AFC Totton
MIDFIELDER JOSHUA OWERS has become Jimmy Ball’s fifth signing of the close season, as the AFC Totton manager continues to strengthen his squad in anticipation of the upcoming 2024/25 season.
The 22-year-old central midfielder was part of the Yeovil Town squad that won the National League South title last season, having previously featured for The Glovers during the second half of the 2022/23 campaign while on loan from Bristol City.
Owers came through The Robins’ youth ranks in the early 2020s, gaining valuable experience of senior men’s football during two loan spells with Bath City and another at Gloucester City, prior to his first stint at Huish Park.
Budding young Panini sticker-collecting football geeks of the 1980s may remember Joshua’s father Gary Owers, who was a mainstay of the Sunderland midfield between 1986 and 1994, and went on to have two spells as manager of Bath City – the first as Player/Manager, when Joshua was only three years-old – in addition to stints in charge at Forest Green Rovers, Weston-super-Mare and Torquay United.
Described by his former Yeovil manager Mark Cooper as “a good size, athletic and left-footed”, the 6’1” Owers junior, who featured in the pre-season friendly between AFC Totton and Yeovil at the Snows Stadium last summer, took a while to ponder the question when prompted to liken himself to a famous player with whom Stags fans would already be familiar; he eventually plumped for the Scotland & Manchester United midfielder, Scott McTominay.
“At both Bristol City and Bath, I had the good fortune of playing for clubs where people’s positive attitudes towards my Dad helped me to settle in, and I enjoyed my experiences at both clubs – especially at Bath, where I gained my first taste of senior men’s football.
“The style of play at Under-23s level is very technical but when you get into the men’s game, it becomes a lot more physically demanding. You have to quickly learn to stand up for yourself, be strong in the tackle and tough enough to take the odd whack to protect possession of the ball.
“That experience was important, preparing me well to play a part in helping Yeovil win the title last season and gain promotion back to the National League. That’s definitely been the highlight of my career so far, and my aim is to do it all again for AFC Totton in the Southern League Premier Division South this season.”
Stags boss Jimmy Ball said of his latest new signing:
“I tried to get Josh on loan from Yeovil last year. They decided to keep hold of him at the time, but as soon as I knew he was available this summer I jumped at the chance to bring him here.
“He’s another excellent young player with plenty of pedigree and bags of experience for somebody so young. He’s another one who I hope will be a big part of the positive things that we’re all aiming to achieve at this football club.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Image courtesy of Tom McKenzie
