AFC Totton
By Josh Cole
TWO missed penalties, clearances off the lines and the woodwork’s intervention, the AFC Totton vs Maidstone game had everything.
The game kicked into gear straight away with Ryan Jckson marauding forward from right-back, but his shot was pushed away by Nathan Harness.
Three minutes later in the 11th minute the Stones took the lead through Deon Moore.
A lapse in communication from the Totton backline as they thought the ball was going out, it was kept in by John Gilbert and his cross found an open Moore and he headed past Ryan Gosney.
Despite more Totton pressure after that goal, it was a handball decision given against Joe Oastler and a penalty awarded to Maidstone.
Sam Corne the captain stepped up, but his penalty was saved by Gosney as he dived to his left, it was a good height for the Totton ‘keeper to save it.
The final ball again was haunting Totton as they pushed forward to get on level terms.
Five minutes before the break Lee fired just over the bar from inside the penalty area.
In the 48th minute Craig Tanner’s corner was floated towards the back-post and Lee’s header was cleared off the line.
66 minutes into the game and Maidstone had another penalty, as Gilbert took the ball round Gosney and played the ball across the box but the intervention from Cordner stopped the ball from going in, but he did it illegally and with his arm.
This time stepping up was the goal scorer Moore, and once again, Gosney was to Totton’s rescue as he dived to his left to turn it away for a corner, the second penalty save.
Two minutes later, AFC Totton were up the other end, with Malachi Linton laying the ball off to Brandon Haunstrup and his low-driven effort from the outside of the box with Harness doing well to get down low and save.
72nd minute, ten minutes after his first yellow card, Ryan Jackson received a second for an incident down by the corner flag and Totton were down to ten.
Dec Rose, who came on to replace the vacant position at right-back to the expense of Linton, put a high ball into the box and Scott Rendell at the back-post saw his header come off the line.
What a game for the neutral and it only finished 0-1, with all three points heading back to Kent.
