AFC Totton
The Stags are still on Cloud-9 after the weekend's FA Trophy 2nd Round success but having slipped out of the Southern League Div.1 South play-off slots in the meantime, AFC Totton will be looking to get their league campaign back on track by making the most of the games in-hand they currently hold over the likes of Bristol Manor Farm, Cirencester Town, the free-scoring Paulton Rovers, local rivals Sholing and league leaders Frome Town.
That effort beings on Wednesday with a second trip to Devon in less than a fortnight to take on Willand Rovers for the first time this season.
The Devon All-Whites are 13th in the table, their campaign thus far a textbook definition of the word “inconsistent”, though in a historical context the 2021/22 season is already guaranteed to deliver their highest ever finish in the English Football Pyramid after being promoted as Western Football League Champions in 2018/19, and the two seasons since being curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Willand’s biggest problem has been stringing together back-to-back wins, despite the goalscoring contributions of winger Alfie Moulden whose 8 goals in all competitions this season include a match-winning hat-trick at Slimbridge in a 3-2 victory in mid-September.
Their recent 4-0 win at troubled Barnstaple – aided by a brace from the fabulously monikered Louis Jagger Cane – put a welcome end to a 7-match run without a win but manager Russell Jee has been in his post since 2016 and has credit in the bank, having guided the club to that title triumph and promotion in 2019, as well an FA Vase quarter-final and a local cup final.
WILLAND ROVERS: LAST 5 MATCHES – All Competitions
Sat 06 Nov 21 Lymington Town A Southern League Div.1 South D 2-2
Sat 13 Nov 21 Hartley Wintney A Buildbase FA Trophy 1st Rnd L 0-3
Wed 17 Nov 21 Paulton Rovers H Southern League Div.1 South D 0-0
Sat 20 Nov 21 Melksham Town A Southern League Div.1 South L 2-4
Sat 27 Nov 21 Barnstaple Town A Southern League Div.1 South W 4-0
AFC TOTTON vs WILLAND ROVERS – Previous Meetings
AFC Totton and Willand Rovers have only met on two previous occasions.
On 03 September 2019, a 3rd minute goal from the Stags’ Patrick Nolan was all that separated the sides, the newly-promoted Willand providing a stern test for Totton on their own ground.
By the time of the return match in Exeter on 30 November 2020, Totton fielded a much-changed team following the arrival of Glenn Howes as manager, and the Stags chalked up a stunning 5-0 away win courtesy of two goals from Brett Williams (11mins, 68mins) and one each from Craig Feeney (39mins), Freddie Read (69mins) and Ethan Taylor (75mins).
Written by Ben Rochey-Adams and Malcolm Tombs, Historian
