AFC Totton
TOTTON TOUGH IT OUT UNDER POOLE PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN MAXIMUM POINTS
AFC TOTTON MAINTAINED their perfect start to the 2024/25 season with a single-goal victory at Poole Town’s BlackGold Stadium in Dorset.
Making his full AFC Totton debut against his former club, Charlie Austin had a golden opportunity to open the scoring early when he stole half-a-yard from right-back Oakley Hanger. But the ball got stuck under his feet, allowing goalkeeper Cameron Plain to close the angle and make the stop.
The Stags took the lead on 15 minutes. Winger Tom Blair forced the home defence into retreat by driving at the left-wing byline, before picking out Scott RENDELL among all the bodies in the box with a low centre for the Totton No.9 to side-foot home his second goal in two games.
Poole enjoyed a lot of possession but found the Stags’ defence in indomitable mood. An angled snapshot from ex-Totton midfielder Billy Lowes brought a strong parry from ‘keeper Joshua Gould, who was also well-positioned to catch a Toby Holmes effort after the centre-forward drove infield from the left only to strike directly at the giant Totton shot-stopper.
The home side thought they should have had a penalty, three minutes before the break. Sam Magri got caught under a bouncing ball and lost his footing as Holmes appeared to be going clean through on-goal. Holmes, however, stumbled as the ball bounced between his knees and ricocheted towards the left. Antonio Diaz raced Gould to the loose ball, and took a tumble that prompted demands for a spot-kick from Dolphins fans around the ground. The referee was well-placed, though, and – after crossing and uncrossing his arms in a definitive “nothing doing” gesture – he booked Diaz for simulation.
Poole continued to boss possession in the second half, but it wasn’t until the introduction of winger Tyler Forbes – as one of three substitutions that boss Steve Tully made at once – that they managed to ask real questions of the Totton defence. The Dolphins’ No.20 skipped away from Ethan Taylor to fire in a low cross-shot that Gould did well to claim low at his near post. Forbes also helped to earn his side a number of corners, one of which led to a goalmouth scramble that Totton survived by sheer grit and willpower.
Rendell was handed a late chance to put the result beyond doubt when Taylor was tripped in the box from a Stags counter-attack. Usually deadly from 12 yards, Rendell’s penalty-kick was brilliantly saved by young ex-Bournemouth ‘keeper Plain, who also had the presence of mind to bravely fling himself in the way of Rendell’s attempt to convert the rebound.
Poole pressed for all they were worth, with Plain going forward and even getting his head to a left-wing corner, but Totton’s team is stuffed full of players who enjoy the muck and bullets of fighting their way to a clean sheet; three games into the new season, Jimmy Ball’s charges remain the only Southern League Premier Division South team yet to concede a goal.
Full-Time: POOLE TOWN 0-1 AFC TOTTON
Attendace: 841
Star Man: Charlie KENNEDY
Entertainment Value: 2/5
Author: Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Ian Middlebrook
