AFC Totton
VENUE: Alwyns Lane, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 9DW
THIS MATCH WAS POSTPONED on the morning of the game. News of the subsequent rearranged fixture will be provided when known.
AFTER FALLING TO JUST their second defeat of the season last time out, The Stags will make a swift return to Surrey this weekend to take on Chertsey Town.
Totton were beaten 2-3 by Walton & Hersham. The Stags had originally taken the lead through Tony Lee on 51 minutes before debutant Ralph Vigrass equalised for the home side, and striker Dawid Rogalski put them ahead six minutes from the end. Totton thought they had salvaged a point when substitute Scott Rendell levelled the scores two minutes into stoppage time, but Rogalski took advantage of a late defensive error to score a 95th-minute winner for The Swans.
CHERTSEY TOWN – THEIR SEASON SO FAR:
22 games into the season, Chertsey Town sit 12th in the Southern League Premier Division South table on 28 points. The Curfews began their campaign with a 4-1 home win against Hungerford Town. They then experienced a mixed bag of results with defeats to Havant & Waterlooville and Walton & Hersham coming either side of a win over Tiverton Town and a draw with Frome Town.
In First Round Qualifying for the Emirates FA Cup, Chertsey defeated Raynes Park Vale of the Isthmian League South Central Division by the odd goal in five, and then beat Hanwell Town in the next round. But in the meantime, their inconsistent league form continued with The Curfews taking only two points from matches against Winchester City, Dorchester Town and Bracknell Town.
Back-to-back Third Round Qualifying wins saw off Ashford United in the FA Cup and Billericay – via a penalty shoot-out – in the Isuzu FA Trophy. Chertsey’s reward for reaching the Fourth Round Qualifying stage of the FA Cup was a big home tie against National League side Sutton United, which they lost 1-3 in front of a bumper crowd of 2,134.
They won two of their next three league games before winning 3-0 at Uxbridge in the First Round Proper of the FA Trophy, and continued their fine cup form by making progress in the Surrey Senior Cup. One win and one loss followed in the league before an away trip to Bath City in the FA Trophy Second Round, where Chertsey produced an upset with an impressive 3-2 victory.
Their league form continued to fall away, though. The Curfews lost to both Gosport Borough and Merthyr Town, won 3-2 at Taunton Town but then went down to a 0-3 defeat on their visit to the Snows Stadium on Tuesday 03 December.
Their next scheduled game was the Isuzu FA Trophy Third Round tie at home to National League mid-tablers Dagenham & Redbridge. Bad weather prompted a postponement, leading to a Wednesday night game at Alwyns Lane where The Curfews pulled off another “cupset” with a 1-0 win.
Consecutive league defeats at Gloucester City and at home to Havant & Waterlooville brought them back down to Earth before Christmas, although a 2-1 away win at Hanwell Town on Boxing Day and a 2-2 draw at home to Tiverton Town steadied the ship a little.
The FA Trophy adventure came to an abrupt end with an 0-8 defeat at Aldershot Town last weekend, but Chertsey have good reason to feel proud of their cup exploits this season.
CHERTSEY TOWN – LAST FIVE:
Gloucester City (Away) | SLPDS | Lost 1-3
Havant & Waterlooville (Home) | SLPDS | Lost 0-4
Hanwell Town (Away) | SLPDS | Won 2-1
Tiverton Town (Home) | SLPDS | Drew 2-2
Aldershot Town (Away) | FATr4 | Lost 0-8
AFC TOTTON – LAST FIVE:
Tiverton Town (Away) | SLPDS | Lost 0-1
Sholing (Home) | SLPDS | Won 2-1
Winchester City (Away) | SLPDS | Won 4-1
Poole Town (Home) | SLPDS | Drew 2-2
Walton & Hersham (Away) | SLPDS | Lost 2-3
IN THE REVERSE FIXTURE…
On Tuesday 03 December at a chilly Snows Stadium, Totton faced a high-scoring Chertsey Town side. Scott Rendell’s 17th-minute opener put The Stags ahead. Then the turning point of the game came in the 25th minute when Eoin Casey was sent-off – the depleted Chertsey side were played off the park by a ruthless Totton, who scored twice more to win 3-0. Rendell (pictured above) added his second from the penalty spot and Charlie Austin wrapped things up with the third goal a minute before the end.
STAGS RADIO:
Not able to travel with us to Alwyns Lane? You can listen to all the action from the comfort of your own home by heading over to our official X account and joining the StagsRadio space where Josh Cole will bring you LIVE radio coverage of all the action from Surrey, starting with the pre-match build up from 2:45pm.
By Joshua Cole
Image courtesy of Sayers Sports Photography
