AFC Totton
Nearly three months into the 2022/23 season, it appears that Southern League Div.1 South newcomers Westbury United are finding their feet at Step 4, holding their own having won as many matches as they have lost to currently occupy a mid-table position.
The White Horse Men – who also answer to the nickname of The Green Army – finished as runners-up of the Hellenic League Premier Division last season with 84 points from 38 games, which proved enough to win promotion alongside Champions Bishop’s Cleeve.
It took them until their third match of the new season to hit the back of the net, when goals from Ryan Bole and Harvey Flippance were enough to overcome Wimborne Town 2-1 at home to give joint managers Ricky Hulbert and Lewis Porter their first league win of the campaign.
But the Wiltshire-based outfit then endured a run of poor results until Saturday 08 October, when they upset the form book with a welcome 3-2 home win over Sholing. Second-half strikes from Matthew Morris, Harvey Flippance and Charlie Walton overturned a 0-2 half-time deficit to consign The Boatmen to a rare defeat. And a brace from Flippance against Hamworthy United the following Saturday produced a creditable result against another of the season’s early high-fliers.
Wins against Bashley and last season’s rivals Bishop’s Cleeve have them sitting one place and one point above AFC Totton in the league table coming into this game, albeit The Stags currently have four games in-hand over their opponents.
Striker Harvey Flippance has been an integral part of the team since arriving from Pewsey Vale in December 2021, netting an impressive 27 times in 39 appearances, including 19 goals in his first 23 games which led to him being voted Supporters’ Player of the Year in 2021/22. The 20-year-old marksman has contributed 5 goals in the Southern League Div.1 South, so far, as well as a handful in cup competitions. He recently signed a new contract that will keep him at Meadow Lane until the summer of 2024.
Other recent Westbury signings include forward Matty Morris, who signed from Hellenic League Premier Division club Corsham Town having previously represented Bradford Town, Frome Town and Shepton Mallet in the Western League Premier Division. Totton should be warned – Morris has a flair for scoring goals against teams from the Southampton area, having got the comeback underway in the 3-2 win against Sholing and notching both goals in Westbury’s 2-1 home win over Bashley.
On Tuesday of this week, Westbury announced the signing of prolific striker Gary Higdon, also from Corsham Town. Higdon is Melksham Town’s highest ever goalscorer, winning several league titles and cups along the way. Also representing Bradford Town and Corsham, he has been a regular top scorer at Steps 5 and 6 for many years. The new recruit was named on the bench for The Green Army’s visit to Royal Wootton Bassett in the Wiltshire Premier Shield on Tuesday night.
According to our records, AFC Totton and Westbury United have never played each other before – or certainly not since the fire at the old Testwood Lane ground in the 1980s that destroyed many of our club’s printed historical records. So, bragging rights and three Southern League Div.1 South points are up for grabs on Saturday.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
