AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH 2022/23
MATCHDAY #35 - Thursday 13 April 2023
MELKSHAM TOWN 0
AFC TOTTON 1
Mitchell Speechley-Price 20mins
AFC TOTTON MOVED TO WITHIN a single point of the Southern League Div.1 South title and automatic promotion to Step 3 football next season by overcoming an energy-sapping encounter with Melksham Town at the Oakfield Stadium in Wiltshire last night (Thursday).
The match, having already been postponed twice earlier in the season, was delayed for a third time when the pitch failed a 4:00pm inspection on Wednesday. But, with the Southern League stipulating that all regular season league matches must be completed by the evening of Saturday 22 April, the match was quickly rescheduled to Thursday night. Fortunately, the previously waterlogged pitch drained effectively and Totton arrived at Melksham’s impressive stadium to find the pitch in a good, playable condition - so credit to the Melksham ground staff for all their hard work in the interim.
Jimmy Ball made two changes from the team that began the Bank Holiday Monday win at Lymington Town. Charlie Davis came back into midfield to replace Marcus Day, and Ethan Taylor started ahead of Matty Burrows, who was joined on the bench by the captain Mike Carter and the returning Tommy Wright. Charlie Kennedy, once again, took the skipper’s armband.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Benny READ
3. Jack MASTERTON
4. Adam TOMASSO
5. Charlie KENNEDY (Capt.)
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Charlie DAVIS
8. Josh CARMICHAEL
9. Scott RENDELL
10. Mitchell SPEECHLEY-PRICE
11. Ethan TAYLOR
Substitutes
14. Mike CARTER
15. Matty BURROWS
16. Tommy WRIGHT
17. Conor WHITELEY
18. Jordan RAGGUETTE
As Totton kicked-off the match, the setting sun cast a rich orange glow across the Oakfield Stadium pitch from the open side of the football ground that has a rugby stadium on the other side of its clubhouse, and is surrounded by an ongoing housing development. Melksham are not known as the Yellow and Black Army for nothing, wearing shades reminiscent of Borussia Dortmund, while Totton wore their usual blue-and-white.
Totton’s first foray into opposition territory gave Ethan Taylor the chance to turn his marker in the inside-left channel and strike a shot across McIntosh Boyd, which The Town goalkeeper was down sharply to parry away from the foot of his far post for a corner. A short corner routine enabled Charlie Davis to slip by defenders at the right-wing byline and centre for Scott Rendell to shoot. His effort was hacked off the line and fell to Charlie Kennedy who curled his snapshot over the bar at the top-left corner, when he really should have put The Stags into an early lead.
EARLY CHANCE: Ethan Taylor went in search of his 50th AFC Totton goal early on at Oakfield Stadium in Wiltshire as The Stags moved to within one point of the title.
A minute later, the Melksham No.9 Ben Brooks managed to wriggle into enough space about 22 yards out to test Lewis Noice with a well-struck effort that the Totton keeper managed to position himself behind the ball, parrying and grabbing it at the second attempt. Masterton then had to react quickly when a miss-hit clearance from his fellow full-back Benny Read careened off-course and almost put Brooks in down the middle, until the Totton left-back swooped by to whisk the ball off his toe and return it into the safe possession of captain Kennedy.
Melksham skipper Ralph Graham made progress through the midfield before being brought down, about 30 yards from goal. Brooks sized up the distance and decided he fancied his chances, but the Totton defensive wall stood firm to his low blast.
A foul on Josh Carmichael sparked an angry reaction from the Totton bench, then what the home team thought was a foul by Benny Read against the winger Albie Hopkins was given the other way. Jimmy Ball could be heard encouraging his side to keep the ball, but even as he was issuing that instruction, Carmichael picked out Taylor’s run behind the full-back on the Totton left. With no teammates up with him, Taylor went it alone and tried to steer a shot inside the far post, but sent it narrowly wide to the right. Then, Boyd was tempted out of his penalty area only for Taylor to get to the ball first. But with Aaron Witchell at his heels, he wasn’t able to take advantage of the opportunity to lob the keeper into the empty net, the defender instead sending him wide before Taylor had to lay the ball backward.
Smart chest control by Benny Read near the touchline enabled the Totton right-back to play the ball up the wing. It was headed away by a Melksham head but Davis intercepted in midfield and spread the play wide to Masterton on the left. His high diagonal from deep searched for the head of Scott Rendell, but the centre-forward lost his footing, allowing the defender to head away. Totton regrouped, and soon Read was in an advanced position, centring with a low cross that was turned away. The ball was then worked out to the left for Masterton again; his cross was cleared, but Totton could take heart from the period of dominant attacking play, moving the ball from flank-to-flank with ease and testing the home defence from multiple angles.
The lively Masterton and Davis combined to play a one-two down the left wing that gave Masterton the chance to cross into the box. Rendell used his chest to knock the ball down for Davis to unleashed a fierce attempt from the edge of the area that caught a deflection and flew wide for a corner on the right. As the ball came in from the set-piece, it arced over the group of heads clustered at the near post and, behind them, Luke Hallett appeared to run under the flight of the ball before Melksham scraped it away from their goalmouth.
Over elaborate passing amongst themselves had the Totton defenders almost becoming architects of their own downfall, so they were relieved when Jay Malshanskyj had the last touch before the ball went out of play on far side from the main stand at Oakfield Stadium. When Totton did get the ball down and play, Benny Read posed a frequent threat pushing forward from right-back.
Davis took up the running when a Melksham attack broke down and the ball was played into midfield. Davis advanced into the centre-circle but a promising move fell apart when his pass to Mitchell Speechley-Price on the left was cut-out, while Read was motoring into position on the right-hand side for a more progressive passing opportunity, Assistant Manager Paul Masters shouting to try to alert Davis to the full-back’s run.
Totton’s energy paid off in the 20th minute, when a long period of possession brought the ball to the feet of Josh Carmichael whose defence-splitting pass played Taylor in towards the left-wing byline. The winger skipped past his marker and had the composure to bring the ball infield and pass it beyond the reach of Boyd, presenting Mitchell SPEECHLEY-PRICE with a two-yard tap-in to put The Stags a goal up.
WINNER: Mitchell Speechley-Price scored what proved to be the winning goal for AFC Totton.
Melksham came forward straight from the restart and Davis had to head away a dangerous cross from their right-hand side. Then, Speechley-Price refused to let a lost cause die, keeping the ball in near the right-wing corner flag and playing off the defender’s shins to earn his side a corner. Masterton’s high cross was headed out at the back post.
The visitors began popping the ball around in midfield, confining Melksham to their own defensive third of the pitch. When they did manage to break out in the 27th minute, the left winger Alex Henshall tried to lead an attack, but Davis was across quickly from his central midfield berth to close him down and take the ball from him.
Masterton got forward on the overlap to receive Taylor’s short pass, although his delivery into the box was soon repelled. Then, Taylor thought he should have had a free-kick just outside the home team’s box when glided past one player only to be hauled to the ground, the Referee waving play on as though nothing had happened.
Henshall presented Melksham’s most potent threat during the first half, his ability to whip the ball into dangerous areas keeping the Totton back four on their toes. One such cross was allowed to soar across the area and when it came to Masterton on the far side, Totton sprung forward with Taylor finding Davis in the centre and his forward pass picking out Rendell on the right. Read scampered up in support to receive the big forward’s lay-off and tried to play return it to him in the form of a short through-ball. Rendell’s legs wouldn’t get him there before the ball ran out of play, but there was appreciative applause from around the ground at the quality and speed of the overall move.
After a brief interruption for a player to receive treatment, which allowed everyone else on the pitch to seek some refreshment, Robbie James tried his luck from distance, firing straight at Lewis Noice from about 35 yards, The Stags’ keeper doing well to hold onto the ball with at least two yellow shirts suddenly descending upon him, eager for any scraps.
Josh Carmichael was then on the receiving end of a clobbering, as he competed for a high ball midway inside the Melksham half. For once, though, Davis under-hit his free-kick from the left and the home side were able to clear their lines. But, a loose touch in midfield enabled Carmichael to win it back for Totton, charge forward several paces and square it to Speechley-Price, who in turn found Taylor whose shot was charged down at close quarters. Davis retrieved the loose ball and tried to recycle it back into Totton possession, but a sloppy pass from a blue shirt further infield let Melksham off the hook.
Henshall had another go at raiding down the left flank, winning a corner off Benny Read. Totton switched off momentarily, which allowed Joseph Porton to receive a short pass at the left edge of the area and stand the ball up to the far side where Jaiden Pearce suddenly appeared and thumped a firm header back across goal but over the bar, for Melksham’s best chance of the game so far.
After a period of loose play in which possession changed hands back-and-forth, Rendell was able to get the ball under control and play it out to Taylor in space on the left. He aimed a cross into the middle for Speechley-Price but it was cut-out by a defender, and although it fell to Ethan Taylor, he was unable to capitalise on the chance.
At the end of the first half, Read went marauding forward and drew a foul from Melksham captain Ralph Graham, who was shown the yellow card. Masterton had the chance to float the ball into the opposition area from deep on the left, but his delivery lacked the trajectory to reach his teammates, allowing a defender to clear upfield, shortly before the Referee blew for half-time.
HALF-TIME
MELKSHAM TOWN 0
AFC TOTTON 1
The home side made a change before the second half got underway, with the right-back Aaron Witchell being replaced by the veteran striker Luke Ballinger, who slotted into the right wing-back position, as Melksham appeared to switch to a 5-3-2 system. He soon in the action, intercepting a pass intended for Mitchell Speechley-Price, which the striker reacted to by snapping back with a challenge that earned him a yellow card. That was Speechley-Price’s last contribution before being substituted in favour of Matty Burrows.
Totton were then almost immediately forced into making and second change, when Josh Carmichael went down holding his knee after a collision in midfield. After assessing the damage, physio Andrew Hanley gave the signal and Jordan Ragguette, himself recently returned from injury, stepped off the bench to replace the former Salisbury midfielder. Ragguette went to left-back with Jack Masterton moving into midfield to replace Carmichael.
Ragguette’s first involvement was as part of a sweeping Totton move down the left flank. Davis and Masterton got up in support for the three of them to exchange passes high up the field before Masterton’s cross for Rendell was nodded back to his own keeper by George Plank. Melksham got forward quickly but Hallett shut it down just as fast.
BACK IN THE SADDLE: The fit-again Jordan Ragguette came on early in the second half.
The home side won a corner on their left in the 57th minute. It was taken short and laid off to Ballinger, 20 yards to left of centre, who drove his shot over the bar with at least three blue shirts rushing at him.
Jaiden Pearce was penalised for climbing over Ethan Taylor, as the Melksham defender tried to deal with a high bouncing ball about 25 yards out on the Totton left. Masterton’s curling delivery deflected to the feet of Rendell, who was about to pull the trigger when the whistle blew for a push and a free-kick for Melksham.
Determined work from Taylor won the ball back for The Stags, and he managed to poke the ball through to Burrows, whose cross was turned away for a throw-in on the left wing. Ragguette took it and received the ball back, before sending a dangerous cross to the far side where Scott Rendell came in at the back post and clashed heads with a defender, leaving himself worse for wear and in need of treatment.
Totton were looking a bit disjointed, and Albie Hopkins found space on the Melksham right to curl a left-footed cross that arced around the Totton goal and wide of the far post. Then, a swift Melksham attack down the left-hand side earned them a corner via Hallett’s intervention. From the cross, Ben Brooks met the ball with a diving header that forced Noice to save at the foot of his near post, the rebound was back-heeled into the keeper by way of a follow-up shot, and then squirmed free in the six-yard box, before Kennedy hacked it away.
The Stags went up the other end and won a corner on the right. Masterton’s high cross to the back post was headed wide by Rendell. Then, Jimmy Ball sent on his skipper Mike Carter to stamp some authority on the game and encourage his team to retain possession more effectively for the last 20-plus minutes.
Luke Ballinger’s comical attempt to steal yards along the touchline while taking a throw-in resembled an Adam West-era Batman tribute act: “Some days, you just can’t get rid of a bomb!” But when the wily former England Futsal captain found space on the right-hand side of the Totton box, Noice had to get down quickly to stop his whipped cross reaching Hopkins on the far side.
A foul on Matty Burrows 30 yards from goal gave Totton a free-kick. Masterton clipped it to towards the left-hand post. Rendell heard Hallett’s call behind him and ducked out of the way to allow the centre-back to head at goal, forcing Boyd to make the save.
Ballinger managed to clear when Ragguette was running at him down the Totton left. Jay Malshanskyj ran onto it near the corner flag and pulled it back for Hopkins to attempt a long shot. Kennedy blocked and the ball was quickly redirected to the inside-left, where Joe Porton took aim from 20 yards, firing the ball narrowly wide of the near post.
MR. VERSATILE: Adam Tomasso deputised for Mike Carter in the defensive midfield role, even managing to pick up the skipper's usual yellow card on his behalf, too.
Adam Tomasso was shown a yellow card in the 75th minute for pulling Porton back, as Melksham threatened to launch a counter-attack after defending a Totton corner. Kennedy then made a strong defensive header to find Rendell near halfway. He lobbed the ball a short distance towards the left wing, where Taylor tried to run onto it but found his progress hampered by a well-timed sliding tackle by George Plank. Taylor inadvertently clipped the defender’s head with his boot, as it slid by under him, prompting an angry response that the Referee was quick to dampen down, without the need to punish Totton’s No.11.
Into the last 10 minutes, Totton looked heavy-legged and were struggling to retain the ball. But, the fresh-legged Burrows was able to win a corner on the right-hand side, from which Hallett got up well at the back-post. His header was blocked at close quarters by Pearce, but Rendell was able to knock it back for Masterton, who attacked the left-wing byline and stood the ball up to the far post. Taylor rushed in and directed a firm header down, which Boyd did brilliantly to bat away with his right arm while his body was moving in the opposite direction, with his defenders scrambling the ball away to safety.
Totton had a free-kick near the left-wing corner flag, which Masterton took. The ball was headed out of the area but Tomasso intercepted and ran down the right edge of the penalty area before slipping a short pass to Burrows, whose cross bounced on the edge of the six-yard box but there was no blue shirt far enough forward to attack it. Then, Masterton dispossessed Porton to prevent him from delivering into the Totton box, when Melksham tried to attack, again.
Albie Hopkins and Alex Henshall combined to stretch the Totton defence. Kennedy got his foot in and Carter was on-hand to clear. Ballinger intercepted and tried to attack down the right wing, but Taylor tracked him all the way and ended up winning a goal kick off Ballinger’s shin.
Totton had to defend firmly again, when a loose touch by Ragguette in midfield presented an opening for Melksham to attack, Tomasso eventually managing to make a well-timed block to then clear the ball. Carter had to drop deep into defence to help deal with another yellow-and-black surge. Then, Kennedy made a crucial sliding challenge to get his body in the way of a Ben Brooks shot from inside the penalty area.
Five minutes of stoppage time was indicated by the fourth official’s board (there are no fourth officials at this level; the board is typically displayed by one of the coaches or physios on the home team’s bench). Totton continued to mount roadblocks in the path of Melksham’s attacking moves, but they were simply too third to retain the ball and launch meaningful counter-attacks of their own.
Ragguette made a well-timed sliding tackle to prevent Ballinger getting forward down the Melksham right. Then, the home side forced a corner on the opposite flank. A right-footed in-swinger carried a long way; Robbie James did well to track the flight of the ball and position himself underneath it, but he still had to stretch to get his head to it and couldn’t keep it under the crossbar.
TESTER: Matty Burrows tested McIntosh Boyd's reflexes with a well-struck effort near the end of the game at the Oakfield Stadium.
Carter spread the ball from the centre-circle out to Masterton on the right, and his pass up the line fed Burrows, who skipped infield to beat his man and let fly with a ferocious left-footed shot that pulled an excellent reflex save out of McIntosh Boyd, leaping high to parry to his left for a late Totton corner. Taylor decided to use it as an opportunity to waste time, keeping the ball around the corner flag quadrant, before conceding a throw-in when the ball was kicked against him. Hopkins showed some neat skills on the ball, before making the mistake of showing enough of it to Mike Carter for the Stags skipper to charge straight at him and steal it, ensuring there would be no late equaliser for the home side.
The result means that AFC Totton need only one more point from their three remaining league games to seal the Southern League Div.1 South title and secure automatic promotion to the Southern League Premier Division South next season.
After the match, AFC Totton boss Jimmy Ball (pictured) said:
“I have to give credit to Melksham Town, they made it very difficult for us and were probably the better team on the night. We started nervously; we weren’’t quite at it and were a bit hesitant on the ball. But we scored a fantastic goal with a great move. Excellent pass from Josh Carmichael and Ethan showed good composure to put it on a plate for Mitchell. Then, we had to show guts and a willingness to fight to get over the line.
“Josh will be examined by our medical guys. I’m not sure how bad his injury is at the moment, but he was playing very well before he had to come off; it was his through-ball that created the opportunity that led to the winning goal, so he’s made a good contribution for us, today.
“We play Exmouth next, in just two days’ time. We may only need a draw to win the title but we will try to win it. We always want to be competitive and try to win every game. We won’t be going into it looking for a point - that’s not who I am and it’s not who these players are. We’ll be looking to play our football and try to outrun and outfight our opponents.”
Watch the full StagsTV interview with Olly Howard
Latest Southern League Div.1 South league table
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
