AFC Totton
TOTTON TOPPLE TIVERTON WITH STOPPAGE-TIME WINNER
TOM BLAIR’S INJURY-TIME WINNER gave AFC Totton a valuable away win from a scrappy affair in Devon.
Both sides struggled to produce anything of quality during a turgid first half, in which the home side’s best opportunity was headed over the bar by Asa Hall from a set-piece delivery, and Totton’s Ethan Taylor shot across goal and wide after being released into the inside-left channel.
The 57th-minute dismissal of Tiverton’s Toby Down for a second bookable offence – a foul on Tony Lee, when the referee might well have allowed Taylor to play on and finish – handed The Stags a welcome numerical advantage, which they huffed and puffed to exploit while Tiverton appeared content to play out a goalless draw, but for Dylan Jones squeezing one shot between a forest of Totton legs to force Ryan Gosney to repel from the goal line with his shins.
The introductions of winger Tom Blair and centre-forward Scott Rendell added new impetus, and although it took until stoppage time, Totton eventually broke through the yellow-and-black cordon with a suitably scrambled winner.
Lee hurled the ball into play from the left-wing touchline. Roddy Collins flicked on at the near post and Rendell stretched to try and head home at the far; the ball fell to the right of the six-yard box where Tom BLAIR poked past goalkeeper Joe Duncan.
Acrimony had been building between the two sides throughout the second half, and the referee dished out a flurry of yellow cards before the end, but Totton held on to win.
Full-Time: TIVERTON TOWN 0-1 AFC TOTTON
Attendance: 306
Star Man: Ben JEFFORD (AFC Totton)
Entertainment Value: 2/5
Author: Ben Rochey-Adams
