AFC Totton
PRE-SEASON 2022/23 - MATCHDAY 06
Tuesday 26 July 2022
AFC TOTTON 2
Ethan Taylor 3mins; Scott Rendell 8mins
ALDERSHOT TOWN 2
Archie Davies 18mins; Joe Partington 45mins
AFC Totton and Aldershot Town shared the spoils on a balmy summer’s evening of football at the Snows Stadium last night (Tuesday), despite the Stags racing into a two-goal lead within the opening 10 minutes of their sixth pre-season friendly game with goals from Ethan Taylor and former Aldershot centre-forward, Scott Rendell.
From the side that started against Winchester City on Saturday, Jordan Ragguette came in at left-back in place of Michael Green, who dropped to the bench. Charlie Kennedy replaced Harry Medway, to partner Luke Hallett in the centre of defence. Adam Tomasso and Lewis Waterfield replaced Freddie Read and Jake Adams in the midfield. Goalkeeper Lewis Noice was named on the bench for the first time since breaking his collarbone against Winchester City in last season’s Southampton Senior Cup Semi-Final at Sholing’s Mackoy Stadium in mid-April. Centre-back Julius Ndene, formerly of Stoke City’s U18s, is currently on trial with the Stags and was named among the substitutes.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL: The Stags get warmed-up before the match.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lloyd THOMAS
2. Callum BAUGHAN
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
4. Mike CARTER
5. Luke HALLETT
6. Charlie KENNEDY
7. Adam TOMASSO
8. Lewis WATERFIELD
9. Jireh OYEBAMIJI
10. Scott RENDELL
11. Ethan TAYLOR
Substitutes
13. Lewis NOICE
14. Enrique RUSSELL
15. Yemi ODUBADE
16. Jake ADAMS
17. Michael GREEN
18. Harry MEDWAY
19. Freddie READ
20. Julius NDENE
21. Brett WILLIAMS
Aldershot, who ply their trade in the Vanarama National League, wore all red and found themselves behind after just 3 minutes. Jireh Oyebamiji pressed a Shots defender into his own left-wing corner and stole the ball from him, laying it back to the right of the D. Ethan TAYLOR received and shifted sideways into a central position before striking a low shot through the legs of a defender, the ball nicking off his inside leg and deflecting past Luca Ashby-Hammond in the Shots’ goal into the bottom-right corner.
Just 5 minutes later, the side from three tiers lower down the English Football Pyramid were two goals ahead. Taylor sent in a high corner from the left, which Stags defender Luke Hallett climbed high to beat his marker and head towards the back post, where Scott RENDELL was well-placed to apply the finishing touch with his own head to register a goal against the team he made more than 100 appearances for between 2016-2019.
SIX IN SIX: The Sunburnt Assassin Scott Rendell maintained his pre-season goal-a-game ratio with an 8th-minute header against his former club.
Oyebamiji’s willingness to work hard pressing opposition defenders was unsettling the visitors, but he was called up for a foul in the 13th minute. He was soon on the front foot again a minute later, when he latched onto Taylor’s through-ball in the inside-left channel, though he was eventually crowded out by a posse of red-shirts.
Aldershot midfielder Jayden Harris was shown a yellow card for a late tackle on 16 minutes. His side managed to halve the deficit two minutes later when a swift exchange of passes by Davies and the trialist wearing the No.10 shirt sent the former sprinting in behind Jordan Ragguette and, before blue shirts could get across to make the block, Archie DAVIES had advanced far into the penalty area from an angle on the right to hit a low shot that Lloyd Thomas couldn’t prevent sneaking in behind the far post. Charlie Kennedy was booked for a late foul on the No.10 during the build-up to that goal.
The visitors almost gifted a two-goal lead back to the Stags when a long pass intended for Oyebamiji was overhit and met by Ashby-Hammond. His attempted clearance bounced back at him off a defender's shin with Oyebamiji still lurking with intent, but the Shots keeper was able to scrape the ball away.
Tommy Willard got to the right-wing byline for Aldershot and pulled the ball back to his captain, Joe Partington. The former AFC Bournemouth and Eastleigh midfielder sent a curling right-footed cross towards the back post where the considerable unit of Inih Effiong headed at goal, forcing Thomas to make a low save. And Effiong was played into the inside-left channel just moments later, showing strength to get away from Hallett before he dragged his shot across goal and wide of the far post.
On 25 minutes, Aldershot manager Mark Molesley made his first substitution, bringing Jayden Harris off to be replaced by Francis Amartey. The visitors were enjoying more of the possession and settling into the game after their torrid start. They were getting men forward in numbers when they had the ball around the centre-circle, happy to try and pick their way through Totton’s 4-5-1 defensive shape. Ethan Taylor was required to track back into the left-back area when Ragguette was being pulled infield by his mobile winger, but the Stags were well marshalled by Mike Carter in midfield and Kennedy in the back line and managed to get bodies in the way whenever Aldershot tried to probe for weaknesses.
EAGER TO IMPRESS: Jireh Oyebamiji (pictured against Winchester City) worked his socks off to make life uncomfortable for Aldershot's defenders.
When Totton broke, they looked to set the fleet-footed Oyebamiji away in the opposition half, but Ashby-Hammond, happy to operate as a sweeper-keeper, was able to cope whenever the ball came beyond his defenders. Oyebamiji continued to carry a threat, though. He skipped around one challenge in midfield and charged into the left side of the Aldershot box, his shot repelled by one of two red shirts who’d come across to block his path. From the corner, Taylor’s left-wing cross was headed out and Totton regained possession in midfield. After a period of knocking the ball back-and-forth in search of an opening, Mike Carter struck a long diagonal out to the right-hand corner of the penalty area where Rendell’s one-touch knockdown presented Lewis Waterfield with the opportunity to take aim on Ashby-Hammond’s goal from 25 yards, his well-struck effort flying narrowly over the bar.
Rendell linked up well with Ragguette on 34 minutes to set the St. Vincentian on a left-wing raid, earning a corner. It was taken short and the ball worked into the box but the move came to a premature end courtesy of an offside flag. Then, Rendell did well to get on the end of Callum Baughan’s high, looping cross from the right touchline. He headed the ball across goal, where it was headed out.
A strong defensive header by Luke Hallett, jumping high to meet the ball, prevented Aldershot benefitting from a free-kick mid-way inside the Totton half. Then, Carter was called up for a foul on Corey Jordan. The free-kick was taken quickly but Totton got enough players back to crowd them out, an eventual long shot by Partington going well wide to the left.
Kennedy was turned on Totton’s defensive left-wing byline but Carter read the situation and intercepted the ball into the box, allowing Kennedy to clear upfield. Oyebamiji challenged for it near half-way, winning a throw-in that brought applause from the AFC Totton bench, for relieving the pressure on the defence and retaining possession for his team.
A loose kick out of defence presented Taylor with the chance to try an audacious long-range chip, Ashby-Hammond recovering just in time to make the save. But Aldershot had been steadily coming back into the game and, on the stroke of half-time, they drew level. A foul by Adam Tomasso in midfield presented the Shots with a free-kick about 30 yards out, to the left of centre. Of the three red shirts standing over the ball, Joe PARTINGTON took a two-step run up and curled his right-footed shot over the Stags’ defensive wall and into the top-left hand corner, despite Lloyd Thomas getting his right hand to it. That proved to be the last kick of the first half.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 2
ALDERSHOT TOWN 2
Jordan Ragguette and Ethan Taylor were replaced at the break by Michael Green and Jake Adams, who both took up positions on the left of Totton’s formation.
Ollie Harfield got forward from left-back to fizz in a low cross that Hallett had to divert behind for a corner.Then, bright link-up play by Davies and Francis Amartey was quashed by Carter getting his foot in to win the ball back for the Stags.
Michael Green came close five minutes into the second half when, awarded a free-kick just past the half-way line within his territory as a left-back, he spotted Ashby-Hammond off his line and went for it, beating the keeper but missing the goal narrowly to the left.
SPECULATIVE EFFORT: Totton's former Eastleigh full-back Michael Green came close to catching the Aldershot Town keeper off his line with a spectacular long-range effort.
Aldershot were enjoying the lion’s share of possession but Totton were defending resolutely and with good discipline. Carter proved to be a road block once again, shortly outside the Totton box, and his pass forward was received by Jake Adams whose skilful turn got him away from his marker with enough space to spare to pick out a pass that released Jireh Oyebamiji into the opposition’s half. As he raced into the inside-right channel, Oyebamiji poked the ball beyond a sliding defender and then got to it in the penalty area before the keeper, who was nevertheless able to smother the shot with his chest before the two players collided. Both teams' physios came on to treat their respective players.
Soon after play resumed, Oyebamiji was knocked off his feet near the centre-circle by a strong shoulder that the Referee deemed to be fair. Undeterred, he was back on his feet in a flash and charged across to press Harfield, the Aldershot left-back, initially winning the ball. But Aldershot won it back quickly and worked it over to their right flank, from where the ball was sent to Inih Effiong at the far post. Thomas made his body big to block the angled shot, then Baughan intervened before Effiong could pounce on the rebound, winning a goal-kick by smashing the ball against the big forward before it went out of play.
Scott Rendell’s flailing right arm caught an opponent in the face. The Referee gave the free-kick but kept his cards in his pocket. It was shaping up as a strongly contested game between two well-matched teams. Michael Green belied his 33 years to keep pace with Amartey in a chase to the corner flag, the Aldershot winger still able to turn inside the former Eastleigh man before his cross was blocked. Then, on the hour mark, Effiong should have put the visitors ahead for the first time on the evening when Harfield and the trialist wearing the No.12 shirt ran Rendell and Baughan ragged down the Aldershot left and pulled the ball back towards the penalty spot, where the big centre-forward screwed his shot wide of the left-hand upright.
The hard-working Jireh Oyebamiji and Lewis Waterfield were withdrawn by Jimmy Ball, who sent on Yemi Odubade and Freddie Read. Then in the 63rd minute, Carter, Green and Adams combined well on the left flank to create the opening for Green to whip in a low cross, which Aldershot cut out.
A glorious cross-field pass by Green found Rendell on the right corner of the penalty area. His headed knock down put Yemi Odubade in, nipping in front of the keeper to then hook the ball across goal but there was nobody in a blue shirt there to apply the tap in. Hallett was then called into action to block Willard’s effort after a defence-splitting pass from the centre-circle by the No.10 trialist. From the resulting corner, Effiong got under the ball, despite his immense frame, and headed high over the bar.
Scott Rendell was then replaced by Brett Williams up front, with goalkeeper Lloyd Thomas making way for the returning Lewis Noice.
BACK IN ACTION: Goalkeeper Lewis Noice made his return from injury as a second-half substitute against Aldershot Town at the Snows Stadium.
The Aldershot No.10 tried to dribble his way into the Totton box before being surrounded by blue shirts. Luke Hallett came off worse for wear, though, and had to be replaced by Harry Medway. Shortly after, Charlie Kennedy found himself at the centre of a handball appeal by the visitors while defending against an attack into the box from the left, led by substitute Harry Panayioutou, but the Referee deemed it to be a case of ball-to-hand and allowed play to continue.
Luca Ashby-Hammond was confident when required to deal with high crosses into his penalty area, twice coming out to claim Michael Green’s free-kick deliveries which proved problematic for Winchester City at the weekend.
Jimmy Ball’s last substitutions of the game sent Enrique Russell and trialist Julius Ndene onto the pitch, with Charlie Kennedy and Mike Carter taking their leave.
Amartey led an 84th-minute attack down the right flank for the Shots, threading the ball through to their No.9 to try a first-time low shot, which Lewis Noice saved with his legs. Totton were becoming stretched as Aldershot pushed for a late winner. Freddie Read had to scamper back to his own byline to prevent the visitors profiting down their right-wing. Then, Partington’s snapshot from the right corner of the penalty area was blasted across goal and wide, after a short period of scrappy play in which the Stags struggled to clear their lines.
Tommy Willard had the last shot in anger after Aldershot had worked the ball infield from the left, the No.7’s effort going through a defender’s legs but not deceiving Noice who dove sharply, low to his right to save on the line and ensure the scores would end level.
After the match, AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured, above) said:
“It was alright. We still have work to do but pre-season is a lot like cleaning your house; you clean one room at a time and then shut the door and keep working through the other rooms, cleaning each one in turn and then shutting the door on them until the whole house is clean and tidy,” he told your baffled AFC Totton website correspondent.
“And that’s what we’re doing throughout this pre-season programme. We started with a couple of matches to get everyone back running and playing. Then, we went very open against Havant and Winchester, to work on the attacking side of our game and two or three key principles of our play. We knew we would be exposed at the back, at times. Now, we’re focussing on that defensive element and making ourselves more difficult to break down. In the last couple of games, we’ll suck all of that in and stick it all together so we can attack and defend, while being dogged and determined in midfield.
“We’ve got through the six games so far without any serious injuries and the team - both as a group and as individuals - are becoming stronger and more flexible. So, I am pleased but not surprised with where we are. Against Basingstoke on Saturday, we’ll continue that progression to get to be where we want to be when the new season begins.”
Asked about the return to action of Lewis Noice, the Stags boss said:
“It was great to see him make his comeback today. He’s worked unbelievably hard in training to return as quickly as possible, and I’m really pleased for him. He’s an outstanding goalkeeper and we’re lucky to have him.”
NEXT UP: AFC Totton vs Basingstoke Town on Saturday, Kick-Off at 3:00pm
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
