AFC Totton
The Stags have three games in six days, starting with the Southampton Senior Cup Semi-Final against Winchester City, to be played at Sholing's ground this Wednesday night.
Get along to the Mackoy Stadium to cheer on Jimmy's lads in this clash against our local rivals:
SHOLING FC, Mackoy Stadium, Portsmouth Road, Southampton SO19 9PW
Into the final month of the 2021/22 campaign, local rivals Winchester City stand between AFC Totton and a successful season. Whether you define success as reaching and winning the Southern League Div.1 South promotion play-offs or lifting the Southampton FA Divisional Senior Cup for the first time in 40 years, the Citizens have the same targets firmly set within their own sights and will be determined to deny the Stags.
Winchester have won the Southampton Senior Cup on one previous occasion, lifting the trophy in the 2002/03 season. They began their journey to the 2021/22 semi-final with a 5-0 1st Round victory at home to Downton from the Wessex League Div.1, to set-up a 2nd Round tie at Sholing, pitting two of the three highest-ranked clubs in the competition directly against each other. Winchester goalkeeper Ryan Pryce produced a double-save to deny Brad Targett’s first-half penalty and the follow-up shot from Conor Whiteley. And the Citizens punished their hosts’ profligacy when youngster Henry Brooks put his side 1-0 up from Ollie Balmer’s pass. Midway through the second-half, Max Smith doubled Winchester’s lead with a 25-yard strike. Balmer added a third before the end to wrap up an impressive away win against the Boatmen.
In the 3rd Round, Winchester ran out comfortable 5-1 winners at Romsey Town before mauling Millbrook 11-0 on their own ground in the quarter-final a fortnight ago, Ollie Balmer weighing in with five goals.
The Stags, meanwhile, have faced lower league opposition in every round of the competition. A single goal from Jack Hoey was enough to overcome Bashley at the Snows Stadium in the 1st Round, before two one-sided home victories over Durley (13-0) and Hedge End Town (12-0) in the 2nd and 3rd Rounds, respectively. New Totton manager Jimmy Ball’s first involvement in the Southampton Senior Cup was to lead his side to a 4-0 win at Hamble Club just last week, with goals from Lewis Waterfield, Jack Hoey and Brett Williams, in addition to a Shaquille Gwengwe penalty.
The winners of this tie will face either Folland Sports or Fawley AFC, who face-off at Hythe & Dibden’s Clayfields ground tonight (Tuesday 12 April), kicking-off at 7:30pm. The match pits three members of the AFC Totton Sunday squad against each other, just days after celebrating becoming Champions of the City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1. Striker Nathan Gray is dual-registered with Folland Sports and Sholing and is expected to line-up for the Planemakers against his Sunday Stags teammates Tom Rafferty and Tom Munday, who will face a late fitness test after being ill at the weekend. Another Totton resident, attacking midfield playmaker James Clifton, is also a member of the Fawley squad hoping to reach the final tonight.
WINCHESTER CITY – LAST 5 MATCHES (All Competitions)
Sat 19 Mar Plymouth Parkway A Southern League Div.1 South L 0-1
Sat 26 Mar Mangotsfield United H Southern League Div.1 South W 2-1
Tue 29 Mar Millbrook A Southampton Senior Cup, QF W 11-0
Sat 02 Apr Larkhall Athletic A Southern League Div.1 South W 2-0
Sat 09 Apr Melksham Town H Southern League Div.1 South W 3-0
AFC TOTTON vs WINCHESTER CITY – Previous Meetings
Since the 2003/04 season, AFC Totton and Winchester City have played each other 29 times. The Citizens have the better of the head-to-head record with 13 wins to Totton’s 8, and 8 draws. The Stags have not won any of the last 7, dating back to 2018.
Two goals from Mike Gosney helped Totton on their way to a 3-0 away win in an FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round match in 2008, which would have gone some way to compensate for two 0-4 home defeats to the Citizens during the earlier part of the decade.
Then a brace from Michael Charles on 08 March 2011 sent the Stags through to the final of the Hampshire Senior Cup with a 3-1 win. Wayne Shaw, infamous for the Sutton United “Pie Gate Scandal”, kept goal for the Stags that day.
Earlier this season, on Tuesday 14 September, an exquisite free-kick in the opening minute from Ollie Balmer got the Citizens off to a flying start at the Snows Stadium. The Stags recovered to take the lead thanks to two goals from Hisham Kasimu but, just past the hour mark, Simba Mlambo equalised with a close-range bullet header. Totton were reduced to 10-men with the late dismissal of defender Stephane Zubar but held on to take a point with a 2-2 draw.
The most recent meeting was at Winchester’s Charters Community Stadium on Friday 07 January. Stags defender Ade Olumuyiwa opened the scoring in the 10th minute but it took less than 60 seconds for Warren Bentley to level the scores for the home side. Rob Flooks – who became a Totton player just a month later – slammed his team in front in the 31st minute and Ollie Balmer made it 3-1 before half-time with a low drive into Lewis Noice’s bottom-right corner.
CITIZEN STAG: Central defender Rob Flooks made the switch from Winchester City to AFC Totton in February and could line-up against his former club in the semi-final of the Southampton FA Divisional Senior Cup on Wednesday night.
By Ben Rochey-Adams and Malcolm Tombs, Historian
Image courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
Kit illustrations courtesy of Bolid74
