AFC Totton
Photo courtesy of Oli Blackburn
By Josh Cole
AFC Totton used all the time available to snatch a late point away at Chelmsford City and dent the home side’s play-off hopes.
It was the Stags who mustered the first chance on goal, as Christie Ward found space and drove towards the edge of the box. However, his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
On 11 minutes, Totton found themselves exposed at the back, and a deep run from Mandela Egbo cut through the defence. He latched onto a ball over the top and produced a cool finish, lifting it over Ryan Gosney to make it 1–0.
Five minutes later, Lyle Taylor had his first sight of goal, striking a free-kick from around 25 yards out that narrowly missed the post.
In the 29th minute, Gosney was called into action as Chelmsford broke quickly on the counter, and he denied the Clarets a second goal.
For much of the first half, the game was dominated by long balls from both sides, and clear chances were limited.
With 53 minutes on the clock, and after a slow start to the second half, a shot from Taylor provided the first real opening, but his effort was thwarted by the legs of Gosney.
Once again, the game settled into a pattern of direct play from both teams, with neither side able to create any clear-cut opportunities.
The game changed in the 75th minute when Anthony Papadopoulous was shown a second yellow card for simulation.
This gave Totton the extra man and the impetus needed to push for an equaliser.
It wasn’t until the 90th minute that the advantage really began to show, as Chelmsford dropped deeper and deeper, with AFC Totton penning them into their own box.
The hosts threw bodies in front of goal, blocking four shots in quick succession inside the area.
In the 96th minute, a Declan Rose corner met the head of Luke Hallett, and the ball looped into the net to give the Stags a dramatic last-gasp equaliser.
AFC Totton XI: 13. Ryan Gosney, 4. Mike Carter (c), 5. Luke Hallett, 7. Ash Clarke (Jaiden Bartolo 74’), 10. Tony Lee, 11. Malachi Linton, 12. Jake Grante, 17. Declan Rose, 19. Christie Ward, 23. Ralph Vigrass (Vaughn Covil 59’), 26. Tyler Cordner.
Unused subs: 6. Dan O’Connor, 9. Scott Rendell, 27. Craig Tanner.
Attendance: 1,733
GO STAGS
