HAMPSHIRE COMBINATION UNDER-23s CHALLENGE CUP | Second Round
Wednesday 13 November 2024 | Snows Stadium, Totton | Att: ~90

BLEND OF YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE KEY TO PROGRESS IN THE CUP

AFC TOTTON U23s.                     5
Scott Rendell 1min, 26mins;
Leo Taylor 60mins; Remus Nixon 73mins;
Jack Good 90mins

TADLEY CALLEVA U23s           2
53mins (pen); 76mins

AFC TOTTON UNDER-23s continued their advance in the Hampshire Combination U23 Challenge Cup with an entertaining home win over a plucky Tadley Calleva side who put as many goals past the Young Stags in one half of football as five other teams have managed all season.

Senior players Mike Carter and Scott Rendell continued their returns from injury by taking up two of the permitted five over-age player berths. Jack Masterton, who recently rejoined the club after a year’s sabbatical, was also named in the starting XI, and there was a surprise inclusion for Luke Bennett, whose recovery from a dislocated shoulder was faster than originally anticipated.

AFC TOTTON U23s: 1. Max EVANS; 3. Jack MASTERTON; 4. Mike CARTER (Capt.); 5. Logan LAIRD; 6. Leo TAYLOR; 7. Dylan ANDREWS; 9. Scott RENDELL; 10. Owen PELHAM; 11. Remus NIXON; 16. Luke BENNETT; 19. Runo AGBERHIERE. Substitutes: 2. Cruz WRAGG; 8. Zachariah EARLEY; 14. Hugo RAWLINGS; 17. Trialist; 20. Jack GOOD. Substitutions: Rolling subs. Yellow Cards: LAIRD (Sin Bin); PELHAM (Foul)

The boys in blue took just 30 seconds to get their noses in front. Totton attacked down the right-hand side and Runo Agberhiere centred with a low cross, that deflected and bobbled its way to the feet of Scott RENDELL for an easy close-range finish.

Agberhiere’s next delivery from the right, after receiving Mike Carter’s pass from central midfield, was lofted in high for Rendell to attack with his head. But this time, the centre-forward’s effort lacked power and the Tadley Calleva goalkeeper caught the ball. Then, Jack Masterton and Remus Nixon combined to attack from the left. Nixon drove infield and slipped a short pass to Owen Pelham, whose snapshot was partially smothered by a defender and fell kindly for the ‘keeper.

Pelham had another go at goal, dribbling infield from the left and letting fly with a right-footed shot from the edge of the area that the ‘keeper saved low.

Totton went two-goals up in the 26th minute, when Agberhiere was tripped just next to the right corner of the penalty area. Pelham and Masterton both stood over the ball; the latter curled a low, left-footed cross towards the near post and Scott RENDELL turned it past the ‘keeper with a nonchalant flick of his right boot.

Logan Laird was booked and sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes for something he said to the referee. Totton continued to boss possession, with Carter dropping deep to conduct proceedings from the central defensive midfield position, but the management team could be heard imploring the players to raise the tempo of their passing to shift their opponents about the pitch.

A neat flick by Rendell enabled Masterton to play Pelham into position to drive into the Calleva area. He was quickly surrounded by several players dressed in all-yellow, and a more cynical player might have taken the opportunity to go down, but Pelham tried to battle his way through before ultimately being crowded out. Then, a left-wing cross rebounded off Nixon and fell to Rendell, who sent his snapshot narrowly wide of the right-hand post.

Rendell did well to put himself between the visitors’ two central defenders to wrestle possession of Nixon’s lofted pass back off them, and find Agberhiere on the right. He rode one challenge and then drove in an angled shot from about 20 yards that the goalkeeper parried and then grabbed at the second attempt.

HALF-TIME: AFC TOTTON U23s 2-0 TADLEY CALLEVA U23s

Totton began the second half as they had begun the first, raiding down the right flank; Agberhiere’s cross was a fraction too high for Rendell to reach with his head. Then, Dylan Andrews lined up a shot from a left-wing free-kick, which he fired over the crossbar.

Another chance fell to Andrews when Luke Bennett’s high cross from the right had the goalkeeper at full-stretch but he fumbled the ball; Andrews couldn’t wrap his foot around it properly and sent it over the bar, again.

Rendell took a pass on the turn inside the area and forced the ‘keeper to parry. Rendell was quickly onto the rebound but he couldn’t squeeze it home from the tight angle with the ‘keeper and one of his defenders both prostrating themselves to block the narrow gap.

Tadley Calleva got forward with a counter-attack, which Bennett ended by sliding in clear inside his own penalty area. But, the visitors were awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute when Leo Taylor missed his kick as the ball dropped from the heavens, and clipped a nearby opponent on the follow-through. Calleva’s No.11 struck the spot-kick well enough; Max Evans got two hands to it but was unable to keep it out of the net.

Totton substitute Cruz Wragg sent in a high cross from deep on the left wing, which Rendell met on the volley. A defender managed to divert it wide for a corner on the Totton right. Andrews delivered into the middle; Rendell came running in but appeared to be wrong-footed by a deflection. It fell to Nixon, whose shot struck a defender and left the goalkeeper stranded for Leo TAYLOR to tap home from two yards.

Hugo Rawlings introduced himself to the game by charging through one challenge and then being pulled to the ground by a rugby enthusiast in the Calleva defensive ranks. Pelham tried to roll the free-kick square for Rendell to shoot from just outside the penalty area, but the referee got in the way and the move broke down. Then, Rendell had an on-target header blocked and cleared at the back post from a high left-wing corner delivery.

Totton went four-one up on 73 minutes. Wragg fed the ball infield from the left and Rendell took aim with a long-range shot. The ball looped up off a defender and Pelham headed down, setting up Remus NIXON to fire home from eight yards.

Andrews powered through two challenges in midfield before shooting from 25 yards, sending the ball narrowly past the left-hand post.

Calleva scored their second goal of the night on 76 minutes, when Pelham was penalised for a high foot near the half-way line. The free-kick was taken quickly with a pass down the left wing, from where the ball was worked infield for the No.9 to pick his spot with a curled shot over Evans and inside the left-hand post.

Bennett struck a cross-field pass to Rendell on the left corner of the penalty area. He looped the ball towards the far post and Rawlings headed on-target, but the ‘keeper pushed it wide for.a corner. It was initially defended but a follow-up shot looped high into the air, tempting Taylor to attempt the kind of acrobatic over-head kick more readily associated with his older brother; the ‘keeper read it and smothered the chance half-way through.

Pelham was shown a yellow card for shoving an opponent into the perimeter fencing, as they both chased a loose ball towards the tunnel in the SFS Main Stand. Tadley Calleva went close a with neat lay-off and shot over the bar from just outside the Totton box. Then, the visitors had a player sent to the sin bin for reasons unknown.

A glorious cross-field pass from Bennett was exceeded by Rendell’s exquisite touch to bring the ball under control with the outside of his right foot, as he ghosted in behind the Calleva right-back to set himself for a hat-trick sealing goal. But the ‘keeper game sliding out and succeeded in blocking the centre-forward’s low shot with his feet.

Zach Earley tried his luck with a long shot, which hit a defender and was diverted away. Then, the home side failed to take advantage of a three-vs-two situation that had the Calleva defence stretched. From the resulting corner, Pelham’s cross was headed out and Earley fired over the bar.

A member of the club’s FA Youth Cup side earlier in the season celebrated his AFC Totton Under-23s debut with The Stags’ fifth and final goal of the night. Wragg’s cross from the left flank found Rendell in the penalty area. He chested the ball down for Jack GOOD to strike into the bottom-right corner on the stroke of full-time.

Watch HARRY BROOKWELL'S Post-Match Interview

Watch LUKE BENNETT'S Post-Match Interview

By Ben Rochey-Adams