AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE DIV.1 SOUTH 2022/23
MATCHDAY 16 - Saturday 17 December 2022
AFC TOTTON 1
Matty Burrows 29mins
WILLAND ROVERS 0
ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON when all nine of the other scheduled fixtures in the Southern League Div.1 South were postponed due to the wintery weather conditions, AFC Totton extended their unbeaten league run to 12 matches with a win over mid-table Willand Rovers to continue their pursuit of top spot and the only automatic promotion place. The win came courtesy of a goal by Matty Burrows, who this week committed his future to The Stags by agreeing to a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee from National League South side Weymouth.
The Snows Stadium pitch was subject to a late inspection before the Referee confirmed the go-ahead around 2:00pm, by which time the Willand Rovers travelling party had already completed the 103-mile journey from Exeter. The only change Jimmy Ball made to his starting AFC Totton line-up from the team that won at Bishop’s Cleeve a fortnight ago was the one forced upon him by Conor Whiteley’s red card at Kayte Lane, with Adam Tomasso slotting into midfield. New signings Silvano Obeng and Joe Adams were both named among the substitutes. While Benny and Freddie Read are brothers, Jake and Joe Adams are not related; they herald from Basingstoke and Guernsey, respectively.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Benny READ
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
4. Mike CARTER (Capt.)
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Adam TOMASSO
8. Charlie DAVIS
9. Scott RENDELL
10. Ethan TAYLOR
11. Matty BURROWS
Substitutes
14. Jack MASTERTON
15. Jake ADAMS
16. Silvano OBENG
17. Freddie READ
18. Joe ADAMS
LET'S GO TO WORK: Mike Carter leads out The Stags for their home encounter with Willand Rovers at the Snows. Stadium, with goalkeeper Lewis Noice and defender Luke Hallett behind him.
Willand wore a kit in a shade of luminous green not unfamiliar to those of us experiencing winter head colds, and began the first half attacking the car park end where an Aldi superstore will one day appear. Despite passing the late inspection, the pitch was hard enough for several players to employ caution when possession came to them, making sure to take an extra touch when possible to get the ball under control. Consequently, the opening quarter of an hour was somewhat pedestrian, with only one attacking foray down the left-hand side threatening to produce an early shooting opportunity. Jordan Ragguette received the ball out wide and whipped in a cross that just eluded Scott Rendell, thanks to a decisive nick off a defender.
George Burton, goalkeeper for the Devon All-Whites, had to come scrambling out of the left side of his area to clear a long ball that had bounced awkwardly for his defenders, threatening to put Matty Burrows through on goal. Then, right-back Adam Kelly did well to shield the ball out of play for a goal-kick, despite Ethan Taylor breathing down his neck, trying to pick his pocket along the Totton left-wing byline.
Spotting the opportunity to take a quick free-kick midway inside the Willand half, Charlie Davis spread the play to the right flank where Benny Read took control and fed Burrows further up the wing. He cut inside the full-back Joshua Searle and fired a left-footed effort over the crossbar. It was a short, swift, direct passage of play that drew appreciative applause from around the ground.
Oliver Bray, the striker who bagged a hat-trick for Willand in their 4-0 win over Bristol Manor Farm a month ago, managed to find space on the right-wing touchline despite the attentions of Charlie Kennedy and the covering Taylor, but his cross was headed away by Adam Tomasso, dropping from midfield into Kennedy’s central defensive berth to head clear. Bray got a second chance soon after as Kennedy slipped on the hard surface, affording the Rovers No.10 the time to pick out Douglas Camilo on the edge of the area, whose first-time shot under pressure on his right foot curled over the crossbar, with Mike Carter stretching to attempt a block.
The visitors managed to sustain a period of pressure in the Totton half, leading to Lewis Noice having to rush to kick clear as Ashton Hewitt closed him down. Within a flash, Totton were through on goal. Luke Hallett’s long ball down the middle was taken in-stride by Burrows, who skipped past his man to the right and stung Burton’s palms with a well-struck shot that the keeper parried wide for a corner. Rovers headed the corner out of the area but Carter was brought down about 30 yards out, slightly to the right, as he regained possession for The Stags. Taylor floated the free-kick towards the far post where Hallett leapt first and highest, but his header was directed a foot wide of the left-hand post.
Totton were coming to terms with the hard surface and beginning to play their passing game. From a right-wing throw-in, Ragguette, Read and Burrows combined to work the ball to Taylor on the edge of the area, whose left-foot shot was bravely blocked by a defender throwing himself into the line of fire. The offside flag went up during the ensuing scramble before the ball was knocked out of play. The Referee correctly judged the ball to have been played by a defender, so he overruled the offside and awarded Totton a corner. Davis’s delivery dropped inside the area to prompt another messy scramble, with Burrows eventually winning a free-kick on the edge of the D for a defender’s high kick that caught him on the calf. Davis and Taylor stood over the ball, before Davis struck a shot that cannoned off the Willand player on the right end of the defensive wall.
SEVEN-UP: Matty Burrows celebrates joining AFC Totton on a permanent basis by slotting home his seventh goal in as many matches.
In the 29th minute, a moment of diligent defending from an unlikely source led to the opening goal for The Stags. Ethan Taylor tracked back into defence to unravel a promising Willand raid down their right wing. Totton played their way out, with Kennedy and Ragguette exchanging passes on the left before Kennedy threaded a short diagonal pass into the path of Matty BURROWS for the winger to steal half-a-yard on his marker and, as Burton came out to narrow the angle, slip the ball past him into the bottom-right corner for his seventh goal in as many games since joining the club from Weymouth, originally on loan.
Willand tried to mount a response down their right but twice found their ambitions thwarted by Charlie Kennedy, initially at the expense of a throw-in and then when the defender was fouled after dispossessing his opponent just outside the Totton area.
Adam Tomasso clipped a high diagonal pass up to Scott Rendell, who used his chest to knock the ball down to the lively Taylor. The winger skipped further wide to give himself an angle to curl his cross into the box; it came off one defender while a second then sliced the ball high into the air. Davis managed to get the ball under control while taking it to the right of the penalty spot, but his powerful drive was blocked.
The visitors managed to win a corner on their right-hand side, which Camilo crossed to the near post area where Ryan Guppy timed his run well but could only glance his header high over the bar. Then, centre-forward Joshua Baker had his progress halted when he ran straight into an unmoved Adam Tomasso on the edge of the Totton area.
From a free-kick just infront of the AFC Totton dugout, Willand played the ball short and with a clever combination between three players, they worked their way into the penalty area, with Camilo finding a pocket of space between three blue shirts. Ragguette tracked his run and the two players collided, but Camilo tried to stay on his feet and any hopes the visiting team may have had of being awarded a penalty were waved away by the Referee.
BUSMAN'S HOLIDAY: Defenders Charlie Kennedy and Luke Hallett look to inflict damage on the Willand Rovers goal from an AFC Totton set-piece.
Ragguette and Taylor combined on the Totton left to create a brief opening for Benny Read on the right of the Willand area, but he was quickly crowded out by recovering defenders. Then, when Burrows was brought down on the left-wing, Taylor’s cross was slightly too high for Tomasso to connect, enabling Rovers to hack the ball clear.
Pushing up from left-back, Ragguette found himself in the blue shirt furthest forward, going through on goal down the middle, until a last-ditch intervention put a stop to that. Then, Lewis Noice had to react quickly on the edge of his area to clear a long ball.
Totton were shifting the ball around the pitch well, creating space to allow Hallett to go on an attacking foray. His attempted cross-shot from outside the Willand area was charged down, when Benny Read may have been the better option in space further up the right wing. Then, Ragguette tried to bustle his way through three defenders on the Totton left, before running out of steam.
Kennedy conceded a free-kick for a foul on Baker on the Willand right. A low cross was knocked away at the near post and Davis spread the play to Benny Read on the right, to launch a counter attack. Read’s first-time pass sent Burrows scampering through in the inside-right channel, until he went down under pressure from his marker. The Referee dismissed the inevitable penalty shouts and play continued, until Taylor tripped his opponent in midfield.
The Stags should have doubled their lead on the cusp of half-time. Rendell, Benny Read and Davis combined on the right wing before Read’s square pass found Taylor on the edge of the area. His powerful left-footed shot was parried by Burton and, with the offside flag staying down, Benny Read was first to the rebound - but the full-back skied over the bar from 10 yards, immediately putting his head in his hands in appreciation of a good chance missed to open his AFC Totton goalscoring account.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON 1
WILLAND ROVERS 0
There were no changes at half-time and Totton continued to go in search of a second goal. Rendell’s headed flick-on gave Taylor something to chase through the middle, but his path was blocked by a fallen defender, allowing George Burton the half-second he needed to come off his line and dive on the ball before Taylor could capitalise.
Totton failed to deal with a high ball towards the corner off their penalty area, on the Willand right, but Camilo’s snapshot was comfortably taken by Noice at his near post.
Determined defending by Benny Read saved Kennedy and Hallett’s blushes as the two central defenders got in each others way while Baker tried to find a way through. Totton were quickly on the attack with Ragguette exploiting space on the left flank to gallop forward and drive a cross to the far side, which Burrows had to retrieve on the opposite flank. A period of Stags possession followed in which they probed the Willand defence for weaknesses, eventually playing Davis in to cross from the right. Burton pulled off an improvised diving double-fisted punch with Burrows closing in. Willand cleared and briefly threatened to get away on the counter-attack, until Hallett took control of the situation near the touchline on Totton’s right.
Douglas Camilo got back just in time to prevent Davis feeding a dangerous ball into the Willand area, although the Totton midfielder almost managed to bundle his way through at the second attempt, until the ball was booted away.
In the 58th minute, Joe Adams, the new loan signing from Wigan Athletic, stepped off the bench to make his AFC Totton debut, with Charlie Davis coming off to make way.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?: Wigan Athletic-loanee Joe Adams leaves a dumbfounded Willand Rovers defender in his wake during his AFC Totton debut as a second-half substitute.
A strong defensive header by Hallett enabled Taylor to send Burrows racing away from his marker on the left wing. He pulled the ball back from the byline but it was turned away at the near post. Then, Joe Adams gave us a preview of his skilful feet, gliding past two defenders in the same area of the pitch to get to the byline and tee up Ethan Taylor arriving late into the penalty area, only to drag his shot wide of the far post, much to his own annoyance.
Only an exceptional save by George Burton kept Willand’s deficit to one goal, shortly after the hour mark. Rendell knocked the ball on for Taylor to get into a dangerous position in the inside-right. With defenders blocking his path, he squared to Burrows near the penalty spot, who looked to have done enough with a well-struck effort until Burton pulled off a miraculous close-range save to parry the ball to his right. Burrows retrieved it and crossed to the centre, where Rendell was arriving. Burton could only get a weak punch on the ball but Taylor was pulled up for pushing as he challenged a defender for the rebound.
Taylor did manage to get the ball in the back of the net in the 65th minute, latching onto Tomasso’s high diagonal pass to shoot across Burton into the bottom-right corner. But, it was chalked off for an alleged push by the in-form winger against full-back Adam Kelly, as they first contested Tomasso’s pass.
Play was temporarily suspended when a Willand Rovers player went down with a head injury. The physios from both teams immediately sprinted across to the stricken player, who was soon able to get back to his feet and rejoin proceedings. When play resumed, Ragguette found space on the left to whip in a fierce cross that Rendell met with his head at the near post, but couldn’t keep his attempt down.
Tough-tackling near the centre-circle from captain Mike Carter put paid to Willand’s attempts to mount a meaningful attack, then clever feet from Taylor prevented the visitors from being able to do likewise to win the ball back again.
Kelly got forward to exploit an opening behind Ragguette, receiving a square pass from midfield before firing narrowly over from about 20 yards, with Totton players appealing to the Referee about what they felt had been a push on Tomasso during the build-up.
Tricky skills from Joe Adams on the right-wing touchline prompted a robust tackle from Ashton Hewitt, which Adams took in his stride. From the throw-in, the Guernsey-born attacking midfielder got free to curl a cross into the area, which Burton attempted to catch. He fumbled the ball onto the back of a close-by defender, but as the ball dropped, Rendell sent his volley over the crossbar with the goal gaping.
Mike Carter won the ball in the left corner of the Totton penalty area, but The Stags conceded a free-kick midway inside their own half as they tried to work their way forward. The delivery was high to the back post where the hitherto underemployed Lewis Noice plucked the ball out of the sky with ease.
Goalscorer Matty Burrows was withdrawn in the 82nd minute, to make way for Jake Adams.
Willand though they had a penalty shout when a cross from their right hit Carter on the arm. The Stags skipper was unphased and cleared the ball, while the Referee signalled play on. But, having been a goal behind for the majority of the game’s running time without really threatening to open up the Totton defence, Willand were now enjoying more possession and starting to get into more advanced positions, without penetrating the Totton defence.
Tomasso released Ragguette down the left-hand side on the counter-attack, but Burton was able to shield the ball out of play for a goal-kick before the Totton left-back could get to the ball at the left-wing byline. Then, Hallett showed good awareness of his surroundings while dealing with an awkward, high bounce off the still hard surface, to head the ball over a lone Willand attacker and safely into the possession of his goalkeeper.
Totton seemed intent on securing the second goal that would have secured the three points, and a series of throw-ins down the left-hand side culminated in Jake Adams darting to the near post area to apply a deft flick into the path of Rendell, which was immediately hacked away for a corner. Taylor crossed to the far side where Hallett headed towards the top-left corner, only for a defender to divert it to Kennedy to the left of the penalty spot, but the centre-back’s shot soared over the bar, prompting him to turn away with his head in his hands.
With full-time fast approaching, Willand were taking more risks and leaving themselves more exposed at the back. Jake Adams received the ball near halfway and threaded a pass out to Taylor, who did well to stay onside against a high defensive line. He took on the only defender who was close enough to get to him and fired a shot against the underside of the crossbar, the ball crashing down on the goal-line in classic Geoff Hurst 1966-style. Rendell latched onto the loose ball with the goal at his mercy, but again AFC Totton’s top scorer sent his shot over the bar when it looked easier to score.
TIGHT ANGLE: Ethan Taylor tries to squeeze his shot past Willand Rovers goalkeeper George Burton during AFC Totton's Southern League Div.1 South victory.
The fresh legs of Joe Adams enabled him to get across to kill a Willand Rovers attack in its infancy, just in front of the AFC Totton dug-out. Then, after five minutes of stoppage time had been indicated, Carter once again stood firm inside his own area to prevent Rovers gaining any ground. Joe Adams managed to take the ball to the other end, escaping two defenders with good skills before over-elaborating and having to settle for a corner, despite blue shirts arriving in the middle. Totton didn’t take advantage of the corner, but Jake Adams was soon able to take the ball to the right-wing corner flag to initiate a spell of keep-ball between himself, his namesake Joe and captain Carter. Jake Adams dribbled the ball across the edge of Willand’s penalty area before slipping the ball to Taylor on the left of the penalty spot. He tried to go round Burton but the keeper did enough to push so far wide, that when he tried to sneak the ball into the goal from a tight angle, it ran across the open goalmouth.
It was a let-off for Willand Rovers at the end of a match they could easily have lost by four goals. But, nevertheless, the Referee’s final whistle confirmed the three points would remain at the Snows Stadium, further aiding Totton’s pursuit of top spot in the Southern League Div.1 South.
After the match, AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured) said:
“This was a tricky one, today. The hard surface was no worse than what you get during a summer pre-season, but it’s not as easy to play fluid, dynamic football when the pitch is so hard. I think under normal circumstances we would have scored more than the one goal we did, but we got the job done and that’s the important thing. I thought Mike Carter was rock solid just in front of the defence and Lewis Noice only had crosses to deal with the whole game. So, I’m satisfied with a win from what could have been a difficult situation.
“The football club did it right, today. We knew there was a chance the match might be called-off but we did everything we could to make sure a game of football could go-ahead by 3:00pm. We had people sweeping away the frost, punching the pitch with forks, and watering and heating the areas that were most likely to cause a problem for the Referee’s inspection. We wanted the game to go-ahead today and, to their credit, so did Willand Rovers, and I’m pleased the Referee made the right decision to allow the match to kick-off as planned. It wasn’t a vintage game of football but a win’s a win, and I think the fans will understand and be satisfied with an honest, hard-working performance from the team and three points.
“We come up against AFC Stoneham in the Southampton Senior Cup on Tuesday night, when we will field as strong a team as we can. Football matches are for winning and we intend to win that one.”
Latest Southern League Div.1 South league table
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
