AFC Totton
SOUTHAMPTON DIVISIONAL FA
SUNDAY SENIOR CUP 2021/22 - FINAL
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 6
Nathan Gray 5mins, 18mins, 79mins; Tom Munday 31mins, 89mins; Dan Gain 49mins
EMPIRE FC 1
Aaron Dunne 24mins
AFC Totton Sunday confirmed their status as the best Sunday football team in the Southampton region at the Snows Stadium last night (Tuesday), by romping to a 6-1 victory over Empire FC in the Final of the Southampton Divisional Football Association (SDFA) Sunday Senior Cup and, in the process, completing the League & Cup Double.
The Sunday Stags enjoyed an unbeaten campaign in the City of Southampton Sunday Football League (CoSSFL) Div.1, which included a 5-1 win over their cup final opponents on the opening day of the season and a 2-2 draw in the return match at Testwood Rec. And last night, a Nathan Gray hat-trick plus two goals from Tom Munday and one from defender Dan Gain ensured a bumper crowd of 401 were treated to an evening of scintillating attacking football at the home of the AFC Totton First Team.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY, SDFA Sunday Senior Cup Final 2021/22. From left-to-right: Lewis Gundry (captain), Mitch Coleman (goalkeeper), Tom Rafferty, Nathan Gray, Tom Munday, Michael MacLeod, Liam Hanlon, Matt Harrington, Jordan Canning, Jason Calcutt, Dan Gain.
Former England U18 international Jack Martin was unavailable, so Mitch Coleman returned to the goalkeeper position, where he had already made 13 appearances during the course of the season. The versatile Jason Calcutt shifted to right-back with Michael MacLeod on the left of defence and Jordan Canning taking the No.11 shirt on the left wing. Prior to the match, captain and central midfielder Lewis Gundry let it be known that he intends to retire from football after this Cup Final. Player/Manager Sam Conway named himself among the substitutes, as a precaution.
After the pre-match pleasantries had been completed, including the presentation of the CoSSFL Div.1 trophy, the teams switched ends with the Sunday Stags attacking towards the turnstile entrance end. And they almost took the lead within the opening 30 seconds, when Jordan Canning and Matt Harrington exchanged passes from a left-wing throw to enable Canning to cross to the far side, the bounce of the ball eluding Empire goalkeeper Shane Mavrodaris and sitting up for Tom Munday who couldn't wrap his leg around it at close proximity to the target.
THE GAFFER: AFC Totton Sunday manager Sam Conway watches on pensively from the touchline during the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup Final against Empire FC.
Nathan Gray took a free-kick from the right-hand side which was headed out before Dan Gain could connect near to the penalty spot. But a Totton throw shortly after was knocked-on inside the area by Harrington and Gray's volley had to be blocked by the large frame of defender Will Davison. And Totton continued their bright start when Michael MacLeod linked up with Canning down the left flank, with the latter's cross again needing an intervention from Will Davison.
A strong tackle by Munday near the touchline in front of the home dugout in just the third minute was indicative of Totton's intention to press their opponents back into their own half, the right-midfielder earning a free-kick as he tussled to get away from his man. Although that set-piece didn't come to anything, Sam Conway's men were soon rewarded for their positive start.
Mitch Coleman's long-kick upfield in the fifth minute was well-controlled by Harrington with a defender at his back, and laid off a short distance to Canning, left of centre, about 25 yards out. Canning floated his cross over the left-back to find Nathan GRAY on the opposite side of the penalty spot and the striker showed terrific composure to control the ball on his knee before picking his spot on the left side of goal with a firm finish high into the net.
HITMAN: AFC Totton Sunday striker Nathan Gray got the goalscoring underway after just 5 minutes at the Snows Stadium.
Will Davison demonstrated his threat with long throws by hurling the ball in from Empire's left-wing touchline towards the near post, where his brother Tom Davison got across Jason Calcutt to flick his header over the crossbar from about 8 yards.
Harrington and Canning combined again a minute later, with the centre-forward heading the ball on to the left-winger, before charging into the box to get on the end of Canning's cross, his shot blocked by an already busy Empire defence.
Tom Davison led a raid down the Empire left until Calcutt made an impeccably-timed sliding tackle inside his own area to take the ball cleanly. Liam Hanlon was beginning to assert authority in central midfield, freeing Lewis Gundry to get forward and build attacks down the right-hand side with Munday and Gray.
Gain's defensive header in the 16th minute from Empire's right-wing cross had Munday wrestling for possession outside the Totton box, before setting off on a lung-busting run that took him three-quarters the length of the pitch via a one-two with Gray, to win a throw-in for his team deep in opposition territory. Empire managed to get the ball away and had a briefly promising attack down their right-hand side until the low cross was delivered too close to Coleman. And, shortly after, the Sunday Stags doubled their lead.
Coleman's kick found Michael MacLeod on the left, just beyond the half-way line. His high, diagonal cross-field pass took out two defenders, leaving Nathan GRAY with time to measure the bounce of the ball as he stole in on their blind side to loop the ball over Mavrodaris, into the centre of the goal.
IMPECCABLE SERVICE: AFC Totton Sunday left-back Michael MacLeod was a constant thorn in the side of Empire FC with the accuracy of his long-range deliveries to attacking teammates.
The Stags were enjoying themselves on the immaculate Snows Stadium surface and threatened again within a minute. For two of the shorter and slighter figures on the pitch, Gray and Canning both did well to make their presence felt with aerial challenges as the Empire defence struggled to deal with an awkwardly bouncing ball just inside their half. Hanlon shifted the ball out to the left and MacLeod again went for a long diagonal that picked out Tom Munday bearing down on goal from the right. But he missed his kick at the crucial moment, letting the exposed Empire defence off the hook.
Empire forward Leon Course pressed Calcutt and Coleman back towards their own goal in the 20th minute, but both players kept cool and were able to play their way out of trouble. Then, when Ashley Hibberd was allowed to carry the ball from defence and through the midfield, Aaron Dunne tried a snapshot from distance which drifted wide of the right-hand post. Totton went straight back up the other end with another long pass, but Joe Selby made a well-timed sliding tackle just as Munday was about to pull the trigger.
The team in red halved the deficit in the 24th minute, when a short period of possession passing had Totton pushed back into their own area. They worked the ball out to their skipper Carl Steadman on the left, who turned infield and floated right-footed cross into the centre, towards the edge of the 6-yard-box. The flight of the ball took out all of the blue-shirted defenders and as Coleman came out to punch, Aaron DUNNE got there first to plant a firm header into the left corner of the net.
Dunne was one of the Empire goalscorers in the 2-2 draw in November, and his goal injected a new sense of belief into his side who were buoyed by vocal support from the Wessex Heartbeat Stand. They were soon on the ball again, shifting it around midfield with purpose. Tom Rafferty was drawn into a foul on Dunne, in a central position about 35 yards from the Totton goal. Rafferty managed to get his head in the way of the free-kick but the ball flew up rather than out, and Calcutt had to be alert to clear before Course could get his leg high enough to launch a volley at Coleman from 12 yards.
THE CONDUCTOR: AFC Totton Sunday captain Lewis Gundry, in his last match before retirement, orchestrates proceedings from midfield in the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup Final.
Empire continued to apply pressure, pinning Totton back into their own half. Calcutt had to make another sliding tackle inside his own box, but again took the ball without issue. Then, MacLeod managed to get his team going in the right direction again, delivering another cross from deep that put Munday into a foot race with the last defender. There was a slight nudge at his back but not enough to warrant the tumble he took, the Referee allowing play to continue as Munday, sat on the grass, threw his arms open in a futile appeal for a penalty-kick.
But just past the half-hour mark, the same player made a major impact on the game by restoring AFC Totton Sunday's two-goal advantage. The energetic Gray - keen to make up for the disappointment of losing last week's Saturday Senior Cup Final to the AFC Totton First Team with his Folland Sports teammates - scampered out to the left wing to gather the ball and played it back to MacLeod, shortly advanced of the half-way line. His crossfield delivery prompted Munday to leap like the proverbial salmon, getting himself head and shoulders above his marker to steer a strong header towards goal. Mavrodaris parried but the ball fell back to the feet of Tom MUNDAY who smashed it into the top-left corner to make the score 3-1 to Totton.
GET IN THERE!: Tom Munday celebrates scoring for AFC Totton Sunday against Empire FC in the Final of the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup at the Snows Stadium.
Hanlon tried to release Canning with a chip into the inside-left channel, which was well-defended. Then, Mavrodaris had to be off his line quickly to beat the hat-trick hunting Gray to a through-ball.
MacLeod's crossfield deliveries continued to cause problems for Empire. Munday took the ball under control on the right, with time to get his head up. Gray was loitering near the penalty spot but Munday opted to slide the ball across goal in search of Harrington who was closing in at the far post. A defender dangled a foot and came very close to diverting it into the bottom-left corner of his own net, but to his relief, the ball crept wide of the upright.
A tight turn and cross by Harrington, close to the left-wing byline, forced a corner in the 38th minute. The cross was headed out for a throw but Totton soon worked the ball back into the crowded area, with Harrington driving a shot into the mid-riff of a defender and Hanlon following up with a right-footed drive from outside the box that flew narrowly over the bar.
Three minutes before half-time, Steadman picked the ball up in midfield for Empire and drove his pass into the inside-right channel to play Course in behind Rafferty. Aware that he had to act quickly, Course blasted his shot over the top from a tightening angle.
Rafferty cleared as Jordan Vaughan tried to run at the heart of Totton's defence. Hanlon took possession and fed Canning but a strong challenge by Selby snuffed out the chance. On the stroke of half-time, Rafferty and Coleman got in each others way on the edge of the Totton penalty area and Course tried to take advantage, but couldn't find an angle for the finish so had to settle for a corner. The delivery dropped dangerously in the area, hitting a Totton defender to fall to Will Davison near the penalty spot but his left-footed shot flashed over the bar.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 3
EMPIRE FC 1
Totton began the second-half as they had the first, determined to impose their will upon the game. Nathan Gray worked his way into the box from the right-hand side of the penalty area, but Mavrodaris was well-positioned to get his body behind the shot. But four minutes into the second period, Gray's corner from the right was only partially cleared. The ball bounced up kindly for Dan GAIN to unleash a right-footed half-volley from the edge of the area that flew into the top-right corner, with Mavrodaris beaten all-ends-up.
Before the restart, Empire made the first substitution of the match, with Tom Stubbs coming on for Joe Selby. Jason Calcutt had to concede a corner but the Empire delivery was diverted over the crossbar. Then, Gundry's pass from midfield put Gray clean through on goal in the inside-left channel. Having demonstrated enough pace to leave his marker for dead, Gray bore down on Mavrodaris and tried to place his finish in the bottom-right corner, but the Empire keeper made a smart reaction save with his legs to deny AFC Totton Sunday's top goalscorer his hat-trick goal.
TARGET MAN: Hard-working AFC Totton Sunday centre-forward Matt Harrington was a handful for the Empire FC defence.
A well-struck shot across goal from the right of Totton's penalty area by Ashley Hibberd scorched past the far post, after Rafferty's miss-kick in the middle sent the ball to him. Then, Coleman's long-kick down the centre of the pitch caused confusion for two defenders, which Matt Harrington moved in to capitalise upon, but his shot was blocked at source by a covering defender.
Empire's Scott Brown gained possession on the right-hand side and crossed to the far post. Calcutt got his head to it before the striker could but his header looped closer to the Totton goal than he intended, requiring Coleman to claw the ball out from under his crossbar, which prompted a goalmouth scramble. Empire thought they had a penalty shout for a shot that struck Dan Gain in the arm from close-range but the Referee wasn't interested, and the eventual follow-up shot was too high.
Gray had another chance to complete his hat-trick when Hanlon fed Harrington high up the right wing. He held the ball up before teeing Munday for a first-time cross that evaded the defender to leave Gray with a free header, which he steered wide of the right-hand post, possibly unsighted by the defender stretching for a header in front of him.
The ball was flashed across the Totton goalmouth as Empire continued to search for a way back into the game, but no red shirts were on-hand to apply the finishing touch. Then, Munday glided past two challenges in midfield and passed to Gray on the right-wing touchline. He continued his run into the centre and Gray tried to threat the ball back into his path, but Will Davison got his foot in to halt the right-midfielder's progress.
Nick Wiseman stepped off the bench on the hour mark, taking the place of Ashley Hibberd. Rafferty took a heavy touch and then got caught out of possession trying to rectify the situation, allowing Empire to send Aaron Dunne on a foray down their right-hand side. But Liam Hanlon had his teammate's back, racing back on the cover to nick the ball off Dunne's toe, and winning a free-kick that enabled Totton to regroup and recompose themselves.
NOT THIS TIME: Empire FC's Joe Selby slides in to prevent Jordan Canning progressing an attack for AFC Totton Sunday.
Munday received the ball in an advanced position on the right wing. With Tom Davison blocking his way, he switched the ball to his left foot and sent in a high in-swinging cross that had Gray stretching at the far post. Mavrodaris was exposed in the Empire goal but from the tight angle so close to the post, Gray could only knock the ball back across goal with the outside of his right foot, enabling the keeper to scoop it up.
Tom Munday was playing with the confidence of a winger who knew he had the beating of his full-back, skinning Tom Davison on the right edge of the penalty area on his way to the byline before advancing on goal from a tight angle and letting fly with a fierce shot that sailed over the top. Even out of possession, Munday's presence and willingness to press near the half-way line was enough to unsettle two Empire players into conceding a throw-in when they had the chance to instigate another attack. Then, on the opposite side of the pitch, Michael MacLeod wowed the crowd with a piece of skill that saw him pirouette on the ball in the left-back position to evade Dunne's attempt to press him, and played the ball to a blue-shirted teammate in midfield.
A period of passing possession for Empire was interrupted by Hanlon's sliding tackle on half-way. Gray picked up the loose ball and tried to play Munday in behind the defence through the centre, but the ball bounced off a defender and evaded Munday's stride.
Empire then made their third and final substitution, sending on Alex Hopcroft to replace Jamie Baker.
Leon Course, wearing the No.20 shirt for Empire, thought he was clean through on the Totton goal in the 69th minute but the Referee called him back for a push on Dan Gain, which may have been harsh on the forward as the giant centre-back had been caught out by an awkward bounce and lost his footing.
MIDFIELD GENERAL: Liam Hanlon's preformance in central midfield provided a foundation for success for AFC Totton Sunday, on their way to lifting the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup.
Coleman's long-kick was flicked-on by Harrington, Hanlon taking the ball on the bounce to test Mavrodaris from outside the box, the Empire keeper showing strong hands to deal with it comfortably. Then, Gray burrowed his way down the left-hand side to create the space for Canning to receive his pass on the left corner of the penalty area. With defenders between him and the goal, Canning tried to curl a high effort into the top-right corner. His shot lacked the power to evade Mavrodaris, though, and the keeper plucked the ball out of the air.
Will Davison did well to get his foot in to stop Harrington bulldozing his way through mass ranks of red shirts in the penalty area. Then, a misplaced back-pass by Hanlon from the centre-circle put Course clean through down the centre. Realising the distance between him and the Empire forward was too big, Tom Rafferty showed excellent presence of mind to throw himself prone to position his legs in the way of a potential finish to Coleman's left, nudging Course further wide and forcing him to take another touch to shift to Coleman's right. That gave the Totton goalkeeper an extra half-second to close the angle and he blocked Course's shot with his torso. The Empire forward regathered the ball but with Coleman right on top of him, he laid it back to the edge of the area where one teammate dummied and the second attempted a shot from inside the D, only to find that Gain was back in position to get his body in the way and deflect wide for a corner, from which they were unable to trouble Coleman again.
With about 15 minutes to go, Hanlon was still bossing central midfield and launched a one-man raid from the half-way line that only came to an end once he'd made his way to the edge of the Empire area and Will Davison could punt the ball away. The Stags then began to sit back and allow Empire to keep the ball inside their own half, the tendency of their defenders to push all the way to half-way when the team came forward leaving plenty of space for the Gray and Munday to exploit on the counter. But Empire came closest to adding to the scoreline when Course collected the ball around the D on the edge of Totton's box and fired a shot about a foot over Coleman's crossbar.
Sam Conway then made his first substitution of the night, sending on Jay Brading for Jordan Canning. The left-foot of MacLeod curled an in-swinging corner from the right-hand side. Munday headed for goal from about 8 yards but it was straight at Mavrodaris. And when the tiring legs of skipper Lewis Gundry wrong-footed his own defence with a misplaced pass, he was grateful for the presence of the fresh-legged Jay Brading, who sprinted back into the left-back to rush the Empire player into a low cross, Course meeting it with a tired effort that was easy for Coleman to collect.
Having come close to doing so on a couple of occasions, Nathan Gray finally completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute. Michael MacLeod, whose service to his attacking teammates had been impeccable all night, popped up in the right-back area and spotted Gray's run into the inside-left channel, off the shoulder of the last defender. MacLeod's high diagonal dropped perfectly into the striker's path and, leaving his marker in his wake, Nathan GRAY advanced upon Mavrodaris's goal, gave himself a moment to compose himself and then slammed the ball past the goalkeeper's right shoulder to make the score 5-1 to AFC Totton Sunday. If it wasn't already, the goal confirmed the Cup Final was over as a contest and that Gray finishes the season as the team's top goalscorer with 14 goals in all competitions.
HAT-TRICK HERO: Man of the Match Nathan Gray celebrates scoring one of his three goals in the Final of the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup Final against Empire FC at the Snows Stadium.
Empire showed good heart and continued to attack whenever they could. Jordan Vaughan carried the ball a long way into Totton territory with blue shirts backing off, but Empire over-played in a tight area which gave Calcutt the chance to knock the ball back to Coleman, who punted upfield.
With tiring legs and cramp affecting several players from both sides, Hanlon and Harrington appeared to have swapped positions late on. Hanlon pulled a save out of Mavrodaris from the edge of the area. Then, Gray found Munday near the right-wing corner flag, who teed up Brading for a first-time cross that Hanlon just couldn't reach in the centre.
Tom Stubbs hit a shot over the Totton bar, after Will Davison set him up for a chance from the edge of the area. Totton then won a corner on the right but before it could be taken, Jason Calcutt was withdrawn by Sam Conway to make way for Harry Brookwell, who slotted in at left-back with MacLeod now over on the right. Tom Munday took the corner and Liam Hanlon's header was on-target, only to be scraped off the line by the defender on the back post. It resulted in another corner from the left, which Brading took. Empire managed to turn it out of their area to where Lewis Gundry brought it under control about 20 yards from goal. His right-footed drive was firmly-struck but Mavrodaris positioned himself well, parrying the skipper's shot and gathering rebound back to his chest before Harrington could steal it away or poke it into the net.
Nathan Gray then confirmed his Man of the Match status by chasing back to the byline in the Totton left-back position to protect his tiring defensive colleagues and belt the ball into midfield, denying Empire the chance to score what would by then have only been a second consolation goal.
And before the final whistle, there was still time for Tom Munday to weigh in with his second goal of the night. Inevitably, MacLeod was involved in the build-up again, hitting a long pass that pitted Munday in a foot race with Tom Davison down the right-hand side. Tom MUNDAY - who, by all accounts, spends more time in the gym than the people who actually work there - sprinted through and skipped around the oncoming Mavrodaris to roll the ball into the empty net. It was Munday's sixth goal of this cup run, having scored in every round except the semi-final, and no more than his typically whole-hearted performance on the evening deserved.
The Referee didn't need to see much more and brought the curtain down on the 2021/22 Southampton Divisional Football Association Sunday Senior Cup, sparking elated if somewhat exhausted celebrations among the blue contingent. Empire, for their part, were magnanimous in defeat, several of their players and staff extolling complements to Sam Conway and his team before the medal presentations.
SILVERWARE: Lewis Gundry receives the SDFA Sunday Senior Cup trophy on behalf of AFC Totton Sunday after their 6-1 victory over Empire FC at the Snows Stadium.
Then, marking his last football match before retirement, the AFC Totton Sunday captain Lewis Gundry went out on a high by lifting the trophy before being joined by his teammates for a celebration of a job well done - both by the team on the night and by the entire squad throughout the course of the season.
Man of the Match: NATHAN GRAY
GET HIM!: AFC Totton Sunday celebrate winning the Southampton Sunday Senior Cup 2021/22.
MAKE MINE A DOUBLE: Manager Sam Conway, Kit Manager Marc Watts and Assistant Manager Chaz Lodge can reflect upon an immensely successful season in which they have established AFC Totton Sunday as the best Sunday league team in the entire Southampton region.
AFC Totton Sunday would like to thank our sponsors Gentlemen's League Barbers and Hurst Auto Assistance for everything they have done for us. Our success on the pitch would not have been possible without your fantastic support.
Match Report: BEN ROCHEY-ADAMS
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
