AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH 2022/23
MATCHDAY #01 - Saturday 13 August 2022
AFC TOTTON 2
Jireh Oyebamiji 19mins; Scott Rendell 57mins
BISHOP'S CLEEVE 1
Jack Watts 10mins
AFC Totton came from behind to get their 2022/23 Southern League Div.1 South campaign off to a winning start against Bishop’s Cleeve at a baking-hot Snows Stadium yesterday afternoon (Saturday). Goals from Jireh Oyebamiji and Scott Rendell on their competitive Stags debuts overturned a 10th-minute opener from the visitors’ Jack Watts to secure all three points at the cost of the newly-promoted Mitres from the Cheltenham area, who ended the match down to 10 men with their manager Paul Collicutt also seeing red.
No fewer than six of the Stags’ starting line-up made their competitive AFC Totton debuts, although for the returning left-back Michael Green, it was for the second time having previously played for the club from 2009 to 2011. Lewis Noice, now fully-recovered from the injury that ruled him out at the end of last season, took his place in goal. Former Gosport Borough midfielder Mike Carter wore the AFC Totton captain’s armband, while a former Stags skipper Jack Masterton continued his long-awaited return from injury by being named among the substitutes. Freddie Read was left out due to having not trained this week, while he has been working as an intern in London.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Michael GREEN
3. Pascal KPOHOMOUH
4. Mike CARTER (Capt.)
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Jordan RAGGUETTE
8. Adam TOMASSO
9. Jireh OYEBAMIJI
10. Scott RENDELL
11. Ethan TAYLOR
Substitutes
14. Brett WILLIAMS
15. Yemi ODUBADE
16. Jake ADAMS
17. Callum BAUGHAN
18. Jack MASTERTON
Amid sweltering 33°C heat, the Stags got the new season underway attacking towards the Post Office building on the Calmore Industrial Estate. An early foray had Jireh Oyebamiji grappling to get past one of Bishop’s Cleeve’s summer signings Shayne Anson, the strongly-built defender who impressed during both meetings with league runners-up Cirencester Town last season, at the right-wing byline.
Five minutes into the game, Totton fired the first shot in anger when Scott Rendell headed down a long ball to Ethan Taylor in the middle, about 30 yards out. With one defender to beat, he laid the ball off to Jordan Ragguette, motoring forward at inside-left, whose shot from the edge of the area flew narrowly over the crossbar.
TAYLOR TAKES THEM ON: Ethan Taylor running at Bishop's Cleeve defenders.
Adam Tomasso’s well-executed sliding tackle reclaimed possession inside the centre-circle. Taylor looked to play the rampaging Ragguette in again with a clipped pass towards the edge of the Bishop’s Cleeve box. This time, despite being surrounded by defenders, the St. Vincentian U23 international had to wait for the ball to drop onto his left foot before shooting hard and low to draw a smart stop from the Mitres’ goalkeeper Lewis Clayton.
The visitors, whose claret-and-blue ensemble was reminiscent of Burnley or Scunthorpe United, almost went ahead after seven minutes. First, Mike Carter had to defend deep inside his own penalty area but then Michael Green was penalised for manhandling Jack Watts on the Bishop’s Cleeve right. The left-footed free-kick was punched away by Lewis Noice, then immediately returned from distance by Harrison Reeves. His shot ricocheted off at least one pair of shins inside the area, the ball falling to George Box to the left, but from close range he dragged his shot wide of the left-hand upright.
It was a let-off for the home side but Bishop’s were in less forgiving mood when they took the lead on 10 minutes. The Totton defence was caught on its heels by a long ball, which George Box latched onto before unleashing a fierce effort from the edge of the penalty area. Noice parried to his right but Jack WATTS slid in to connect before Hallett could clear, to direct the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Buoyed by their bright start, Bishop’s Cleeve came forward again. Attacking midfielder Isaac Pearce managed to wriggle his way into the Totton box from the left-hand side, before shooting across Noice’s goalmouth and wide of the far post.
Totton began to rally and pose some problems of their own. Taylor’s free-kick from deep was well-defended, then Clayton had to rush out from his penalty area to beat Oyebamiji to Ragguette’s weighted through-ball after Green had won a defensive tussle to put the home side on the front foot.
Clever interplay among the visitors’ midfielders Samuel Blackie, Isaac Pearce and Blaine Waugh threatened to open the Stags up again until an overhit pass eluded Waugh as he tried to quicken the pace on the edge of the Totton box. Then, Ragguette surged forward from the left, only to tread on the ball as he tried to go past his man.
But, nine minutes after going behind, AFC Totton were level. The energetic Ethan Taylor received possession just beyond the half-way line on the left-hand side. He advanced and then floated a cross to the far side for Oyebamiji, who had positioned himself up against the Mitres’ 42-year-old veteran Kevin Slack, playing left-back in the absence of pre-season ACL injury victim, Leroy Odiero. The two players crashed into one another, the ball popping out in favour of the new Stags striker. Before keeper Clayton could snuff out the chance, Jireh OYEBAMIJI regained his footing and planted a firm finish inside the right-hand post with the instep of his right foot. Slack needed treatment from the Bishop’s Cleeve physio, before having to concede defeat and limping off the pitch to be substituted by Joseph Selman.
JIREH THE IRREPRESSIBLE: Debut striker Jireh Oyebamiji takes on the formidable Bishop's Cleeve defender Shayne Anson on the opening day of the season at the Snows Stadium.
With their confidence restored, Totton searched for a second goal. Taylor fell inside the box after Rendell’s knock down, but the Referee waved play on. Then, a promising attack from the left was halted when Ragguette appeared to control the ball with his arm. In the 28th minute, Charlie Kennedy fed Taylor on the left wing and his dangerously curling cross was caught by Lewis Clayton, diving full length to intercept the ball before it could reach blue-shirted attackers at the far post.
Jireh Oyebamiji was shown a yellow card on 29 minutes for his part in some pushing and shoving in midfield. Isaac Pearce followed him into the Referee’s notebook, for a late foul on Mike Carter. Oyebamiji was spoken to again, with Captain Carter also in attendance, for an unnecessarily late tackle.
A 36th-minute foul on Oyebamiji resulted in a Totton free-kick from close to the left-wing corner. Taylor’s dipping cross struck Anson on the hip before being hacked away. Isaac Pearce then pulled-up and, after receiving treatment, he became the second Bishop’s Cleeve player to be substituted during the first half, with Kieran Alder stepping off the Mitres’ bench.
Intricate skill on the ball by Ragguette in the centre-circle enabled Totton players to get forward, but the unfortunate Ragguette mistook a retreating Bishop’s Cleeve player for one of his teammates, and passed him the ball with Green advancing in the other direction. Ragguette scampered across to atone for his error, but a good attacking opportunity had gone to waste.
Bishop’s Cleeve had a few corners in quick succession, which ended with Harrison Reeves flashing his shot from an acute angle on the left-hand side high and wide, when he might have been better advised to bring the ball down and seek to set-up a teammate in a more central position.
Ragguette tried his luck with a shot from 30 yards, which struck a defender. And the Stags No.7 had the last attempt of the first half when, taking up a position on the right-hand side, he received Green’s long diagonal pass to shoot from a tight angle, his effort bobbling into the grateful arms of Lewis Clayton.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 1
BISHOP'S CLEEVE 1
Ragguette was in the thick of the action from the start of the second-half, too, linking up with Rendell and Oyebamiji to attack the Bishop’s Cleeve box until Clayton intervened to snatch the ball away. Then, Jack Watts, who notched 37 goals in all competitions for the Mitres last season, escaped the attentions of Pascal Kpohomouh to shoot into the side-netting from right of the Totton goal.
A foul by Shayne Anson on Jireh Oyebamiji earned Totton a free-kick to the right of the visitors' penalty area. Taylor’s in-swinging delivery was too high even for the spring-heeled Luke Hallett but had to be turned over his own crossbar by a Cleeve defender at the far post.
GET STUCK IN: New AFC Totton Captain Mike Carter gets his boot in to win the ball in midfield for AFC Totton at home to Bishop's Cleeve.
Five minutes into the second-half, the irrepressible Oyebamiji was causing more trouble, latching onto a loose ball to poke it through the legs of goalkeeper Clayton and side foot for goal, only to see Anson throwing himself to the ground to clear from the goal-line to keep the scores level. Then, Taylor won the ball back near half-way, allowing Rendell to release Oyebamiji down the right-wing. He held the ball up long enough to allow teammates to get forward, but his right-footed cross into the box still eluded the onrushing boys in blue.
On 55 minutes, a claret-and-blue defender had to stretch to repel a searching ball forward, allowing Oyebamiji to pick up the loose ball outside the box, with defenders at his back. Just as he appeared to be about to lay it back to Kpohomouh, Oyebamiji twisted and turned to put the ball on his left foot and curled a speculative effort narrowly beyond the top-left corner of Clayton’s goal. Then, Carter’s long clearance was beautifully-controlled by Ragguette’s immaculate first touch, though his low cross was too strong for Oyebamiji to connect with in the centre.
Having visibly stepped up the intensity of their attacking forays into Bishop’s Cleeve territory, the Stags went ahead for the first time in the 2022/23 season with another debut goal - the product of an exquisite, swift passing move involving several AFC Totton players. As one attack ebbed, the ball was worked back to the half-way line where Hallett's first-time pass enabled Charlie Kennedy to put his side back on the front foot through the centre-circle. An intricate exchange between Taylor, Green and Ragguette followed, with the latter chipping the ball over a defender to find Taylor in a pocket of space on the left of the Mitres’ penalty area. He hung his cross to the far post where Scott RENDELL leapt high to head past Clayton for his first competitive Stags goal. The move rightly drew adulation from the crowd, appreciative of the quality of football on show.
HEADS, I WIN: Centre-forward Scott Rendell swoops to head home the winner on his competitive debut for AFC Totton, ensuring maximum points from the season's opener.
Taylor looked to repeat the trick shortly after, with Ragguette, Kpohomouh and Oyembamiji all joining in a fleet-footed move that only came to an end when the ball escaped Taylor’s toe just as he was about to pull the trigger from inside the Bishop’s box.
Jordan Ragguette, who had been posing an attacking threat all afternoon, drew praise from the sidelines for his defensive work on the Totton left, as he tracked his man along the touchline to protect Green from becoming overloaded at left-back. Then, only an excellently-timed intervention by Shayne Anson prevented Oyebamiji from connecting with Ragguette’s drilled left-wing cross, after Taylor had spread the play from centre-field.
Jack Masterton made his return to competitive football in the 68th minute, slotting in on the left in place of Michael Green. Before play could restart, the Referee came over to the away team dugout and showed the red card to Bishop’s Cleeve manager Paul Collicutt for something he said. While that was happening, fans were beginning to notice the smell of smoke wafting across the Snows Stadium, while several fire engines blared along Salisbury Road on their way to attending what later turned out to be a major fire incident in the fields behind the Calmore Industrial Estate located next to the ground.
Shortly after, Bishop’s Cleeve brought on Kia Newman in place of Harrison Reeves. And the new man made an immediate impact by initiating an attack from which Carter was drawn into committing a foul just a few yards outside the Totton area. From the free-kick, Newman struck the ball right-footed but it clipped the defensive wall before looping over the bar. Adam Tomasso headed out Newman’s corner from the right, the follow-up shot from Watts was blocked and the ball cleared to safety.
Hesitation from Pascal Kpohomouh resulted in him then having to lunge into a challenge with Watts, resulting in a free-kick for the visitors. Newman’s centre was saved by Lewis Noice, taking the ball cleanly inside his area before any opponent could get to it.
On 77 minutes, Jimmy Ball made his two remaining substitutions with the introductions of Yemi Odubade for Pascal Kpohomouh and Jake Adams for the impressive Jireh Oyebamiji.
Jake Adams's first contribution to proceedings was to be on the receiving end of a studs-up challenge by Kia Newman. The Referee did not hesitate to flash his red card, sending the Bishop’s Cleeve sub to join his manager in the away dressing room. And shortly after, Jack Watts had his name taken for dissent.
BOING, BOING: The spring-heeled Luke Hallett comes close to adding to AFC Totton's lead.
A powerful forward dribble by Ragguette took on two defenders before eventually running aground inside the Bishop’s Cleeve box. Then, Adams battled his way through two claret-and-blue shirts to win a corner on the left. Taylor's high cross was met by Luke Hallett's powerful header, forcing a combination of Clayton and his defenders to scrape the ball away from their goal-line.
Ragguette and Hallett were pressed into defensive service to prevent the visitors from profiting from a free-kick looped into the box from mid-way inside the Totton half. Then, Hallett was forced into bravely throwing his body in the way when an overhit pass intended for him almost presented possession back to the away side right in front of his manager, Jimmy Ball.
Yemi Odubade, operating as a wing-back, played the ball along the right wing for Ethan Taylor to collect. He managed to turn inside Anson and then curl a looping cross over the head of the last defender for Scott Rendell, who tried to bring the ball down at the far post but couldn’t get his shot away.
Samuel Blackie added his name to the Referee’s naughty list by bringing down Odubade. A forward pass from the centre-circle by Taylor found Adams, who dropped his left shoulder to side-step two defenders and strike a fierce left-footed effort that Clayton parried with two strong arms. The rebound fell back to Adams but his follow-up attempt was too high.
Keeper Clayton then went forward for a late Bishop’s Cleeve corner but the delivery was overhit. As the last few minutes ticked away, the attempts of Cleeve’s star striker Jack Watts to salvage something for his team were matched by Luke Hallett's defensive discipline, the former Forest Green Rovers man not allowing the No.10 out of his sight to ensure the Stags held on for the win.
AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured) said, after the match:
“We made it very hard but we showed a lot of togetherness, a lot of grit. It’s the first time in two seasons that we’ve come back from a goal down, so I’m pleased with that. We have a few more leaders in the team this season, without being disrespectful to anyone, and we’re going to need them because this is a tough league.
“At Hamworthy on Tuesday, we’ve got to get back to the things we worked quite hard on in pre-season, which we didn’t do today for about an hour. But when we did, that second goal is as good as you’ll see. That win will give us a little bit of confidence in terms of sticking together and fighting it out. We’ve just got to capitalise on that, make the most of it and head into this next couple of games the same.
“Sometimes you try too hard. We were forcing it a little but, rushing it a little bit - it looked like a hot potato at times. But once we went a goal down, we thought ‘Right, let’s play some football’ and then once we did and whenever we did, I thought we were very, very good.”
Watch the full interview with StagsRadio's Doug Webber
Elsewhere on the Southern League Div1 South's opening day of the season, Bashley celebrated their return to Step 4 with a 2-1 home win over Bristol Manor Farm, despite a Farmy Army goal from Owen Howe. Last season’s promotion challengers Frome Town left it late but beat Evesham United 1-0 with a 90th-minute strike from George Rigg.
Ex-Stag keeper Amadeusz Skrzyniarz was sent off as Lymington Town crashed to a 1-4 defeat at Paulton Rovers, with Kyle Tooze helping himself to a hat-trick including one from the penalty spot. Another ex-Stag, midfielder Ben McLean, scored for Slimbridge but still found himself on the wrong end of a 1-3 defeat at home to Sholing.
Next weekend’s FA Cup Preliminary Round opponents Melksham Town also suffered a home defeat to league newcomers Exmouth Town, Levi Landricombe's brace sending the Town on their way to three points with a 3-1 win. Wimborne Town recovered from a 4th-minute own goal by Thomas Parker-Trott to beat visitors Cinderford Town by the same scoreline.
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
