AFC Totton
Sholing 4-2 AFC Totton – Russell Coates Cup
Attendance – 109
The game started off evenly as both sides looked to gain the upper hand and get on the front foot. The first opportunity of the game falling to Boatmen captain Jack Smith, shooting over from the edge of the area. The Stags had a half chance of their own down the other end as Jake Burgess found the run of Jake Rawkins out wide, Rawkins’ cross was met by Tony Lee but his chance was difficult as he was under pressure from the Sholing defence. Totton went closest to breaking the deadlock after 14 minutes when Nick Watts, with good work down the right hand side put a low cross in to Taylor Edwards but he couldn’t connect and the ball flashed across goal. The Stags eventually took the lead after 31 minutes, Luke DEMPSEY heading in at the back post with a good downward header that bounced off the ground and into the roof of the net to beat the keeper.
However, Sholing were level just 2 minutes later when Jake HOOLE lofted a lovely chip over Mowthorpe from the left hand side of the area. The Stags attempted to hit straight back as Rawkins with another good run down the left, found Lee advancing in the area but Jordan Brooks in the Sholing goal got his foot in the way and saved. The home side then went up the other end and completed a frantic 10 minute period by taking the lead. Luke DEMPSEY the unfortunate one, as he attempted to clear, the ball span past Mowthorpe and into the net. But as half time approached, The Stags had one more attempt on goal with Nick Watts shooting wide after some neat work in the final third. HT 2-1
Totton came out in the second half and tried to take the initiative in getting an equalizer with Taylor Edwards getting in a good position but could only skew wide on his left foot. A good move involving a quick one two between Watts and Jack Alexander saw Watts cross in for Edwards but yet again the ball just wouldn’t sit for him and the chance was gone. But 6 minutes into the second half the game itself began to get away from The Stags as Sholing added a 3rd. James DAVIS the benefactor, finding himself in a great position to slot the ball past Mowthorpe and into the side of the net. On the hour mark, it looked as though The Stags night was about to get a whole lot worse as ex-Stag Jamie BULPITT fired home a glorious volley from all of 30 yards, to add Sholing’s 4th.
The home side kept coming after that, a good move involving both scorers, Hoole and Davis, in which the former slipped a through ball in for the latter for a first time shot which went narrowly over. With just under a quarter of and hour left, Bulpitt was allowed to fire in another attempt from range, but this time Mowthorpe came to Totton’s rescue and tipped over the bar. The Stags mustered some fight in the final 10 minutes of the game and managed to chalk up a 2nd goal. Alexander, who’d shot over moments earlier, was in the thick of the action again as he advanced at Sholing’s defence. They backed off and ALEXANDER fired in a low drilled shot from around 20 yards out to give Totton a glimmer of hope. That glimmer almost turned into something more as young substitute Charlie Wagstaffe cracked the bar with a superb volley. FT 4-2
The Stags visit Burnham this Saturday 31st October (3pm) when they return to league action.
Stags Lineup: Mowthorpe, Williams, Ferguson, Alexander, Dempsey, Roden (c), Watts, Burgess*, Lee, Edwards**, Rawkins.
Subsstitutes: Schultze, Wagstaffe*, Brewer**, Sherborne & Hibberd
