better football, though often getting bogged down by a well-marshalled Stags defence, who ensured they had nowhere to go. But too many free-kicks being conceded by both sides all over the pitch rendered the game a difficult viewing experience for much of the first half.
In the 25th minute, Totton captain Harry Medway mistimed his sliding tackle on the former Mangotsfield United striker, Kye Simpson, to concede a free-kick near the corner flag on Bristol Manor Farm’s right wing. Ben Bament sent in a left-footed in-swinger, which was headed out and quickly made its way back to him. Bament drifted infield and went for goal, requiring Noice to parry the shot and the Totton keeper got lucky with a fortuitous deflection off Rob Flooks that made the ball sit up where he was able to grab it at the second attempt.
Simpson went down in the penalty area amid loud red-shirted appeals for a spot-kick. The Referee wasn’t interested but the visitors took the lead in the 27th minute, nevertheless. A high ball from the right-hand side enabled Joshua Ford to make a nuisance of himself in a crowded box, the ball finding its way to Ben BAMENT on the far side who curled a low shot past Noice at his right-hand post.
A goal to the good, Bristol Manor Farm immediately began to defend deep, operating in something like a 4-1-4-1 system to get plenty of players behind the ball at all times. Ben Jefford tried to get things moving for Totton with a cross from deep that deflected off Kasimu but carried through to Ben John in the Manor Farm goal before Brett Williams could reach it. And with little room in which to play, Totton continued to let the first half slip them by with Bristol looking the hungrier and more energetic team whenever they had the chance to break forward.
Jake Adams delivered a free-kick from deep on the right-hand side that flew over the assembled ruck of players to the back post where Medway couldn’t wrap his neck around it enough to do anything but head wide. Totton then found themselves defending a corner when Baughan was forced into backtracking under pressure to follow the flight of a high ball into his area of the pitch. Ford appealed for a penalty for alleged holding by Flooks, but the Referee turned him down.
Totton began to rush some of their attacks, giving up the ball with poorly executed first-time passes and allowing Bristol to regain possession too easily. Bament managed to isolate Jefford on Bristol’s right wing long enough to tee up Michael Bryant in the centre, whose placed shot from 25 yards was well-saved by Lewis Noice, diving low to his left.
GET DOWN: AFC Totton goalkeeper Lewis Noice saves a shot from Bristol Manor Farm's Michael Bryant (red No.8) during the Southern League Div.1 encounter at the Snows Stadium.
Starved of service up front, Hisham Kasimu went on a solo run to force a corner on the Totton left in the 38th minute. Rob Flooks had to stoop to head Ethan Taylor’s cross, sending the ball narrowly wide of the left-hand post. Then, Noice was called into action again at the other end when Jake Gosling got in down the right-hand side to twist and turn his way past Medway and shoot for the near post where the Stags keeper was able to parry the ball behind for a corner. Tomasso headed the ball away but amid the ensuing midfield tussle, Totton conceded a free-kick mid-way inside their own half, in a central position. It was a long way out for a direct effort but Gosling was feeling ambitious, shooting directly at Noice for an easy catch.
Nathan Hurst earned himself a yellow card with a lunging block tackle on Joshua Ford. And when Manor Farm won a corner on their left via Baughan shortly after, it was Ford who headed over the bar from the cross, though his effort would have been chalked off for pushing.
Kasimu began to drop deep in search of the ball, hoping to instigate a productive attacking move for the home side. But even when he was able to glide his way through a couple of red shirts in midfield, there was little movement around him from the boys in blue, despite Williams’s hold-up play and the willingness of Adams to engage in one-twos and provide quick, sharp lay-offs. The half-time whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the majority of the 624 fans in the Snows Stadium.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 0
BRISTOL MANOR FARM 1
Totton came out for the second half with Sam Griffin replacing Ethan Taylor on the right wing, but it was Adam Tomasso and Callum Baughan who used that area of the pitch to create an opening for Williams, who wound up to meet Baughan’s cross on the full volley until defender Steven Kingdon intervened to deny the veteran Stags striker the opportunity.
A combination between Hurst and Kasimu enabled Adams to get in at the left-wing byline, but he couldn’t find Williams in the centre with his cross. Then, a Kasimu charge down the left flank produced a Totton throw-in, which Ben Jefford took. The Stags retained possession for a while, moving the ball from side-to-side with nine Bristol Manor Farm players sitting deep behind the ball. Totton were knocking the ball around patiently, looking for an opportunity to attack, but when the ball came to Brett Williams 35 yards out in the centre, he turned away from his marker and struck what appeared to be a speculative left-footed shot. It wasn’t a fierce strike but when it bounced in front of Ben John, the keeper had to stretch to get fingertips to it, pushing the ball onto the foot of the right-hand post - and Totton fans watched in disbelief as the ball somehow spun and squirmed across the gaping goalmouth and out for a goal-kick on the other side.
But Totton were buoyed by the near miss. Griffin and Baughan linked down the right-wing, the latter’s cross soaring over the players in the middle to find Kasimu on the far side, where the French striker brought the ball down and fired into the side-netting from a narrow angle.
SHARPSHOOTER: Totton striker Hisham Kasimu takes aim from a narrow angle, firing into the side-netting of the Bristol Manor Farm goal.
Bristol responded with a lively attack down their right flank, which required Medway to cut out a low cross at the expense of a corner. Gosling took it short to line-up a long shot from Jayden Nielsen, who shanked his effort straight into teammate Bament. The first-half scorer returned the ball to Gosling who fed it across the 6-yard box where, fortunately for Totton, nobody in a red shirt could connect. Then, Bament did well to follow the flight of a high ball from the left to the inside-right area and direct a side-foot shot at goal with Noice off his line, his effort going wide to the left. And, Baughan conceded a corner from which Gosling found Ford, who headed wide as Manor Farm continued to threaten a second goal.
Just before the hour, Nathan Hurst was withdrawn to make way for Freddie Read in the AFC Totton midfield.
Harry Medway stood up well to prevent Kye Simpson tricking his way towards goal from the right-wing byline, despite a plethora of step-overs that may have confused the forward more than the Stags skipper who, shortly after, found Kasimu on the Totton right with a long, cross-field ball. The striker danced his way infield to elude defenders and let fly with a ferocious left-footed drive that Ben John reacted well to push over the crossbar.
That was the beginning of the Ben John Show, in which the Bristol keeper showcased some excellent shot-stopping skills to keep his side’s lead intact. First, Jake Adams drove in a right-footed shot that deflected off a defender to wrong-foot the already diving keeper, but John thrust his right arm up quickly enough to block the goal-bound effort. The ball came out to the edge of the area, Williams struck a low shot that crashed into the right-hand post. It rebounded out to Adams to the right of goal, who stood the ball up into the centre where Williams met it with a firm header, only for John to make a remarkable save diving full length to his left and somehow denying Totton an equaliser.
The introduction of Freddie Read had given Totton’s play an extra dimension, the energetic midfielder keen to get on the ball and combine with teammates to create two-on-one situations from where they could release a third teammate to attack the stacked ranks of Bristol Manor Farm defenders. But a couple of overhit crosses from Baughan on the right-hand side, with players in advanced positions to aim for, compounded the frustration of Stags fans who could see good attacking opportunities going to waste.
But an accurate delivery from Baughan in the 72nd minute enabled Williams to steal in behind the defence on the right to strike from a narrow angle, only to be denied again by Ben John with a solid save at his near post.
THE GREEN WALL: Bristol Manor Farm goalkeeper Ben John makes another stop to frustrate the luckless Brett Williams.
Kasimu then had a shot blocked at the edge of the area. Read regained possession and found Griffin on the left-hand side, where the two of them were able to work the winger’s progression to the byline for him to cross with the outside of his right foot to the near post. Kasimu and Williams both went in to try and get the decisive touch, injuring John in the process and causing a lengthy stoppage while the keeper received treatment from the Manor Farm physio.
When play resumed, the increasingly influential Freddie Read was on the ball again, finding Jefford on the left who played Griffin into an area where he was able to cut infield and attempt a chipped shot from the corner of the penalty area, the ball drifting over John but also narrowly over the crossbar to land on the roof of the net. Then, Williams managed to block an attempted clearance to force the ball into the path of Kasimu, but John reacted quickly to scoop it up on the edge of his box.
The luckless Brett Williams, who on another day might have had a hat-trick, came off to be replaced by Shaquille Gwengwe.
And within a minute, the Stags were back on level terms. Sam Griffin picked up the ball and played it out to Baughan on the right-hand side. To avoid the defender in front of him, the Totton right-back crossed with his left foot, finding Jake Adams just past the penalty spot in a crowded area. Rather than trying the bring it under control himself, the young playmaker had the presence of mind to chest the ball down for Hisham KASIMU to thump the ball beyond the hitherto faultless Ben John and into the bottom-right corner. Game on at 1-1 with 11 minutes to go.
Shortly after the restart, Bristol Manor Farm made a substitution by bringing off Ben Bament to send on Owen Howe.
Shaq Gwengwe escaped his marker’s attention to get to the left-wing byline and pull the ball back to Adams, who appeared to be fouled by a forward-lunging tackle that by-passed the ball and took the player out. All eyes and vociferous appeals for a penalty were focused on the Referee, who allowed play to continue.
As time was ticking away towards the end of the game, Totton were by far the livelier of the two sides, probing for a way in and looking to win the game. Bristol Manor Farm managed to launch a few counter-attacks to keep their hosts honest, without amounting to a threat on the Totton goal. But, from a seemingly innocuous left-wing throw-in mid-way inside the Totton half in the 85th minute, the ball was allowed to bounce its way between Stags defenders towards the penalty spot from where, despite already having gone down due to wrestling with Medway, Owen HOWE flicked his ankle onto the ball and diverted it beyond Noice into the bottom-right corner for a late goal against the run of play, that restored Bristol Manor Farm’s lead.
Jake Adams received Medway’s pass to the right of the penalty area, shifting the ball to his left foot to get his shot around the defender and narrowly wide, winning a corner in the process. But Jefford got under the flight of the ball from Read’s delivery and could only head the ball well over the bar.
Adams and Baughan had the visitors pinned back in their own left-back area, but the Stags couldn’t get hold of the ball to force an equaliser. Howe tried an optimistic long-range shot which squirmed a long way wide to the right, which was the signal for the Referee to bring proceedings to an end and consign AFC Totton to their eighth league defeat of the season.
Elsewhere, Frome Town continued their march towards the Southern League Premier with a 2-0 away win at Mangotsfield United, courtesy of a late Kane Simpson brace. Cirencester Town recovered from their defeat at Totton last week with a 3-0 win at Larkhall Athletic’s Plain Ham ground, with two goals from debutant winger Jake Mawford, another player to have second thoughts about joining Barnstaple Town. Winchester City missed the opportunity to overtake the Stags by losing to an 88th-minute goal at Plymouth Parkway, who now sit just outside the Promotion Play-Off places, one point behind Totton with three games in-hand. Sholing lost ground with a 2-2 draw at Evesham United. And Harrison Cable was on-target for Lymington Town in their 2-2 draw at Paulton Rovers, in a Lymo starting XI that also included fellow Totton-loanees Amadeusz Skrzyniarz, Lewis Waterfield and George Britton. The division’s top scorer Leighton Thomas scored both Rovers goals to reach 25 in the league.
The latest Southern League Div.1 South table
Match Report by Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Graham Scambler Photography
