AFC Totton
SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH | Matchday#31
Saturday 01 March 2025 | Snows Stadium, Totton, Southampton | Att: 2,079
‘AS YOU WERE’ AT THE TOP AS RENDELL SCORES LATE LEVELLER
AFC TOTTON 1
Scott Rendell 85mins
MERTHYR TOWN 1
Ricardo Rees 53mins
THE BIGGEST GAME of the 2024/25 Southern League Premier Division South season to date ended all-square at the Snows Stadium, as AFC Totton and Merthyr Town fought out a one-all draw in front of a bumper crowd of 2,079 — and new club record for a regular season league game.
A goalmouth scramble in the opening minute set the tone for a compelling, competitive and often frantic football match. A stunning strike by the division’s top-scorer Ricardo Rees edged the visitors in front early in the second half.
But Totton created more chances throughout the contest and deservedly equalised with a close-range Scott Rendell header to set-up a barnstorming finish to a match that was played in the truest spirit of competitive, non-league football.
Luke Hallett and Richard McIntyre returned to the Totton defence, with Charlie Kennedy stepping down to the bench and Ben Jefford serving a suspension following his dismissal at Swindon Supermarine last weekend. Captain Mike Carter came back into the midfield in place of Roddy Collins, while Luke Bennett replaced Tom Blair on the right, with Scott Rendell also returning to partner Charlie Austin up front. Tony Lee was taken ill but was still named among the substitutes.
AFC TOTTON: 13. Ryan GOSNEY; 2. Joe OASTLER; 4. Mike CARTER (Capt.); 6. Sam MAGRI; 8. Adam TOMASSO; 9. Scott RENDELL; 11. Charlie AUSTIN; 12. Luke HALLETT; 14. Craig TANNER; 16. Luke BENNETT; 20. Richard McINTYRE. Substitutes: 5. Charlie KENNEDY; 7. Ben SEYMOUR; 15. Roddy COLLINS; 18. Tony LEE; 19. Tom BLAIR. Substitutions: COLLINS for CARTER (63mins); BLAIR for McINTYRE (63mins); LEE for HALLETT (76mins); SEYMOUR for AUSTIN (85mins); KENNEDY for TOMASSO (90mins). Yellow Cards: CARTER (Foul); RENDELL (Dissent); MAGRI (Foul); OASTLER (Foul); BLAIR (Foul).
MERTHYR TOWN: 1. Jaimie COGMAN; 2. Callum RYAN-PHILLIPS; 3. Thomas HANDLEY (Capt.); 5. Jay WILLIAMS; 9. Kane SIMPSON; 10. Ricardo REES; 14. Jack EVANS; 15. Noah SMERDON; 17. Lee LUCAS; 18. Cawley COX; 19. Keiran EVANS. Substitutes: 6. Cole JARVIS; 7. Frazer THOMAS; 8. Adulai SAMBU; 13. Benjamin WHALE; 16. Nicholas RHODES. Substitutions: JARVIS for K.EVANS (72mins); RHODES for COX. Yellow Card: HANDLEY (Foul).
Before the game, a minute’s applause was impeccably observed from all four sides of the ground in honour of the late Ross Spicer, who played for Totton Football Club prior to the 1975 amalgamation with Totton Athletic that resulted in the formation of AFC Totton, and supported the club for many years until his recent passing.
With a large media presence in attendance, as well as a big crowd amid an atmosphere of high anticipation, the visitors got the game underway, attacking towards the Aldi End wearing white shirts, black shorts and white socks, with Totton in their usual attire of all-Royal blue with white trim.
The Stags almost made a dream start. Sam Magri fed the ball into the Merthyr box from deep on the Totton right. Scott Rendell couldn’t reach it but the covering defender only managed to spoon the ball into the air, before it dropped to Mike Carter on the edge of the box whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell to Craig Tanner, who let fly with a left-footed effort that Jaimie Cogman parried while diving to his left; it fell to Rendell but he couldn’t wrap his leg around it and sent the ball over the crossbar.
ONE-ON-ONE: Adam Tomasso keeps a watchful eye on Merthyr's Keiran Evans.
Ryan Gosney took a risk by waiting to get the ball under control on the edge of his penalty area before clearing while Ricardo Rees lurked with intent, but the Totton ‘keeper managed to get it away. Then, a quickly taken free-kick from the centre-circle for a foul by Luke Hallett opened up the Totton defence until the assistant referee’s offside flag came to the home side’s rescue.
Magri was caught under a high pass to Merthyr’s left but recovered his position in time to block left-back Noah Smerdon’s cross. Charlie Austin took the early pressure off his team by tackling back to the area in front of the AFC Totton dug-out before winning a free-kick for a shove.
Totton won a corner on their right, from which Tanner’s in-swinging cross arced agonisingly over the array of heads lined up across the six-yard box. Tanner was in the mood, hitting a precise cross-field pass to the left to invite Richard McIntyre forward to send in a dangerous, low centre which eluded Rendell as it flashed across Colman’s goal.
Carter read the situation well to cover behind his defensive line to prevent Cawley Cox racing through. From the resulting throw-in, The Martyrs’ captain Tom Handley received and swung in a cross that Joe Oastler headed away.
Kieran Evans set off on an enterprising run from the Merthyr left but found Magri too big an obstacle to get past. From a throw-in, Kane Simpson darted towards the left-wing byline and struck a shot from a narrow angle that Gosney parried one-handed; Merthyr regathered possession on their right but Totton got numbers back to fill up the box and dealt with the remaining threat.
Clever footwork from McIntyre saw the Oxford United loanee left-back dance away from Handley and Simpson, and play Austin in down the left side of the penalty area. The striker’s cross was deflected and then cleared at the second attempt.
Carter picked up possession at the back of the centre-circle and clipped a pass out to the right flank to enable Luke Bennett to run at Smerdon, getting past the full-back to cross from the byline. Rendell challenged at the near post but the ball spun upward off a defender; Austin leapt and headed on-target but Cogman was equal to it.
Oastler was given a talking to for a foul on Simpson in the centre-circle. The free-kick was taken short but Rendell then intercepted a square pass in midfield and released Bennett to raid down the right wing, again. He got away from Smerdon but his cross was turned behind for a corner. Tanner rolled it into the box where Austin came to meet it, turned and chipped the ball over the cluster of players in the middle to Magri, standing eight yards out at the back post; he caught the ball full on the volley but was left to turn away with his head in his hands after seeing his effort soar over the bar.
Tanner was harshly judged to have committed a foul midway inside the opposition half. Merthyr played forward and Simpson got himself into a crossing position to the right of the box, Carter got back to turn it away.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Luke Bennett runs at Merthyr left-back Noah Smerdon.
Bennett continued to test Smerdon with darting runs down the Totton right, linking up with Rendell to go past the full-back and get to the byline before driving infield towards goal. He went down under Smerdon’s challenge, prompting a huge cry for a penalty for the massed ranks of AFC Totton fans crammed in behind the goal. All eyes turned to the referee, who pondered for a moment before indicating play-on.
A loose pass by Kieran Evans on 26 minutes enabled Tanner to find Austin on the right. His cross hit a defender and came back to him, so he laid it back for Bennett to launch into the box. Cogman got a hand to it; the ball dropped in the middle of the penalty area but Totton were unable to take advantage, despite the Merthyr defence being stretched.
Totton were getting into the groove. Magri sent a high diagonal pass from the right side of the half-way line to Tanner, standing unmarked about 25 yards out. The former Motherwell man took a touch and fired towards the top-right corner; Cogman reacted well to thrust his left arm in the way, parrying out as far as Austin, whose volley flashed across goal before a covering defender dealt with it.
There was another scramble in the Merthyr box when Bennett got in again from Rendell’s pass. He tried to tee-up McIntyre near the penalty spot; the ball took a deflection en route, though, wrong-footing the Totton No.20 enough to scuff his shot. Adam Tomasso tried to muscle in on the rebound, as the ball was poked out towards the left-wing byline. Tanner retrieved and clipped to the far post, Austin headed back into the middle and Tomasso took a swipe without making significant contact, before Merthyr scraped it away. Mike Carter was a over-zealous in his attempt to keep the pressure on and earned himself the game’s first booking in the process.
Scott Rendell followed his skipper into the referee’s notebook after taking exception to Jack Evans flopping to the turf after the faintest coming together near halfway. The referee took equal exception to Rendell’s remonstrations with the visiting No.14 and produced his yellow card.
Merthyr had a golden opportunity to take the lead on 34 minutes. Handley looped the ball over Oastler to set Cox free to burst through on goal, with Gosney coming off his line to narrow the angle. Cox appeared to be caught in two minds whether to try to lob the ‘keeper or bend a low shot around him and, in the end, did neither; his under-powered effort gave Gosney a welcome surprise and little to do to make the save.
LOANEE LEFT-BACK: Oxford United loanee Richard McIntyre in possession for AFC Totton.
Rendell was adamant that he should have had a penalty when Tomasso and McIntyre combined to move the ball across the penalty area from right to left, feeding Tanner on the left of the box to send in a low centre that bounced between Handley and Jack Evans to fall kindly for Rendell. As the centre-forward turned towards goal, Jack Evans ran into him on the six-yard line, clipping his ankle and sending him to the deck. It was a blatant penalty (video supports this claim) but the referee was poorly positioned and allowed play to continue with Cogman having scooped up the loose ball.
Magri received on the right touchline from Gosney’s kick, taking the ball under control on his chest before being caught in possession by Kieran Evans, who then drove into the Totton half, evading two challenges on his way into the final third. Magri hadn’t given up the chase and took one for the team with a sliding hook from behind to concede a free-kick and take Totton’s third yellow card of the afternoon. Rendell headed away the set-piece. When Merthyr came forward again, they made half-hearted appeals for a penalty but the referee was typically unmoved.
Rees, who was having a quiet first half, briefly caught Hallett in possession with open acreage to run into behind the Totton defender; Hallett recovered immediately to win the ball back.
Merthyr won a corner on their left, which Gosney punched away from above a small cluster of players gathered at his near post for another corner. This time, the ball was fed into the box along the ground and Callum Ryan-Phillips met it with a first-time shot that went narrowly wide to the left of goal, in the last significant action of the first half.
HALF-TIME: AFC TOTTON 0-0 MERTHYR TOWN
The Stags got the second half underway but it was Merthyr who mounted the first threat of the second half, with Hallett doing well to race back and turn Simpson’s cross from the right behind for a corner, the former Forest Green Rovers centre-half then meeting the near post cross with a firm defensive header, before a follow-up cross was well-taken by Gosney.
Carter’s pass found Oastler making forward progress on Totton’s left. He nudged it on to Bennett who centred from the side of the penalty area. A defender slipped and the ball ran on the back of the box where Austin arrived to fire a right-footed shot; Smerdon charged the effort down by thrusting his backside in the way.
Merthyr fans who had relocated to behind the goal at the Calmore Industrial Estate end of the ground for the second half appealed for hand-ball when and right-wing cross was headed away by Carter. Cox intercepted about 25 yards out, side-stepped an incoming challenge and went for glory; Gosney was well-placed, parried and grabbed at the second attempt.
Rendell and Bennett constructed an attack down the Totton right but when the cross went into the Merthyr six-yard box, composed defending saw the visitors repel the threat. Then, Bennett’s industry came to Totton’s rescue after Magri was caught in possession high up the pitch, leaving a gap for Merthyr to exploit on the counter-attack until Bennett raced back to plug it.
However, it was only a brief reprieve. Totton were caught napping while the visitors had possession on their left on 53 minutes, until a diagonal pass found their No.10 in space on the right-hand side with McIntyre higher up the pitch. His initial touch might have been slightly heavy, but before Oastler could shuffle across to block, Ricardo REES struck an unstoppable right-footed shot from the corner of the penalty area into the far top-corner to leave Gosney with no chance, and send the travelling Merthyr Town fans into raptures.
Buoyed by their striker’s wonder goal, Merthyr came forward again shortly after the restart, Cox forcing a right-wing corner. Keiran Evans and Lee Lucas took it short, and when the ball was crossed into the box, Rees was presented with another shooting chance but, under pressure, he scuffed it into Gosney’s arms.
Joe Oastler was booked for a late challenge on Jaimie Cogman, when the Totton defender pushed forward for a set-piece. Then, Tanner and Austin worked an opening on the left wing, with Rendell going across to join in by receiving at the byline and pulling back to behind the penalty spot. With Tomasso racing in ready to strike, Bennett took charge and spooned a left-footed effort over the crossbar, to groans from the Snows Stadium faithful and an incandescent Tomasso.
INFLUENTIAL: Attacking midfielder Craig Tanner more than justified his selection with a performance of both industry and artistry for The Stags.
Cox worked hard to pressure McIntyre in possession, but the left-back emerged with the ball at his feet. Merthyr should probably have doubled their lead when an attack from their inside-right made its way to Rees in space at inside-left, via a collision between Hallett and Magri. Clean through with only the goalkeeper to beat, Rees took aim at the bottom-right corner but Gosney was able to get his left boot in the way before Oastler hooked the ball out.
Magri made a solid challenge inside the right corner of the Totton box to stop a Merthyr attack in its tracks. Totton went forward and won a free-kick about 12 yards from the left-wing corner flag. At that moment, Jimmy Ball chose to withdraw Carter and McIntyre in favour of Roddy Collins and Tom Blair. Tanner took the free-kick, sending a high cross into the box which Hallett met with a looping header that beat Cogman but was headed away by Ryan-Phillips.
Austin flicked on Gosney’s long kick to exchange passes with Blair on the Totton right, receiving the return pass near the byline from where his cross was headed out. Totton regathered the loose ball and worked it forward to inside-right, where Tanner shifted it to his left foot and struck a curling effort from 20 yards that was destined for the top-left corner until Cogman’s right hand intervened to produce an excellent save.
The tenacity of Collins in the middle of the park ensured Totton were awarded another free-kick in opposition territory. Once Merthyr had withdrawn Keiran Evans and sent on Cole Jarvis in his stead, Collins played the free-kick short and Tanner lifted it into the box where Oastler competed for the header but Merthyr managed to force it out.
Totton were bossing possession, hunting for an equalising goal. They won a corner on the right, which Blair sent high towards the far post. The cross arced over Bennett but fell to Austin on the six-yard line. He chested it down and fired but Cogman threw himself forward to deflect wide for another corner on the opposite flank. Blair took it again, and Jarvis headed out for another corner. Tony Lee then came on for Luke Hallett. Tanner took the corner from the right; Cogman punched clear and when Blair headed back into the box, Merthyr cleared.
PRESSURE MOUNTING: Charlie Austin goes close at the back post.
Gosney got away with one when he was caught with the ball at his feet at the edge of his penalty area. Simpson was forced wide towards the right-wing to retrieve the loose ball, giving Totton time to get defenders back and Oastler diverted the incoming cross behind for a corner. The delivery found Handley, who headed at goal before Magri volleyed away. Undeterred, Gosney put the Totton defence on action stations again, when his pass intended for Oastler hit Cox; again, The Stags scrambled in time to nullify the threat.
A quickly taken free-kick sent Lee scurrying towards the right-wing byline; Smerdon did enough to halt his progress but Totton regained possession. Blair looped the ball into the box and Austin ran across his marker to chest down and shoot for the near top corner, but couldn’t keep his effort down. Then, Bennett aimed a high cross from deep on the left towards the far post, where Austin appeared to jump slightly too early; the ball ricocheted between him and Smerdon, as the striker tried to force the ball through a gap that wasn’t there.
Totton pulled themselves level five minutes from the end of the regulation 90. Clever play between Tanner and Bennett advanced the ball up the Totton left, before they came back infield via Collins. He found Tanner in space on the wing, who took a touch and curled a cross towards the near post. Lee connected with a stooping header to flick the ball across goal and Scott RENDELL arrived to nod The Stags back on terms from close range.
JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE: Scott Rendell wheels away in delight having just headed home AFC Totton's equalising goal against Merthyr Town at the Snows Stadium.
The Snows Stadium erupted and, despite the acknowledgement of Merthyr’s counter-attacking threat, there was a strong sense that there was only going to be one winner. Ben Seymour was sent on in place of Austin. Totton came forward at inside-left. Tomasso received in the middle and fed Blair on the right. With Smerdon between him and goal, he shifted the ball to his left foot and drove a low shot narrowly past the foot of the near post.
Ryan-Phillips tried to send Rees away behind the Totton defence; Magri read it and tidied up for Totton. Then, a poor clearance provoked a scramble in the Totton box but with the help of Collins, Magri was able to smother Simpson’s shot so the ball fell kindly for Gosney.
A foul on Blair gave Totton a free-kick just off the right corner of the penalty area. The referee halted play while he consulted his assistant regarding another incident inside the box involving Lee, but didn’t take any further action on that. Merthyr sent on Nicholas Rhodes for Cox, as the board was displayed to indicate six minutes of stoppage time.
Tanner curled the free-kick towards the far post; Jarvis headed it behind for a left-wing corner. Blair’s delivery arrived beyond the far post but Oastler headed back across goal; Tomasso struggled to connect with it and was forced back. The ball was ushered back to Blair on the left wing, and his cross was headed away by a defender.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Charlie Kennedy came on for Tomasso. Oastler made a crucial interception to stop Merthyr springing a counter-attack down their right. Then, Magri and Blair worked the ball down the Totton right. Blair got past Smerdon and crossed, finding Bennett on the far side of the penalty spot. He brought it down and shot, but it was blocked by a defender. Tanner latched onto the rebound and fired just wide of the near post.
Bennett carried the fight forward down the Totton left. Seymour received and played a short pass to Tanner on the left corner of the area. With a trick and a spin, Tanner performed an impeccable roulette to dance between two defenders and then clipped a high cross into the middle for Rendell, who couldn’t generate enough power in his header to trouble Cogman.
Totton ended the game on the front foot, as they had spent much of it. Lee tried to burrow his way through defenders at the edge of Merthyr’s box. It fell to Rendell, who spread the play wide to Bennett on the right; Smerdon got his foot in to concede a corner. Tanner’s cross was headed out at the front post, before the final whistle prompted applause from all around the ground in appreciation of a well-fought contest between two very impressive teams.
Watch JIMMY BALL’S Post-Match Interview
Watch LUKE BENNETT’S Post-Match Interview
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AFC Totton FIXTURES Season 2024/25
Next Up: WIMBORNE TOWN vs AFC TOTTON
Southern League Premier Division South | Matchday#32 | Wyatt Homes Stadium, New Cuthbury, Ainsley Road, Wimborne Minster, Dorset BH21 2FU | Saturday 08 March 2025 | Kick-Off 3:00pm
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By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Ian Middlebrook
