AFC Totton
CITY OF SOUTHAMPTON SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIV.1
MATCHDAY #2
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 4
Gary Bagley 28mins; Matt Harrington 47mins; Tom Munday 51mins; Jason Calcutt 67mins
BOUJEE PINT CF 1
Tom Stevens 75mins
AFC Totton Sunday capitalised on last week's impressive showing at Empire FC by taking all three points at home to Boujee Pint CF at Hunts Farm Sports Ground on the Stockbridge Road in Timsbury, this morning (Sunday) in the City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1.
This home match for Sam Conway's team was originally to take place at Testwood Recreation Ground in Totton but had to be rescheduled due to circumstances beyond the club's control. It mattered not, as the Stags ran out comfortable 4-1 winners against the 2019/20 Div.2 Champions.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY
Starting Line-Up
1. Mitch COLEMAN
2. Luke SCOULER
3. Jay BRADING
4. Dan GAIN
5. Tom RAFFERTY
6. Gary BAGLEY
7. Lewis GUNDRY (Capt.)
9. Matt HARRINGTON
10. Nathan GRAY
11. Billy BELLOWS
15. Adam JONES
Subs
13. Jason CALCUTT
14. Tom MUNDAY
16. Josh CAREY
Manager
Sam CONWAY
The teams lined up in differing shades of blue, which the match referee confirmed were just shy of constituting a clash of colours, and AFC Totton Sunday were the quicker to find their rhythm against a Boujee Pint team playing their first match of the season.
After 5 minutes, a diagonal pass from Lewis Gundry from central midfield found Billy Bellows on the left-wing and his curling cross just eluded Matt Harrington on the far side. Two minutes later, centre-back Dan Gain came close with a header from Nathan Gray's left-wing free-kick. Then Gain went direct from halfway to pick out Nathan Gray, who controlled the ball under pressure and spun his marker to strike right-footed, sending the ball narrowly wide of the left-hand upright.
Gray then came close again with a shot from a tight angle on the right-hand side, which garnered a corner. His cross was only half-cleared by the Boujee Pint defence, allowing Luke Scouler to try his luck from just outside the box but the keeper got down to stop it.
The visitors' first attack of note came in the 22nd minute with a strong run and dribble through midfield and an incisive pass out to the right-winger, but alert defending by Scouler halted their progress.
Jay Brading then tussled with his opponent on halfway, close to the right-wing touchline, before feeding Nathan Gray with a low throughball. Gray outpaced the defender to go clean through on goal, but the Boujee goalkeeper was quickly off his line to shut down the angle and did well to get his body in the way of the Stags striker's low drive.
But Totton's early dominance warranted a goal and they got what they deserved on 28 minutes. Fleet-of-foot wing play by Billy Bellows on the left flank bamboozled two defenders before he sent his cross into the box. Another Boujee defender turned the ball away but Gary BAGLEY quickly won it back by shrugging an opponent off the ball just outside the penalty area, side-stepped another defender and hit a low shot into the bottom-left corner, beyond the outreached hand of the goalkeeper.
Boujee Pint fought back, looking for an instant equaliser, and both Totton centre-backs, Dan Gain and Tom Rafferty, had to assert their aerial authority to head dangerous crosses away. Then Totton went up the other end and tested the goalkeeper again, when Harrington turned his man to get a shot away after receiving the ball from a Luke Scouler throw-in from the left touchline.
A 34th-minute free-kick for Boujee Pint near the halfway line was sent high out to their right winger, who did well to control it and shoot across goal, the ball deflecting out for a corner. Mitch Coleman showed good composure and strong hands to get above a ruck of players close to his goal line and make a clean catch from the cross.
Dan Gain had another headed chance from a Nathan Gray free-kick, but it was flicked away for a corner. Then Gain's defensive prowess was called upon to head clear another threatening Boujee Pint cross, after the hard-working Jay Brading had thrown his body into the path of a well-struck shot from the edge of the area.
Two minutes before half-time, Gain should have doubled Totton's lead when Nathan Gray floated another free-kick onto the penalty spot from deep on the right, but despite being unchallenged, Gain could only direct the ball over the crossbar.
And Totton ended the first half with a delightful team move that saw Rafferty, Brading and Gundry shift the ball through midfield before Andy Jones, getting forward from right-back, chipped the ball into the area for Harrington to head down to the right foot of Gray but his snapshot soared narrowly wide.
HALF-TIME:
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 1
BOUJEE PINT CF 0
Sam Conway made clear his pleasure with an impressive half of football but still rang the changes by bringing substitute Tom Munday on for his debut in place of Billy Bellows on the left wing and Josh Carey, a goalscoring substitute last week, on to replace Nathan Gray up front.
The AFC TOTTON SUNDAY Squad | Season 2021/22
Within two minutes of the restart, the Stags were 2-0 up. It was another team move, again involving a one-two between Brading and Gundry down the right-hand side, before Brading released the overlapping Jones. He sent an inviting cross in behind the Boujee defence, where Matt HARRINGTON arrived to chest the ball down and fire across the goalkeeper into the bottom-right corner.
Totton took total control by adding a third on 51 minutes, albeit under controversial circumstances. A challenge by Jay Brading on the Totton right-wing sent Boujee's JP Alexander to ground, clutching his ankle. And as both teams appeared to stop, expecting the referee to award a free-kick, Brading was the first to remember that old adage about playing to the whistle, swiftly moving the ball into the middle for Harrington who laid it off to the left for Tom MUNDAY to score on his AFC Totton Sunday debut with a tidy finish at the goalkeeper's near post - amid much protestation from the visiting team's players and staff.
Boujee Pint tried to mount something in the attacking third but could rarely pierce the Stags defensive ranks. A long-range effort was too high to trouble Coleman in the Totton goal and they were always susceptible to the counterattack.
Around 67minutes, supersub Jason CALCUTT, a centre-back last week, charged forward from halfway in the left-back position to take control of an awkwardly bouncing ball, riding half-hearted challenges on his way to the Boujee Pint penalty area. As the goal opened-up in front of him, he maintained his composure to smash the ball into the far corner, despite the keeper getting one hand to it. 4-0 to AFC Totton Sunday.
As both teams seemed to tire in a match that was already over as a contest, there were several chances at both ends to add to the scoring. Dan Gain's inability to find the target with his head prompted him to try one with his right foot, digging the ball out from under himself to clip a snapshot just wide of the top-right corner, with the Boujee defence at sixes-and-sevens. Then he could only manage a faint touch with his head from a left-wing corner, where he looked odds-on to score.
Dan Bagley got a strong header on target from the left-wing corner but the goalkeeper showed smart reactions to push it over the bar. And Coleman showed good reflexes of his own to deny the visitors a goal from an overhit cross from their right wing.
But Boujee Pint did get on the scoresheet around the 75th minute. A high ball was taken under control on the left of their midfield and shifted into the middle. A defence-splitting throughball was met by the well-timed run of Tom STEVENS who poked the ball past Coleman, onto the inside of the right-hand post and into the back of the net.
Dan Gain's personal Hell in front of goal continued when a 78th-minute free-kick from Josh Carey from the right presented him with a gilt-edged opportunity in acres of space at the far post, but his header careened across, up and over the frame of the goal as passing aircraft took evasive action. And a minute later, Carey found himself through on goal from Gundry's delicious diagonal pass. But faced with a tight angle from the right of goal, he elected for an elaborate chip to the far top corner, which didn't quite come off.
Munday beat the out-rushing goalkeeper to Bagley's pass from midfield, but while the keeper was stranded, Munday was too far wide to the left-wing to shoot and couldn't work it back infield quickly enough to take advantage. Then, Coleman had to be lively to intercept a long diagonal that threatened to put Stevens in again for Boujee Pint, before getting down low to nick the ball off the forward's foot, shortly after.
A late header from Matt Harrington flashed wide from another pinpoint free-kick delivery from Josh Carey. It was another in a long list of chances squandered by the Stags but manager Sam Conway was nevertheless delighted with his team's "exceptional" display, that cements them - along with Chamberlayne Athletic Sunday, 3-1 victors over Empire FC today - as the early pacesetters in the CoSSFL Div.1 table.
Man of the Match: Jay BRADING
AFC Totton Sunday would like to thank our sponsors Gentlemen's League Barbers and Hurst Auto Assistance for their ongoing support.
Match Report: Ben ROCHEY-ADAMS
Next Match: BOYATT WOOD (a)
Sun 19th Sep, 2021 | Kick-Off @ 10:00am | Cutbush Lane Playing Fields SO18 3RQ
(There is no direct access to Cutbush Lane from Mansbridge Road; please use Atlantic Park View in Townhill Way)
