AFC Totton
VENUE: Oakfield Stadium, Eastern Way, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 7GU
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The match on Wednesday night was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, and rescheduled for the following evening - Thursday 13 April. There will be a pitch inspection at 4:00pm to determine whether the game can go ahead. Please check the club's Facebook and Twitter pages to stay fully up-to-date.
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY’S MATCH at Lymington Town contained a hidden Easter Egg in the shape of Scott Rendell’s late, late penalty spot winner to send AFC Totton seven points clear at the top of the Southern League Div.1 South and to within two wins of claiming the title.
Sholing’s postponed home match against Bashley is scheduled to take place at the Imperial Homes Stadium tonight (Tuesday), when The Boatmen will be hoping the reduce the deficit to maintain as much pressure on The Stags as they can muster. But two wins for Jimmy Ball’s team from their last four league games of the season will be enough to claim the title, irrespective of The Boatmen’s remaining results.
Despite the matches coming thick and fast during the end of season run-in, as clubs throughout the non-league game try to make up for time lost over the course of a freezing cold and often sodden wet winter, Totton have every reason to go to the Oakfield Stadium in Wiltshire in buoyant mood, after overcoming the setback of Lymington’s 91st-minute equaliser at the Sports Ground on Monday to still walk away with all three points. The win takes Totton’s unbeaten run to 13 league games, having lost just one of their last 30 in pursuit of the Step 4 crown and automatic promotion to the Southern League Premier Division.
Standing in their way at the moment are a Melksham Town side whose form had improved after the appointment of experienced Manager Mark Collier in November. But following a 1-2 defeat at Frome Town on Monday, in which Albie Hopkins had seemingly secured them a point with two minutes to go, only for ex-Stag Jonathan Davies to win it for the home side on 90 minutes, The Town are now without a win from their last six league outings of which they have lost four.
When Melksham came to the Snows Stadium on Saturday 18 February, they had gone unbeaten in their previous four outings, giving rise to hopes of potentially mounting a challenge for a place in the Promotion Play-Offs. Goals from Ethan Taylor and Charlie Davis, together with an injury-time showstopper from Benny Read, saw The Stags cruise to their second 3-0 home win over the Wiltshire club this season to go alongside the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round victory by the same score, all the way back in August.
FIRE FLY: AFC Totton's Ethan Taylor unleashes a shot against Melksham Town during the Emirates FA Cup meeting between the two sides in August 2022.
Melksham responded well with three consecutive wins, starting with a 3-2 defeat of the now-relegated Slimbridge AFC, a 3-1 away win at Paulton Rovers and a handsome 4-0 triumph at Cinderford Town, who are still engaged in their own fight against the drop. Since then, however, Mark Collier’s team has lost at Willand Rovers and Frome, and at home to Hamworthy United and Bishop’s Cleeve. The Hammers were 0-3 down at half-time at Oakfield, and then sprung back to life with five goals without further reply in the second 45 minutes, three of those coming from Cameron Munn.
In terms of goals scored, Melksham are joint-fourth highest scorers in the whole division. Totton lead the way with 83 goals, Hamworthy United have 72 and Sholing 67, while Melksham are tied with Tavistock AFC and Bishop’s Cleeve on 61. Which suggests their problems may be at the other end of the pitch, where they have conceded 64 times; six teams have let in more goals than Melksham, this season.
Jay Malshanksjy is Melksham’s top scorer in the league with 10 goals, and the tall but tricky winger Albie Hopkins will be hoping to join his teammate on double figures when the league leaders visit on Wednesday night. Ben Brooks has six goals, so far this season, while the veteran striker Luke Ballinger may have been limited to cameo appearances but can still pack a punch with his shooting ability, as Wimborne Town and Bishop’s Cleeve can both testify.
Our records list eight matches between AFC Totton and Melksham Town since the first encounter in 2001/02. The Stags have won six times, with one draw and one win for The Town in the very first of those matches, an FA Trophy First Round tie that Melksham won 2-1 in November 2001.
By Ben Rochey-Adams and Malcolm Tombs, Club Historian
Image courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
