AFC Totton
RENDELL'S BRACE GROUNDS HAWKS AS STAGS CUT GAP TO TOP SPOT
SCOTT RENDELL WAS THE MAGIC MAN once again, scoring two goals in AFC Totton’s 3-1 home win against Havant & Waterlooville in the Southern League Premier Division South.
His first came as a result of Ethan Taylor’s ambitious volley being brilliantly pushed onto the crossbar by Hawks’ goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski, only for the rebound to fall kindly for the talismanic centre-forward to steer into an unguarded net.
A superbly executed header doubled The Stags’ advantage midway through the second half, as the veteran No.9 rose above his marker at the back post to power home Tom Blair’s sublime right-wing cross for his 14th goal of the season.
Totton’s third came in stoppage time, after some twinkletoes football from substitutes Charlie Austin and Craig Tanner down the right wing picked apart the Havant defence. Tanner then tried to tee-up Austin in the box; a deflection diverted the ball to Ben Seymour, who wrong-footed one defender with a fake shot before slipping the ball under the ‘keeper from close range.
The visitors responded with a ferocious 20-yard strike from Harvey Laidlaw, that nestled into the bottom-left corner after Totton had failed to clear a cross from Havant & Waterlooville’s right flank.
It could have been a very different story had the referee taken a dimmer view of Ryan Gosney’s handling offence outside his penalty area midway through the first half; The Stags ‘keeper was grateful to see only a yellow card brandished in his direction.
Havant & Waterlooville forced several free-kicks in dangerous areas but were uncharacteristically wasteful with their deliveries and shots on goal, while the notoriously skilful ex-Stag Leon Maloney shone in brief moments without ever truly affecting the outcome of the game.
Totton were good value for their one-nil half-time lead, with Dudzinski twice producing impressive stops to deny the busy Tony Lee, and parrying a well-struck effort from Taylor to keep his side in the contest.
Despite picking up several bookings, the home team were defensively solid throughout, and were well-established as the dominant force by the time Rendell headed home Blair’s cross. Seymour’s late third was his second in as many games and although Laidlaw’s piledriver prompted a mini Hawks revival, Totton had enough experienced heads on the pitch to ensure Jimmy Ball’s men saw the job through to completion.
The result reduces the gap between AFC Totton and the current league leaders Merthyr Town - who stuttered to their seventh draw in their last ten outings at Wimborne Town on Saturday - to just four points, while The Stags’ still have two games in-hand and a visit from The Martyrs to look forward to on 01 March.
Full-Time: AFC TOTTON 3-1 HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE
Attendance: 1,886
Star Man: Scott RENDELL (AFC Totton)
Entertainment Value: 4/5
Authors: Ben Brees and Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Dave Haines Photography
View the full ALBUM via Dave's Flickr account
Watch JIMMY BALL'S Post-Match Interview
Watch SCOTT RENDELL'S Post-Match Interview
