AFC Totton
Hot on the heels of the Linden Cup encounter with neighbours Totton & Eling at the Snows Stadium on Saturday afternoon, AFC Totton will also be entertaining Havant & Waterlooville on Tuesday evening, kick-off at 7:45pm.
The Hawks, who finished 8th in the National League South last season, should present Jimmy Ball's men with the toughest test of their pre-season campaign, so far. In addition to playing their football two steps higher up the English Football Pyramid than the Stags, Havant will also be further along in their own pre-season preparations by the time their team bus turns off Salisbury Road into the Snows Stadium complex on Tuesday evening, having by then already played five friendlies.
On Saturday 02 July, manager Paul Doswell’s side hosted Portsmouth, going down to a 0-3 defeat. They then won by the same scoreline when they visited Alton of the Combined Counties League Premier Division South a few days later. And at home to EFL League Two side Sutton United, the Hawks led at half-time but ended up losing 1-2.
While the Stags were beating Hythe & Dibden on the Waterside on Tuesday night, Havant & Waterlooville played out a goalless draw at Horndean. And on Saturday, when the Totton Derby takes place at the Snows Stadium, the Hawks will be at Steve Claridge’s Salisbury, who are currently in the Southern League Premier Division South.
The new season’s fixtures for the National League South have already been published, so Doswell is busily readying his squad for an opening day visit to the Draper Tools Community Stadium from Slough Town, who finished five places behind Havant in the National League South last term.
The Hawks recently signed promising young defender Joe Newton to a new deal, extending the contract of last season’s Supporters Club Player of the Season until 2024. But they have also had to accommodate the loss of 29-year-old Dutch striker Manny Duku, who signed for York City in the Vanarama National League.
One familiar name in the Havant squad is Oscar Gobern. The former Southampton midfielder and England U19 international has played for a number of clubs since leaving St. Mary’s Stadium in 2011, most notably for Huddersfield Town, Eastleigh and Dover Athletic, before joining the Hawks last summer. Doswell’s assistant manager is the former Southampton, Portsmouth and Leeds United striker Iain Baird, who also managed the club himself from 2004 to 2007, prior to taking over the reins for a five-year stint at Eastleigh.
This match at the Snows Stadium presents new AFC Totton striker Scott Rendell with the opportunity to test himself against his former club. The veteran former Peterborough United and Luton Town forward was a member of the Hawks’ squad last season. Harry Medway, Mike Carter (pictured) and Michael Green are all former Hawks, too.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Image courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
