AFC Totton
Totton overpowered by rampant Marine
Attendance – 400 By Talia Jones
AFC Totton may be happily in mid-table with just a couple of games left of the season, but looked as though they had already started their holidays with a lacklustre performance at home, losing 5-1 to Swindon Supermarine.
The Stags had the best of the opening moments at the Testwood Stadium; first, a Mike Gosney free kick tested their goalkeeper, Harvey Rivers, who batted it over with an outstretched glove, then a penalty shout after Nick Watts was clipped in the box, but referee, Colin Farrell, waved play on.
It looked to be a great start for Totton, when Watts’ swinging corner was met by a melee, and Swindon’s Ross Adams unwillingly headed the ball into his own net in the 12th minute, but the fightback was to be much stronger.
On 25 minutes, Marine’s passing play finally came together down the left, eventually finding Connor Thompson in the box, who casually half-vollyed the ball past a help Steve Mowthorpe.
Swindon could have taken the lead just moments before half time as Man of the Match, Josh Parsons, struck the ball into the goal, but was flagged for offside in the third minute of added time – a lucky escape for the Stags, but their luck was to run out.
The Marine onslaught started early on in the second half, with Sam Morris smashing the ball from the 18-yard line and taking a couple of deflections on the way through to make it 2-1; Mowthorpe had no chance.
Then moments later, another strike from the penalty area by substitute, Connor Waldon, rustled the Totton net once more, this time creating the space on his own.
20 minutes remaining and Swindon grabbed a fourth. It looked like the tight angle would go against Parsons and in Mowthorpe’s favour, but the Marine striker found a small gap between the goalkeeper and the post to pull off a very opportunistic move.
Thompson completed the rout with five minutes of normal time remaining, taking two bites of the cherry to find a way past Mowthorpe, to seal the three points and help their bid for the play-offs.
Totton have two games remaining to ensure a positive end to the season – the first being their final home game against local rivals, Wimborne Town on Tuesday night as they look to lift spirits before the league finale at Mangotsfield next Saturday.
Totton starting line-up: Mowthorpe, Hibberd, Diaper*, Williams, Oliver, Wilson, Watts, Burgess, Knight, Lilley**, Gosney.
Substitutes: Hunt, Silvestre, Alexander*, Brewer, Stuttard**.
