AFC Totton
EMIRATES FA CUP 2022/23
PRELIMINARY ROUND - Saturday 20 August 2022
AFC TOTTON 3
Scott Rendell 45mins; Ethan Taylor 59mins; Jordan Ragguette 87mins
MELKSHAM TOWN 0
AFC Totton bounced back from a poor display at Hamworthy United in mid-week to secure safe passage through the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup with a comfortable victory over divisional rivals Melksham Town at the Snows Stadium yesterday (Saturday), who ended the game with 10 men following a second-half red card for a petulant altercation.
Yemi Odubade came into the side to make his full AFC Totton debut. Michael Green was restored to left-back, having been an unused sub at Hamworthy on Tuesday night. Ethan Taylor came back into the starting line-up, with Jordan Ragguette dropping to the bench, and Brett Williams made his first start of the season, partnering Scott Rendell up front. Freddie Read was named among the substitutes, having returned to training this week upon completion of a work placement internship in London.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Yemi ODUBADE
3. Michael GREEN
4. Mike CARTER (Capt.)
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Ethan TAYLOR
8. Jack MASTERTON
9. Brett WILLIAMS
10. Scott RENDELL
11. Jake ADAMS
Substitutes
14. Jireh OYEBAMIJI
15. Pascal KPOHOMOUH
16. Adam TOMASSO
17. Callum BAUGHAN
18. Jordan RAGGUETTE
19. Freddie READ
Although it was a warm, sunny day there was also an occasionally strong wind blowing across the Snows Stadium. Melksham Town wore their usual yellow-and-black ensemble while AFC Totton were in regulation blue-and-white. Michael Green set the tone early on with a solid challenge on Dan McBeam, who stayed down in need of treatment.
The first chance of note came Totton’s way in the 7th minute, from a Jack Masterton corner that Luke Hallett met in the air but he couldn’t keep his header down. A minute later, Melksham were forced into an early substitution with McBeam unable to continue. Jay Malshanskyj replaced him.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?: Scott Rendell comes close to opening the scoring for the Stags.
Hallett’s sliding block prevented the visitors profiting from a neat move down their left wing. Lewis Noice was able to claim the ball from the resulting corner. Then on 15 minutes, Totton put together a slick passing move of their own which created a golden opportunity to open the scoring. Charlie Kennedy collected the ball in the centre-circle and passed to Masterton who played Yemi Odubade in down the right-hand side. He advanced on the full-back all the way to the byline and then stood a high cross to the far post where Scott Rendell swooped, steering his header into the side-netting when he really should have put the Stags ahead, albeit from a tight angle.
A strong defensive header by Hallett near half-way presented possession back to the home side and this time, Jake Adams, Rendell and Ethan Taylor combined quickly to release Taylor on the left wing, his cross being diverted behind for a corner by a Melksham defender. Odubade took it, sending a high cross to the far side where Rendell was beaten in the air but the ball dropped for Taylor on the edge of the box. With one touch to control the ball and another to let fly, his effort curled and dipped just past the left-hand post with Melksham goalkeeper Alfie Burnett rooted to the spot.
A foul by Michael Green on Albie Hopkins on the Melksham right presented the visitors with a free-kick mid-way inside the Totton half. Hallett headed the cross away and the counter-attack was briefly on as Odubade set off on a charge, which central defender Dave Thompson was alert enough to get across and prevent with a sliding tackle which left Odubade on the deck.
ON THE LINE: AFC Totton striker Brett Williams takes on a Melksham Town defender in the FA Cup Preliminary Round tie at the Snows Stadium.
Brett Williams was shown a yellow card on 26 minutes, after a late challenge on a defender and, possibly, for something said by Williams while he was pointing out several other incidents where a decision in his favour was not forthcoming. The Referee then called a halt to proceedings to allow a water break, during which Yemi Odubade limped off and had to be replaced by Jireh Oyebamiji.
When play resumed, Totton soon got back into their passing rhythm but Adams’s cross was turned away after a five-man move. It then took three blue-shirts to stop Hopkins escaping down the right wing but Adams got back to put his foot in and win a throw-in for his side in front of the AFC Totton dug-out.
A deep cross from Taylor on the left-hand side just eluded Williams to the right of the D, defender Matt Hurley chancing his arm by cushioning a header back to his keeper who, fortunately for the visitors, was alive to it and made the catch before Williams could nick the ball past him. Then, former Wycombe Wanderers and Torquay United striker Chris Zebroski - a member of the Bristol Rovers team that came to the Snows Stadium in the FA Cup 2nd Round in November 2011 - had the chance to put Town in front when he managed to wrestle some space in the area to get his head to a left-wing corner. His downward header bounced and, despite another Melksham player standing in his way, Lewis Noice was able to snatch the ball to safety.
ALL OUT ATTACK: Ethan Taylor leads the charge for AFC Totton.
Totton kept possession for a while without offering much threat, until Rendell headed down Hallett’s high ball for Williams to spread the play out to the right for the marauding Oyebamiji, operating in an unfamiliar position. Melksham captain Ryan Morgan couldn’t keep up with the former Forest Green Rovers man and earned himself a yellow card for a foul. Green took the free-kick, his high in-swinging delivery inviting Hallett to go for launch but the defender’s header was too high to the right of goal.
Green was involved again shortly after, sending a high cross-field pass to the right of the D where a combination of Williams and Rendell worked the ball to Ethan Taylor to strike from just inside the box, through a defender’s legs, prompting Burnett to prod the ball away with his left foot. Oyebamiji rushed in from Morgan’s blind side and tried to bundle the rebound across the goal-line but Burnett had recovered his position and managed to divert the effort to the far side where a defender completed the clearance.
Shortly before half-time, Melksham manager Richard Frey was forced into a second substitution with skipper Ryan Morgan having to come off to be replaced by Dale Evans. And just as it looked as though the two sides would be going into the break on level terms, Kennedy played a high ball forward down the right flank, which Oyebamiji controlled on his right foot in-step, taking him inside midfielder Jack Camm who was covering in the left-back position. Oyebamiji tried to force his way past his opponent who attempted to kick the ball clear, only to see it ricochet off Oyebamiji’s shin to the edge of the six-yard-box where Scott RENDELL ducked his head in front of the right-back Will Christopher to divert the ball past Burnett for the opening goal of the cup tie.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 1
MELKSHAM TOWN 0
Blustery winds greeted the start of the second-half, as Totton kicked-off attacking towards the inactive building site that we’re promised will one day be an Aldi supermarket. Jack Masterton took an early corner from the left-hand side, which somehow bounced near the penalty spot and still eluded everyone from either team. Adams retrieved the ball on the right, switched to his left foot and curled in an inviting cross that Zebroski, back to help out his defence, headed away.
Zebroski was soon up the other end, trying to latch onto a Hopkins cross from the Melksham right. Hallett read the situation well, bringing the ball down and turning away from the veteran forward to find Oyebamiji on the Totton right and to put the home side on the front foot, once again.
Williams got caught under an in-swinging cross from Hallett, backing up an Oyebamiji foray down the right flank. Then in the 53rd minute, Hallett’s pass from the centre-circle enabled Taylor to run off the shoulder of the last man, collecting the ball to the right of the penalty area and pulling it back to the penalty spot where Brett Williams went for power rather than placement, and blasted the chance over the crossbar.
SERVING THE TEAM: AFC Totton striker Jireh Oyebamiji, pressed into service in an unfamiliar position, worked hard and created chances for his teammates.
Another long period of Totton possession in the midfield had Melksham players throwing themselves into challenges. Mike Carter might have tried a long shot from a central position but preferred to retain the ball, instead. A timely intervention by Jack Camm cut-out Taylor’s pass into the box, after Rendell’s flick on had put Oyebamiji in on the right-hand side, again.
When Melksham briefly threatened to put Malshanskyj through at inside-left, the Stags were relieved to see the flag go up on the far side of the ground from the Wessex Heartbeat Stand.
Rendell’s ability to play team-mates in with knockdowns continued to create opportunities for Totton. Taylor received one such pass and found Adams in space on the left-wing touchline. The return pass gave Taylor the chance to strike left-footed from outside the area, his effort dipping just over the bar.
Having asserted their dominance since the start of the second half, Totton deservedly increased their advantage on 59 minutes. Hallett took a throw-in next to the AFC Totton dug-out, finding Taylor further along the right wing. Taylor turned onto his left-foot and drove infield before sending a high, in-swinging cross towards the far post. With Rendell threatening and Adams darting in from the left-hand side, Burnett came out and leapt high to try and claim but, partly wind-assisted, Ethan TAYLOR’s cross was just too high for Burnett’s reach, the keeper only succeeding in helping the ball into the net inside his right-hand post.
The livewire Jake Adams was causing problems for the Melksham defence, Thompson putting in a strong tackle on the Totton left-wing after a promising sweeping move from Williams, Taylor and Rendell moved the ball about the pitch with pace and purpose. Melksham’s biggest threat was Albie Hopkins on their right flank, but Hallett and Kennedy coped admirably with anything he or his teammates could deliver into the box.
Luke Hallett’s involvement was prematurely ended when he stretched to make a block near the half-way line, pulling a muscle in his leg. Adam Tomasso came on to replace him. Melksham then had a corner from their right, which Jaiden Pearce headed over, before the visitors made their third and final substitution by bringing on former England Futsal World Cup striker Luke Ballinger in place of Zebroski.
BACK BETWEEN THE STICKS: Goalkeeper Lewis Noice made an important save to maintain his clean sheet against Melksham Town.
Melksham almost pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute when a free-kick from their left was headed towards the bottom-left corner by Ralph Graham. Noice dived low and thrust his right hand out to flick the ball onto the post, with Green well-positioned to hack clear for the Stags before any Town players could react.
Rendell and Taylor linked up on the Totton right. Camm’s sliding tackle was as good as a cross, the ball going straight to the penalty spot where Williams and Burnett were suddenly thrust into a tussle, from which the keeper was able to grab it.
Jimmy Ball’s last substitution of the game saw Jack Masterton withdrawn to make way for Jordan Ragguette. Melksham threatened again when Jay Malshanskyj found himself in space at the inside-left, after excellent approach play by Hopkins from the visitor’s right. As Malshanskyj lined up to fire on Noice’s goal, Adam Tomasso flung himself in the way of the shot, diverting the ball wide for a corner and earning immediate praise from the blue-shirted players around him, before Williams headed the corner away. Then, Green got his angles wrong from a high ball into the box from a Melksham free-kick on their left, but Noice was able to take the ball and calm the situation.
Thompson tried to shepherd the ball out of play for a goal kick, but Oyebamiji had other ideas and wrapped his leg around the defender to kick the ball against him and win a corner on the Totton right. Adams curled the ball high to the far side where Jordan Ragguette, arriving late, made a clean connection with his header but could only steer it wide of the left-hand post.
As the cup tie entered its last 10 minutes, Carter got away with a tactical foul in the centre-circle on Camm, conceding a free-kick but no yellow card. Then, in the 83rd minute, Melksham Town were reduced to 10 men. Noice pushed away a high cross that Taylor collected at the left-back position on the corner of the penalty area. Will Christopher arrived late to take Taylor out and concede a free-kick, but in his frustration at that decision, he then kicked-out at Taylor right in front of the Referee who didn’t hesitate to produce the red card.
With the extra space afforded to them by a one-man advantage, Totton were able to pass the ball around at will and Adams teed up Taylor for a low shot through a crowd of yellow shirts on the edge of the Melksham box, which Burnett got down smartly to save.
SUPER SUB: Second-half substitute Jordan Ragguette scores to complete AFC Totton's comfortable home win over Melksham Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round.
On 87 minutes, the home side wrapped things up with a well-worked third goal. Dave Thompson appeared more concerned with wrestling Jireh Oyebamiji to the ground in the middle of the Melksham half than with preventing Taylor and Adams advancing the ball for the Stags. With Thompson prone on the ground, having taken himself and Oyebamiji out of the game, space suddenly opened up for Adams to slip the ball into the inside-left channel where Jordan RAGGUETTE found himself in splendid isolation with the time to pick his spot and place a firm, low shot inside the left-hand post with his left foot instep.
Taylor tested Burnett again before the end with a right-footed attempt, latching onto Ragguette’s square pass after Carter had spread the play from midfield to the left wing. Then, Ragguette had another go from the edge of the box, bringing a solid block from Graham.
At the death, Taylor scampered to the right-wing byline to beat the roving Burnett to the ball. The keeper went down and bounced straight back up, as Taylor found Adams on the corner of the penalty area. Burnett tried to narrow the angle but Adams maintained his composure and curled a left-footed effort beyond him and on target, but Dave Thompson had dropped back to the goal-line and, diving low to his left, headed the shot away to keep the score down to three-nil. The Referee called time on the match less than a minute later, sending AFC Totton into the draw for the Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, which takes place at 1:00pm on Monday.
After the match, AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured) said:
“We needed a reaction [after the game at Hamworthy on Tuesday night] and they gave us a reaction. Still not quite there, still not quite right and quite as slick as I’d like, but it was much-improved. We created dozens of chances - we created enough chances to win three games - so we’ve got to get better on that front, because the longer you don’t take your chances, as we saw on Tuesday night, a penalty or a daft free-kick and the game can get spun on its head… but it was much-improved.”
Watch the full interview with Doug Webber from AFC Totton TV
NEXT UP: FROME TOWN vs AFC TOTTON
Southern League Div.1 South | Matchday #03 |
Badgers Hill | Saturday 27 August 2022 | Kick-Off 3:00pm
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
