AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH | Matchday#23
Saturday 13 January 2024 | Raymond McEnhill Stadium, Salisbury, Wiltshire | Att: 948
COMBATIVE VICTORY OVER WHITES BREAKS STAGS OUT OF RECENT RUT
SALISBURY 0
AFC TOTTON 1
Scott Rendell 75mins (pen)
JIMMY BALL’S AFC TOTTON produced one of their best performances of the 2023/24 season to date to overcome a stubborn Salisbury side on their own turf at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, courtesy of Scott Rendell’s 75th-minute goal from the penalty spot and a sterling defensive display from the whole team.
Still smarting from the humbling 1-3 defeat inflicted by Sholing, The Stags were in need of a morale-boosting result against one of their rivals among the Promotion Play-Off spots at the top end of the Southern League Premier Division South table. Ethan Taylor was named in the starting line-up for the first time since being injured against Hungerford Town in early-November, with Jordan Chiedozie dropping to the bench.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Joseph OASTLER
8. Adam TOMASSO
9. Scott RENDELL (Capt.)
10. Ethan TAYLOR
15. Sam MAGRI
17. Leon MALONEY
18. Joseph TURNER
Substitutes
11. Matty BURROWS
12. Jordan CHIEDOZIE
14. Ben JEFFORD
16. Alfie STANLEY
20. Luke BENNETT
Salisbury pressed Totton early on, forcing Noice into an early kicked clearance from just outside his area and a strong defensive header from Hallett from the resulting throw-in from The Whites’ left-hand side. Ragguette made a well-timed sliding tackle to prevent them getting in on the opposite flank, and Magri was also required to show his aerial prowess to repel a high in-swinging ball into the penalty area.
A strong contingent of AFC Totton fans had made the journey to Wiltshire and were giving a good account of themselves by making their voices heard from behind the goal The Stags were attacking. And their team almost took the lead with their first serious attack. Maloney ran on to a pass down the right and looped an early cross to the far post where Rendell met it with a firm volley that Salisbury goalkeeper Joshua Gould batted away with a brilliant reaction save, then jumping back to his feet to push Turner’s follow-up shot wide. Maloney’s cross from the corner fell to Tomasso but he missed his kick and the home side were able to clear their lines and regroup.
Tomasso broke up one Salisbury attack but they managed to regain possession and shift the ball out to Joshua Hedges on their left wing. He jinked infield and took aim with his right foot from just outside the area, firing narrowly wide of the near post.
Totton began to dominate possession for a period, although Salisbury defended the middle of the pitch by forcing their opponents into wide areas. When they countered down their right-hand side and got in behind Ragguette, Noice was quick to ome out and narrow the angle before the home side could take advantage of the situation.
Salisbury patiently constructed an attack which brought play to their left wing. Hedges played a one-two with Daniel Fitchett to advance to inside-left when a perfectly executed sliding tackle by Maloney slammed the door on that opportunity. The home fans appealed for a penalty but the Referee had a clear view and waved played on.
Joe Oastler was booked in the 21st minute for a foul in midfield, after his own poor pass had sold Kennedy short, prompting him to chase back to atone for the error. Then, Maloney got sandwiched between two Salisbury players who appeared to target him once they realised the ball out to their left wing was too high to bring under control.
Hallett made an unorthodoxed clearance across his own goalmouth from Totton’s leftwing byline while under pressure from a Salisbury forward. Then, Ragguette was required to switch flanks and clear into touch when the home side overloaded down their left. Play had to be stopped so Aaron McCreadie could receive treatment, having landed in a painful heap during the previous passage of play.
Centre-forward Dan Fitchett did well to withstand a challenge from Hallett and move the ball to Noah Coppin on the left. He cut inside across the edge of the Totton area before trying to curl a shot into the top-right corner, but his effort lacked the necessary power and bend to beat Lewis Noice.
McCreadie then had to concede defeat to his injury and was substituted with Zaide Took-Oxley, a loan signing from Oxford United, coming on to make his Salisbury debut.
Totton tried a more direct approach, looking to get the ball up to Rendell. The big centre-forward went to the right to take a high pass under control on his chest, bringing Kennedy and Maloney into the game, eventually resulting in a free-kick 15 yards from the byline for a foul on Maloney. Taylor’s in-swinger was knocked out; Kennedy intercepted and tried to tee up Tomasso with a square pass but he under-hit it.
Richard McIntyre’s high diagonal pass from the Salisbury left-back position had Fitchett interested towards the inside-right channel but Ragguette removed the danger. A few minutes later, Ragguette was called up for a foul that gave Salisbury the chance to deliver a high ball into the Totton penalty area; Tomasso made a strong defensive header.
The busy Ragguette raided forward down the left, going close to the corner flag before his cross eluded Rendell. Turner retrieved the ball and Totton re-circulated possession until it came to Magri on the left to hit a high in-swinger that Rendell flicked on, the ball bouncing just out of reach of both Maloney and Kennedy coming in at the back post.
A poor goal-kick gave possession to Ethan Taylor, who then released Ragguette down the left to cross into the box, again. Turner jumped for it but couldn’t control his header. When Totton came again with another attacking move, Taylor’s cross from the left was well-caught by Gould. The Whites’ goalkeeper had the last touch of the first half, leaping high in the middle of his goal to push Leon Maloney’s in-swinging cross from the Totton left over the bar.
HALF-TIME:
SALISBURY 0
AFC TOTTON 0
With the floodlights switched on, Totton kicked-off the second half and won an early free-kick on their right-hand side, which Taylor played short to Maloney. His low cross to the near post was turned away by Gould, then Tomasso had to track back quickly to put the kibosh on a Salisbury counter attack.
Totton won a corner on the right, which Ethan Taylor arrowed across the six-yard box, only to see the ball bounce between all the players assembled in the box and wide of the far post.
Hallett had to keep his concentration to guide a Hedges cross over his own bar. The cross from the resulting corner came out to Salisbury captain Sido Jombati on the edge of the area, whose shot was charged down, amid optimistic calls of “hand-ball!” which the Referee ignored. When the ball was redirected back out to Aaron Simpson, who had taken the corner, his second delivery was too strong to trouble Noice.
Turner’s pressing forced the ball back into Totton possession in the shape of Taylor, who shifted the ball wider into the path of Maloney. His cross was headed behind for a corner on the right, which Taylor curled into the box and Hallett’s flicked header flew narrowly wide of the far post with Gould beaten.
Salisbury had a couple of corners in quick succession, before Magri headed away. Then, a passage of pinball football had Taylor almost running clear in the Salisbury half in one moment, and then Hedges burst into the Totton half down the left in the next move, his cross into the middle taking a deflection off Hallett that initially wrong-footed Noice, but the Totton ‘keeper was able to scramble back and scrape it from his goal-line to prevent an own goal from his centre-half.
In the 65th minute, Ben Jefford came on to make his second AFC Totton debut, having recently re-signed for the club from Bashley. Joe Oastler made way, with Jefford slotting into the left-back position and Jordan Ragguette taking up a more advanced position on the left of midfield, from where he was soon able to run at the opposition and win a corner. Maloney took it but his cross was headed away at the near post.
Totton won the ball back and switched the play to the right wing where Taylor brought it under control. He couldn’t go any further forward with the full-back blocking his path, so he laid it back to Kennedy who blasted over from 20 yards.
Taylor’s lobbed cross-field pass fed Ragguette on the left and a short ball infield found Turner dashing into the penalty area, but Turner scuffed his shot and Gould claimed it comfortably. Thomas Leggett was afforded two opportunities to cross from the Salisbury right; Hallett headed out the first and Kennedy the second, before Noice claimed Coppin’s delivery.
The Stags took the lead in the 75th-minute when Turner and Taylor linked up down the right-hand side. Taylor tried to the cross from the right but the ball struck Aaron Simpson. The Referee’s Assistant on that side of the pitch raised his flag and, after a few moments’ consultation, the Referee awarded a penalty-kick to AFC Totton. Scott RENDELL struck his spot kick high into the goal, sending Gould the wrong way.
Before play could resume, Jimmy Ball sent on Alfie Stanley in place of Ethan Taylor. Hedges brought the ball forward for Salisbury and curled in a dangerous-looking cross that was slightly too far ahead of two of his teammates arriving in the middle, with the ball running out of play on the far side. Adam Tomasso was booked for a foul in the 81st minute.
Then, Hedges found space on the right but still needed two attempts to get his cross past Jefford. Totton forced the ball out before Kennedy was harshly penalised for a foul mid-way inside his own half. From the free-kick, Simpson drove into the AFC Totton box before running into a clutch of defenders; Ragguette put his foot through the ball to clear.
Magri’s headed clearance of a cross from Salisbury’s left found Turner, who slipped the ball to the fresh-legged Alfie Stanley on the right. He advanced and played a one-two with Tomasso to put the midfielder into inside-right, where he went down under the defender’s tackle. The Totton fans behind the goal appealed for another penalty but none was forthcoming. Salisbury kept plugging away. Magri denied one attack but then the ball fell to Coppin, whose shot was straight at Noice.
Then, Hedges latched on to a cross-field pass from Coppin to take aim at the Totton goal from the right corner of the area, before shooting wide of the far post.
Totton struggled to get hold of the ball as Salisbury continued to come forward in search of a late equaliser. Headers from Kennedy and Jefford ruined one attack, before a foul by Jordan Ragguette gave the home side a free-kick in a central position, about 20 yards out. The defensive wall did its job, though, and Kennedy diverted the follow-up attempt wide for a corner on the Salisbury right. A high cross dropped near the far post, where a manic goalmouth scramble ensued with another shot being deflected wide. From the next delivery, substitute James Harding headed over at the near post.
Luke Bennett came on in place of Turner close to the end of the game. His first contribution was to take possession in the centre-circle and drive towards the left wing, where a heavy touch took the ball out of play. Then, Stanley had a chance to go one-on-one with the last defender but made the wrong decision in taking the ball to close to his man when there was space to be exploited on the right-hand side.
A clash of heads between Jombati and Hallett in midfield resulted in Salisbury’s skipper being stretchered off, sending his team down to 10 men. Play resumed with a free-kick to Salisbury, giving Gould the chance to go forward to add an extra man to the attack. Hallett leapt high to head the free-kick away; when it came back in, Noice punched clear. Stanley had a late chance to wrap up the win with a long-range lob, but Gould got back into his goal to catch the ball.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
