AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH 2022/23
MATCHDAY 13 - Saturday 26 November 2022
AFC TOTTON 6
Matty Burrows 4mins, 21mins, 45+2mins, 81mins;
Ethan Taylor 67mins, 70mins
TAVISTOCK AFC 1
Alex Battle 79mins
High-flying Tavistock AFC were brought back down to earth with a bump at the Snows Stadium yesterday (Saturday), as AFC Totton turned in arguably their finest performance of the 2022/23 season so far, to silence The Lambs and their hitherto free-scoring forwards.
In terms of goals per game, the reigning Western League Premier Division Champions came into today’s match as the highest scoring team in the Southern League Div.1 South, boasting within their ranks the division’s top goalscorer in striker Liam Prynn, who has 14 league goals to his name. But the Tavvy No.9 barely had a glimpse of The Stags’ goal during the entire 90 minutes of a match that Jimmy Ball’s side bossed from the first whistle.
Having suggested during Friday night’s Fans’ Forum that his line-up today might contain a surprise, the AFC Totton manager delivered with the selection of Freddie Read’s older brother Benny at right-back, who has signed on loan from Havant & Waterlooville. Freddie dropped to the bench, allowing Conor Whiteley to partner the returning Scott Rendell up front. The versatile Adam Tomasso was also named among the substitutes.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Benny READ
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
4. Mike CARTER (Capt.)
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Conor WHITELEY
8. Charlie DAVIS
9. Scott RENDELL
10. Ethan TAYLOR
11. Matty BURROWS
Substitutes
14. Adam TOMASSO
15. Jake ADAMS
16. Ben JEFFORD
17. Jack MASTERTON
18. Freddie READ
Totton were looking to extend their unbeaten run to 10 league games and, as has been their recent tendency, they wasted no time in getting their noses in front, opening the scoring after just four minutes. As an early Tavistock foray into Totton’s half broke down, Charlie Davis took possession inside the centre-circle and, from the half-way line, clipped the ball out to Ethan Taylor just outside the left corner of the penalty area. As his marker closed in, Taylor controlled the high ball on his thigh and then curled an out-swinging cross towards the penalty spot, the ball bouncing awkwardly for recovering defender Warren Daw and allowing Scott Rendell to steal it with a heavier first touch than he would have liked, which took him across the corner of the six-yard box to the left-wing byline. But The Stags’ centre-forward managed to safely screen the ball away from goalkeeper Sam Borthwick long enough to tee-up the incoming Taylor for a low centre that Matty BURROWS finished with consummate ease, with red-and-black shirted Tavistock defenders strewn at sixes and sevens across their penalty area.
CLEARED FOR LANDING, WING MAN: Four-goal hero Matty Burrows celebrates one of his goals with Conor Whiteley (No.7) in AFC Totton's emphatic home win over Tavistock AFC.
Boosted by the early goal, the home side were quick to win the ball back and began to dominate possession, pressing Tavistock back into their own half of the pitch as The Stags spread the play from left to right at will. Every time they went forward, they looked dangerous, and in the 10th minute, a combination from a throw-in on the right-hand side between Benny Read and Davis resulted in the debutant sending a low cross to the near side of the six-yard box, where Conor Whiteley was taken down by the stretching figure of Daw, leading to the Referee pointing to the penalty spot. Scott Rendell sent Borthwick the wrong way with the spot-kick but the Referee ruled the goal out, claiming that Rendell’s staggered run-up had incorporated a full stop before he swept the ball into the net. Much to his disagreement, The Stags’ No.9 was shown a yellow card and play resumed with a free-kick to Tavistock from their own penalty spot.
Totton were undeterred by the minor setback and continued to boss possession. An incisive long pass by Luke Hallett released Burrows down the right-wing and it took a timely intervention by Joshua Robins to turn away the winger’s early low cross with blue shirts awaiting eagerly in the middle.
The bustling Benny Read won a free-kick between the penalty area and the right-wing corner flag. His delivery was poor, though, allowing Tavistock to launch a counter-attack but within a second, Totton had won the ball back and were plotting their next assault on the visitors’ goal. A prolonged period of possession led to Taylor looping the ball over a defender’s head to Jordan Ragguette on the left-hand side, who shifted the ball back inside to Mike Carter. The captain’s square pass found Davis with space to size up the goal from 22 yards and his long-range effort was charged down by a defender’s arm, presenting him with another chance from a free-kick in a central position. But, much like his penalty against Hamworthy in midweek, Davis sent his bending shot a long way over the crossbar at the top-right corner.
Tavistock briefly threatened to break through the centre of Totton’s defence until Mike Carter’s intervention put a stop to it. Then, Ragguette played the ball from deep to send Taylor racing towards the left-wing byline, where he managed to force a corner off Daw. Taylor took the corner, combining with Davis to work the ball into the box before Taylor’s fierce centre was hooked away. Totton soon regained possession, until a poor pass from Burrows had the winger harassing nearby red-and-black shirts to force an error that handed the ball back to the home side in the shape of a right-wing throw-in.
Jimmy Ball’s men deservedly went two goals ahead in the 21st minute, with a move that began with the defenders shifting the ball back-and-forth amongst themselves. Charlie Kennedy received the ball in the centre-circle before advancing into the Tavistock half and passing wide to Ragguette on the left. The Totton left-back whipped in an early, high, curling cross that tempted Borthwick to shout for it before it bent away from him, bouncing on the six-yard line to Rendell on the far side. He brought the ball under control and, despite the attentions of Joshua Robins, turned it infield for Conor Whiteley, who burst through Edward Harrison’s cuddlesome affections to drive in a low cross that Matty BURROWS converted from six yards, despite Borthwick getting a hand to it.
The goal underlined the home side’s superiority but when Lewis Noice was finally called into action, the AFC Totton No.1 demonstrated his class with an excellent double-save to first deny Harrison’s effort from the left corner of the penalty area and, from the rebound, smother Liam Prynn’s follow-up shot, before Tallan Burns blasted the loose ball wide of the right-hand post, with Totton defenders converging upon him.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Workaholic midfielder Charlie Davis gets away from his opponent.
A loose pass from Conor Whiteley prompted a swarm of blue shirts to surround Prynn in midfield, and although the former Aston Villa academy striker managed to squeeze the ball through the crowd to a teammate in the middle of the pitch, Burrows was on him immediately to poke the ball back to Kennedy and safely into AFC Totton possession, once more. Likewise, a brave sliding tackle by Whiteley moments later resulted in the former Sholing forward taking a boot to the head as he won a free-kick to put Totton on the front foot, 26 minutes into the game. Jimmy Ball urged his team to maintain the high tempo of their performance, Kennedy answering the call by leading the next charge from the rear, with Carter sitting back on the cover, loudly encouraging him to complete the attacking move. The ball came out to Benny Read on the right, who wasn’t afraid to shoot from distance, although his effort was charged down at close quarters. Davis retrieved the ball and arrowed it into the box where Kennedy glanced his header wide of the left-hand post.
Again, Tavistock tried to find a way through their hosts, only for Charlie Davis to chase back and nip the ball away. But Tavistock did manage to encroach upon the Totton goal when Iestyn Harris pushed the ball wide to the right for Burns, who darted goal-side of Ragguette and made a run into the right side of the area that would have tempted the St. Vincent and the Grenadines U21 international to take his opponent out at the cost of a penalty. But Burns got to the byline and pulled the ball back for Prynn, whose first-time shot flashed wide of Lewis Noice’s left-hand post.
Rendell’s pressing of The Lambs’ captain Benjamin Cross at right-back enabled Carter and Ragguette to double-up and quash another Tavistock move. Then, Taylor took the ball under control in the middle of the Tavistock half to set off on a diagonal run towards the inside-left channel, where his shot from the edge of the box was blocked by the second closest defender.
The hard-working Whiteley stole the ball from the unsuspecting Callum Watson, to spread the play wide for Burrows on the right-hand side. His cross to the far post seemed to get stuck in the middle of a ruck of four players, one of whom was definitely Rendell and another possibly Taylor, before the ball dropped kindly for Borthwick to gather.
An excellently-timed sliding tackle by Charlie Kennedy on the edge of the Totton penalty area interrupted another Tavistock attack, after an incisive pass through the middle had threatened to open up the home defence. Totton were soon controlling the ball at half-way, with the visitors pressed back into their own half.
A sliding block by Robins stopped Totton progressing down the right flank. The ball came to Harrison about 30 yards out but his speculative long range effort was easy pickings for Noice, who gathered on the edge of this six-yard box.
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Luke Hallett braves a flailing elbow to compete for a high ball.
More strong defending from Kennedy enabled the Totton centre-half to find Taylor in the Tavistock half, and his pass released Benny Read, whose cross was turned away for a corner. Read’s delivery fell invitingly for Hallett to attempt a spectacular overhead kick but he miss-timed it slightly and effectively cleared the ball on Tavistock’s behalf. But before they could muster a decent counter-attack, Totton had numbers back and Harris’s loose pass relinquished possession to captain Carter.
Totton’s incessant work-rate made it impossible for Tavistock to get any kind of passing game together, while The Stags were finding multiple ways to trouble their opponents. As the first half clicked over into injury time, one right-wing corner was cleared to half-way but Hallett, Davis and Burrows combined to win another one. Taylor played the ball short to Burrows on the near side of the penalty area. With Watson at his back, Matty BURROWS calmly retreated a step, knocked the ball out of his feet and, with a delicious left-footed shot on the turn, lobbed the ball over the outstretched left arm of Borthwick and inside the far post to complete his hat-trick and send The Stags in at the break to rapturous applause, with a handsome three-goal advantage.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 3
TAVISTOCK AFC 0
Recently returned from suspension, Ben Jefford stepped off the bench at half-time to replace Jordan Ragguette at left-back for the home side.
Tavistock created the first opening of the second period, when Burns got forward into the inside-right area and pulled the ball back for Prynn, who drove in a low cross. Joshua Grant met the ball with a strong first-time shot but Noice got down low to parry the ball to safety.
Totton got forward a few moments later, Taylor squaring the ball from the left wing to Whiteley in the middle. He sidestepped a defender before pulling the ball back to Taylor who curled his shot over the angle of post and bar at the near side. Borthwick’s goal-kick was returned with interest by Charlie Kennedy’s header. Rendell followed the ball into the box to make a nuisance of himself, the Tavvy defence managing to hook the ball away just in time.
The Stags soon got back into their expansive rhythm, spreading the play from right to left and back again to bring Benny Read and Burrows into play on the right flank, where Whiteley joined them to drive in a cross that was blocked by a defender’s arm. From the free-kick, along the right edge of the penalty area, Tavistock read Taylor and Davis’s intentions to cut-out a short routine. But, they couldn’t keep the ball, and Totton managed to force a corner from the left-hand side within a few moments. Taylor’s cross was punched clear by Borthwick, though nothing came of their attempt to launch a counter-attack.
YOU AND YOUR MATE: The industrious Conor Whiteley takes on two Tavistock defenders during AFC Totton's 6-1 home win in the Southern League Div.1 South.
On 57 minutes, Jimmy Ball withdrew his captain Mike Carter, who picked up a knock at Cinderford last weekend, to give Adam Tomasso a run-out in the defensive midfield role. An insurgent run by Taylor from the left to the middle prompted a quick exchange of passes between Rendell, Tomasso and Burrows that had the home crowd showing their appreciation. Burrows then went to ground but the Referee saw nothing wrong and allowed play to continue.
Totton had the bit between their teeth and Benny Read was making his presence felt by getting forward and joining in with attacking moves based on crisp, intelligent passes. He combined in a neat triangle with Whiteley and Burrows to send a cross from the right touchline that Daw did well to win in an aerial dual with Rendell. Taylor raced onto the loose ball on the edge of the area, but found himself muscled off it by a retreating defender.
Rendell dropped deep to flick on a high ball that put Burrows away behind Cross. He whipped the ball in but it was hooked out. Then, at the next opportunity, Cross made sure Burrows knew he was there with a robust but fair challenge to put that ball into touch.
Some neat passing play brought Tavistock forward through the middle but, while under no particular pressure from anyone, Harrison gave the ball to Kennedy. Totton swept forward once more and Burrows drew a foul about 30 yards from the Tavvy goal, the winger getting tripped as he made his way infield from the right wing. Two Totton players stood over the ball, whispering to one another conspiratorially, as the four-man Tavistock wall awaited their fate. Davis rolled the ball to his left and Ethan TAYLOR’s low rasping shot appeared to be heading straight into the arms of the crouching figure of Sam Borthwick, until an unfortunate bobble right in front of the Tavistock keeper sent the ball past the unlucky No.13’s right bicep and into the back of the net.
Within a minute of the restart, Rendell pushed the ball infield from the right to Taylor through for his second goal of the game, Borthwick managing to deflect the Totton No.10’s shot wide with his shin. From the left-wing corner, Rendell challenged in the air at the back post and the ball fell to Conor Whiteley who drove it home, but the Referee had already blown his whistle for a push by Rendell.
TAYLOR'D TO PERFECTION: Two-goal Ethan Taylor lets fly at the beseiged Tavistock goalkeeper at the Snows Stadium.
The visitors came forward down their left wing, and the ball was worked infield to Harrison, whose right-footed shot from distance pulled a smart save from Noice, diving to his right, with Kennedy hacking the loose ball away. Burrows brought the ball under control on the right-wing touchline, near half-way, advanced a few strides and then picked out the forward run of Taylor through the middle, with red-and-black shirts struggling to get back. Knocking the ball away from the chasing defender with his right foot, Ethan TAYLOR maintained his stride to fire a low shot from the left side of the D past Borthwick’s left foot and into the bottom-right corner to extend Totton’s lead to five goals.
Tavistock tried to muster attacking inspiration but with The Stags defending as though the scoreline was still 0-0, there was no way past Adam Tomasso or the excellent Charlie Kennedy.
For his third and final substitution, Jimmy Ball sent on the mercurial Jake Adams to replace Conor Whiteley, with about 20 minutes to go. Adams got straight into the game, freeing Ben Jefford down the left wing to send in a cross that just eluded Rendell and Davis, as they arrived in the middle.
Totton were still looking for more goals, with Hallett coming out of defence to add his weight to the attack and Adams looking lively. But, Totton spoiled their copybook in the 78th minute by giving up a rather soft goal. Substitute Joshua Parry muscled his way along the left-wing byline despite the presence of two Totton defenders and, with Noice covering his near post, Parry pulled the ball back to Alex BATTLE who drove the ball home from about 12 yards.
A long kick from Lewis Noice was headed on by Rendell to send Adams one-on-one with the last defender. After a couple of his characteristic stepovers, Adams went close with a left-footed shot that curled narrowly over the crossbar. Then, Burrows nipped infield to beat one defender to the ball, gliding inside another before driving in a low shot from 20 yards that Borthwick did well to save, diving full length along the ground to his left.
PUT IT THERE: New signing Benny Read (front, centre, right) joins in the congratulations after another AFC Totton goal against Tavistock.
As the match entered its last 10 minutes, it was clear that both sides had accepted that it was over as a contest, the earlier sense of urgency having faded. But Totton still retained the ball well and continued to look for ways to get behind the Tavistock defence. Adams looked particularly keen to impress, and he managed it, too, in the creation of Totton’s sixth goal. With Tavistock trying to mount an attack, Totton intercepted and swept the ball forward down the left wing, where Adams strode onto it with teammates and defenders rushing towards the Tavistock goal, and with a beautifully weighted, low first-time cross, he bent the ball clear of the defenders, picking out Matty BURROWS coming in from the right corner of the penalty area to slip the ball under Borthwick for his fourth goal of the game.
Alex Battle fired over from 25 yards, from a Tavistock attack on the left wing that was worked infield with five minutes to go. Then, Adam Tomasso got back quickly to perform a sliding block to prevent the visitors getting the ball across goal from the left-wing touchline. The corner flew long but was retrieved on the far side and played out to the edge of the area, where Benjamin Fowles clipped it into the box and Harrison headed over.
Ethan Taylor was denied a hat-trick when his impudent chip over the stranded Borthwick was ruled offside, taking Totton’s tally of disallowed goals during the 90 minutes to three. And, just before the end, Taylor slipped Adams in on the left but Borthwick was off his line in a flash to smother the opportunity. Davis took the resulting corner from the left, bending the cross over the keeper and seemingly in at the far post. Rendell closed in, possibly aware that he was about to collide with the upright, and the ball dropped between his chest and the post before pinging out away from goal.
So, while The Sunburnt Assassin was unable to add to his personal goalscoring tally, when the Referee’s final whistle sounded, he and his AFC Totton teammates were given a well-deserved standing ovation from all four sides of the ground, an excellent team performance having successfully navigated a potentially difficult encounter against a still buoyant, recently-promoted team.
THUMBS UP, SKIPPER: Mike Carter has two thumbs, no hair and is really pleased with that win.
After the match, AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured, right) said:
“The manner of the performance today was the most pleasing for me. We dominated the game from the first whistle to the last. Matty Burrows got his four goals and will no doubt take the headlines. He’s a young lad learning his trade, including how to get lumps kicked out of him at times. Some of the goals were laid on for him by clever team play but he keeps making those runs and getting on the end of them, and long may that continue.
“We didn’t do a lot different today to what we did against Hamworthy - maybe we kept the ball a little bit better. But we found that final pass today, even when Tavistock were defending deep. So that’s good progress from us, showing that we can break down teams who come and attack us and those who try to maintain a low block. I’m delighted with the performance from the whole team. I would say that’s the closest I’ve seen to how I want us to play. Everyone did their jobs well and when we didn’t have the ball, we worked hard to get it back quickly.
“Benny Read was a Rolls Royce at right-back. He defended well and, when the chance came to go forward, he added quality in the final third, as well. Just like his brother, the boy doesn’t stop running. He’s a good addition to the group and I hope to see more of the same from him. All over the pitch, we showed the right kind of aggression and we need to continue that now, as we head into the second half of the season.”
NEXT UP: BRISTOL MANOR FARM vs AFC TOTTON
Southern League Div.1 South | Matchday 14 | The Creek
Wednesday 30 November 2022 | Kick-Off 7:45pm
Latest Southern League Div.1 South league table
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Photo Credits: Tom Phillips
