AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH
Matchday #26
AFC TOTTON 2
Jake Adams 32mins; Sam Griffin 60mins
WILLAND ROVERS 0
The partnership of Rob Flooks and Harry Medway, who used to play together at Gosport Borough, were re-united in the heart of AFC Totton’s defence and produced a rock solid performance to secure the Stags’ fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions to nullify Willand Rovers, and ensure that strikes by Jake Adams and Sam Griffin in either half were enough to take all three points at the Snows Stadium yesterday (Saturday).
Having taken their turn to sit out last weekend’s round of Southern League Div.1 South fixtures as the odd team out in 19, Dan Sackman’s team had a welcome run-out in the Southampton Senior Cup in midweek where they made light work of local lower division club Hedge End Town. For the resumption of league duties, Lewis Noice returned in goal, allowing Amadeusz Skrzyniarz to return to Blackfield & Langley on loan. Adam Tomasso came back into the midfield after recovering from a leg muscle injury. And new signing Rob Flooks, who re-joined the Stags from Winchester City last week, came in for his second AFC Totton debut. Woody Angell dropped to the bench where there was also a welcome return for left-back Ben Jefford, who has been struggling with injury since the Christmas/New Year period. Hisham Kasimu was rested as he continues his recovery from a groin strain and Pascal Kpohomouh was rested after falling heavily on his shoulder in the midweek match.
NICE TO MEET YOU: Players of AFC Totton and Willand Rovers exchange pleasantries before their Southern League Div.1 South encounter at the Snows Stadium.
Willand Rovers, wearing white shirts with dark blue shorts and socks, got the game underway on a perfect afternoon for football - warm but with a steady breeze. And the side who conceded a goal in the opening minute the last time these two teams met were almost behind within two minutes when the Stags attacked down the right wing and quickly shifted the ball into the centre from where Jake Adams picked out Sam Griffin in space on the left-hand side, his well-struck effort with the outside of his right foot seemingly beating George Burton in the Rovers goal before hitting the outside netting behind the near post.
Shaq Gwengwe was involved in a clash of heads with an opponent, that required the attention of both team’s physios. When play resumed, Harry Medway had to put in a strong tackle to prevent Bailey Kempster leading an all-out assault on the Totton goal.
The sweeper-keeper tactics of Willand’s George Burton were a key feature of the Stag’s 4-1 victory at Silver Street in December and, although he was exposed by the pace of Hisham Kasimu on that night, he showed no signs of changing his approach, regularly coming out to clear through-balls intended for Gwengwe to run onto down the centre.
SEE YA LATER: AFC Totton's Jordan Ragguette takes on Willand Rovers forward Benjamin Griffiths during their Southern League Div.1 South clash at the Snows Stadium.
With a little over 10 minutes gone, Jordan Ragguette’s timely intervention prevented Rovers captain Josh Searle and forward Jack Rice-Lethaby getting in down the Totton left from a short free-kick routine. But from the resulting corner, the ball fell to an unmarked Ryan Guppy who blazed over the top from 8 yards out.
In a scrappy opening half, both teams were struggling to impose themselves on the match. Several niggling rivalries between players and their immediate markers were developing around the pitch, for which the Referee had to constantly stop the game and deliver short lectures.
Burton took a risk coming a long way out of goal to head the ball away before Gwengwe could latch onto it. His clearance fell to Jack Hoey in the centre-circle, who attempted to lob the keeper but pulled his effort too far to the right. Then, a slip by Rob Flooks in front of his own penalty area presented Ryan Guppy with a gilt-edged chance to put the visitors ahead but he fluffed his left-footed shot and sent the ball harmlessly wide of Lewis Noice’s goal.
Totton had a penalty shout in the 23rd minute when Griffin’s attempt to control the ball on his chest and turn past the defender was interrupted, and Jake Adams reacted quickly to block the attempted clearance. The ball rebounded into the path of Griffin through on Burton’s goal and as the Stags winger tried to around the keeper, he appeared to be tripped, prompting penalty appeals from all four corners of the Snows Stadium. The referee was well-placed, though, and indicated for a goal-kick.
Willand responded with a rare attack down the left flank three minutes later, and worked the ball into the middle where Rice-Lethaby’s shot was bravely blocked by Flooks. The ball rebounded to Dempster whose first-time snapshot flew wide of the left-hand upright.
A spat between Jack Hoey and Ryan Guppy earned the Totton man a yellow card in the 31st minute.
PLAYMAKER: Young creative midfielder Jake Adams put in another impressive display, marking his first start in the Southern League Div.1 South with a well-taken opening goal.
Charged with leading the AFC Totton attack, Gwengwe was struggling to get into the game. The kind of long, direct passes that Kasimu thrives upon don’t appear to suit Gwengwe’s game to the same extent, the latter preferring to engage in short, sharp movements with teammates playing up and alongside him. But the striker didn’t lose heart and went in search of the ball on the right-wing touchline in the 32nd minute, linking up with Hoey to create the opportunity to cross the ball into the centre where Adams had snuck into the gap without attracting the attention of the Rovers defence. From just behind the penalty spot, Jake ADAMS controlled the ball on his right foot with his back to goal, spun and struck left-footed under Burton and into the back of the net for his 3rd AFC Totton goal, and his first in the Southern League Div.1 South.
NOT THIS TIME: Skipper Harry Medway heads home Freddie Read's cross for AFC Totton against Willand Rovers, only to have his goal ruled out for offside.
And the Stags thought they were 2-0 up just two minutes later. Medway played the ball from the half-way line out to Griffin, who was giving Searle problems he couldn’t solve all afternoon. The Willand skipper committed his umpteenth foul to concede a free-kick 10 yards from his penalty area, on the Totton left. Freddie Read delivered an impeccable in-swinging free-kick that Harry Medway met at the back post to head into the top-right corner, only to turn away in celebration and see the Assistant Referee standing there with his flag raised for offside.
The running battle between Searle and Griffin came to a head when the full-back blatantly took out his opponent after the ball had already escaped out of play for a goal-kick, prompting the Referee to finally take decisive action and show the Rovers No.2 the yellow card.
A Noice miss-kick enabled Searle to dispossess Griffin on the touchline, mid-way inside Totton’s half, but his cross was headed away by the retreating Medway. Then, Archie Reay drove in a low shot from a 35-yard free-kick, with which Noice took no chances and push the ball around his right-hand post, before punching clear the subsequent corner to ensure the Stags went in at the break with their lead in tact.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 1
WILLAND ROVERS 0
Willand came out for the second half without their striker Benjamin Griffith, who made way for Lewis Wilson.
Read charged down Adam Poole’s clearance and forced the ball out to Gwengwe on the left-hand side. He tried to pick out Adams, arriving on the edge of the box, but a Rovers defenders managed to prod the ball away before the Stags No.10 could connect. Then, Burton had to be alert and come out quickly again to beat Gwengwe to Griffin’s through-ball after Medway did well to win it back for Totton just inside the Willand half.
Gwengwe might have had a case for a penalty when his shirt was pulled inside the Rovers box, but the striker preferred to battle on and continue to work the space between three defenders to get his shot away, sending his effort over the crossbar.
STRIKER: Shaquille Gwengwe led the line for AFC Totton in the absence of Hisham Kasimu.
Bailey Kempster managed to isolate Callum Baughan on the wing, forcing the Totton right-back to retreat into his own penalty area. As the winger tried to take him on, Baughan made a perfectly-timed sliding tackle to reclaim possession, and was then quickly on his feet leading the counter-attack down the Totton right, until Willand managed to put a stop to it.
Willand left-back William Richards’ quickly taken free-kick almost backfired on him when Noice caught his cross and immediately set Gwengwe away to chase a long kick down the centre of the pitch. Burton was out like a flash again, though, and put the ball out of play on the far side.
On-loan Aldershot Town midfielder Woody Angell came on for Totton about 10 minutes into the second half, replacing Freddie Read. Then the match became a bit disjointed again, with plenty of tackles going in and passes being attempted but nothing coming off for either side. Willand sent on striker Louis Jagger-Cane in place of Glenn Gould to try and bolster their attack, but Rovers found themselves further behind almost immediately.
A Totton attack down the left-wing was forced away by Rovers, but a deflected clearance enabled Woody Angell to put in a firm challenge, sending the ball into the centre where Griffin was standing, just to the right of the D. With a defender blocking his forward path to goal, Sam GRIFFIN took a touch to control the ball and knock it out of his feet before unleashing an unstoppable shot with the outside of his right-foot that seared its way beyond the outstretched hand of George Burton and into the inside netting behind the left-hand post to put the Stags 2-0 up with a sensational strike.
HAVE SOME OF THAT: Sam Griffin is mobbed by teammates after a sensational goal to wrap up the win against Willand Rovers.
Willand tried to force their way into the game but an overhit free-kick allowed Noice to send another long kick upfield. It was initially headed away but it fell to Hoey in midfield. He played it forward to Adams and set off on a run, while Adams fed Baughan’s run down the right wing. The full-back tried an early cross which flicked up off a defender to tempt Hoey into a spectacular overhead kick that flew over the top.
Jack Rice-Lethaby intercepted a pass in front of the Totton defence and played Richards in down the Willand left, but the full-back rushed his shot and pulled it harmlessly wide across goal.
Ben Jefford was brought on for the last 20 minutes for his first involvement since the 4-0 win over Cinderford on 15 January. Jack Hoey made way from the right side of Totton’s attack, with Ragguette shifting from left-back to left-wing and Griffin swapping to the right-hand side to allow Jefford to slot into his usual role at left-back. And Willand brought on Travis Yule-Turner in place of Adam Poole, who’d injured his hand.
Good concentration by Medway enabled him to head away Kempster’s cross from the Willand left with forwards closing in at the back post, after Guppy had picked out his winger from the half-way line. Then, Griffin started to show signs of discomfort, which may have been cramp, leading to him being replaced by Brett Williams for the last 10 minutes.
Adam Tomasso conceded a free-kick in a central area by pulling Jagger-Cane off his feet. The forward took the kick himself, trying to shoot under the three-man Totton wall without success.
Baughan sent the ball down the right-wing touchline with a throw-in, from where Williams found Adams infield with a deft one-touch pass. The 19-year-old tried to work space for a shot on his left foot but couldn’t escape his marker, so he teed up Ragguette whose shot flashed wide of the post.
Shaq Gwengwe was booked for his part in an off-the-ball tussle, as Willand continued to show more interest in petty squabbling than playing any kind of football that might harm their opposition. When the Devon All-Whites did manage to send crosses into the Totton box late on, Flooks and Medway, ably supported by Noice behind them, dealt with them comfortably. Then, Jake Adams was booked for shirt-pulling while William Richards got away Scot free for the same offence.
Brett Williams tried to catch Burton off his line shortly into stoppage time, after Medway’s clearance came to him in an onside position between two Willand defenders. His effort was too hard, though, and the ball was a long way over. Jordan Ragguette tried a shot across the goal from the left that had Burton scrambling for a moment. Then, the impressive Adams tried to dance his way through a crowded penalty area before the ball ran loose to Ragguette on the far side. He crossed to the edge of the 6-yard box where Gwengwe met it with a flick of his head, sending the ball narrowly wide of the right-hand post.
NOBODY PUTS BRETT IN THE CORNER: Brett Williams tussles for possession in the 2-0 win over Willand Rovers at the Snows Stadium.
Gwengwe was involved in another scrap near the end with William Richards, but the Referee gave him the benefit of the doubt after a short talking to, and blew his final whistle soon after to put us all out of Willand’s misery.
Elsewhere, Cirencester Town drew a blank at Cinderford Town in a 0-0 draw, enabling Frome Town, 4-1 winners at recently-improved Barnstaple Town, to leap-frog them back to the top of the table on Goals Scored. Totton’s win puts them 3rd, 7 points off the lead with one game in-hand over Frome and two over Cirencester, who visit the Snows Stadium in a fortnight’s time. It was Winchester’s turn to take a rest this weekend, so Bristol Manor Farm’s 4-0 win at home to Highworth Town puts them on 51 points, level with the Citizens. Sholing won 5-0 at home to Melksham Town and Plymouth Parkway won 1-0 at Larkhall Athletic, who visit Totton next weekend. Both Sholing and Parkway have several games in-hand and currently sit just outside the play-off places.
Match Report by Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
