AFC Totton
VENUE:
Snows Stadium, Salisbury Road, Totton, Southampton SO40 2RW
AFC TOTTON STAND ON THE PRECIPICE of a potentially momentous achievement. In the entire 138-year history of the club, The Stags have never before played at Step 2 of the English Football Pyramid, but they have the chance to secure promotion to the National League South if they can win their next two matches - the first of which will be Wednesday night's Promotion Play-Off Semi-Final against Bracknell Town.
Bracknell went into the final round of regular season fixtures needing a point to ensure they finished in fifth place ahead of challengers Merthyr Town to qualify for the 2023/24 Promotion Play-Offs.
While The Martyrs were busy thrashing the already relegated Harrow Borough 7-1 at Penydarren Park, thanks to five goals from their top scorer Ricardo Rees, The Robins were engaged in a nervous home battle with Hayes & Yeading United.
Trying to save their own Step 3 lives, Hayes hit back from 0-2 down to level at 2-2 with just eight minutes to go. As it turned out, had they been able to complete the comeback by claiming a surprise win it would have been enough for them to leap above Plymouth Parkway, whose one-all draw at Beaconsfield Town opened the trapdoor beneath The Rams while keeping Parkway above the drop zone on mere goal difference.
Jordan Espirit restored Bracknell’s lead in the 84th minute but another equaliser two minutes into stoppage time from Hayes, scored by Mohamed Bettamer, made for a frantic finish at Bottom Meadow. The Robins held out for a 3-3 draw, to ensure they stayed a point ahead of Merthyr while Hayes & Yeading joined Beaconsfield Town, Harrow Borough and Didcot Town in making the drop to Step 4.
The result meant that, after a fairly dismal January, Bracknell ended the season with just three losses in their last 14 games, a run that took in 3-2 wins over Merthyr Town both at home and away, a 5-1 thumping of Sholing, a 3-1 victory at Basingstoke Town and a 2-1 away success at a Chesham United side who had by then already been crowned Southern League Premier Division South Champions for 2023/24.
Dorchester Town, Hungerford Town and AFC Totton were the three sides to inflict defeat on Bracknell during that run. The most recent of those reversals was the five-goal thriller at the Snows Stadium on 10 April, in which two goals from Tony Lee and one from Ethan Taylor were enough to see The Stags over the line, despite Bracknell twice equalising through strikes from forwards Jordan Espirit and Great Evans.
GOAL!: AFC Totton's Ethan Taylor celebrates his goal against Bracknell Town during The Stags 3-2 win at the Snows Stadium on 10 April.
The wins over Winchester and Chesham followed in the next two games, leaving Bracknell three points ahead of Merthyr going into the final day, knowing that a point would be enough.
Joseph Grant and Jordan Espirit have ended the season as Bracknell’s joint top goalscorers, with 18 league goals apiece. The Robins were the third highest scorers in the division with 84 goals. Merthyr’s big win over Harrow took their total for the season to 85 goals, leaving Totton as the top scorers with 89.
The highlight of The Robins’ season to date was their Emirates FA Cup run to the First Round Proper. They overcame Harrow and a troubled Havant & Waterlooville in the first two qualifying rounds to set up a home tie with Poole Town, who they beat 3-1 to avenge their earlier loss to The Dolphins in the league by the same scoreline.
A single goal victory over National League outfit Dagenham & Redbridge took Bracknell into the First Round for the third time in the club’s history. But the dream was ended for another year following a 1-2 defeat at League One side Cambridge United.
Bracknell were beaten finalists in last year’s Southern League Premier Division South Play-Offs. They lost 2-3 to Truro City, having beaten Chesham United in the Semi-Final.
Speaking after his team's 4-0 win at Dorchester Town on Saturday, Stags boss Jimmy Ball said:
"I think it will be a great game. It was last time - it was one of my favourite games. Brilliant. Two good sides going at it hammer and tongs. Perfect. Wednesday night at our place, we'll do it all again.
"I say to the fans be proud of your team, come along and support, because they've been great this season. The Play-Offs are unique, so get behind them, roar them on and encourage them like you always do, and hopefully we'll put on a good game. I don't expect a nervous, cagey affair, I think it will be an open game of football like last time."
The other Semi-Finalists in this year's Play-Offs are Salisbury and Gosport Borough, who will meet at Salisbury's Raymond McEnhill Stadium at the same time as Totton play Bracknell on Wednesday. The Play-Off Final will take place on Bank Holiday Monday 06 May, kicking-off at 3:00pm. If AFC Totton progress to the Final, it will take place at the Snows Stadium.
In that event, Totton's SDFA Southampton Senior Cup Semi-Final against Brockenhurst at Blackfield & Langley's Gang Warily ground will move from Tuesday 07 May to Tuesday 14 May. The Hampshire Cup Final against AFC Portchester will still take place on Friday 10 May at Aldershot Town's EBB Stadium, irrespective of Totton's results in the Play-Offs.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Image courtesy of Tom McKenzie
