SDFA SOUTHAMPTON SENIOR CUP, THIRD ROUND
Wednesday 13 December 2023 | Snows Stadium, Totton | Att: 376
WINSOR BATTLE BRAVELY AS STAGS PROGRESS IN SOUTHAMPTON SENIOR CUP
AFC TOTTON 4
Alfie Stanley 12mins; Reece Grant 52mins;
Jordan Chiedozie 71 mins; 90+3mins (pen)
WINSOR UNITED GREEN 0
A MUCH-CHANGED AFC TOTTON ran-out comfortable winners in the face of a spirited performance from Winsor United Green of the Southampton Saturday Football League Senior Division One, to keep alive hopes of making it three-in-a-row SDFA Southampton Senior Cup titles for The Stags.
Jimmy Ball made eight changes from the side that lost to Horsham in the FA Trophy at the weekend, handing AFC Totton debuts to goalkeeper Nico Trojanowski, new signing Harvey Hughes, a 20-year-old who was most recently at Lewes FC with Alfie Egan, and 28-year-old striker Reece Grant, who has joined Totton on loan from National League South club, Hemel Hempstead Town. Winsor United’s matchday squad featured eight players who were part of the AFC Totton Sunday side that swept to League & Cup Double glory under the stewardship of Sam Conway, two seasons ago.
AFC TOTTON
Starting XI
13. Nico TROJANOWSKI
2. Benny READ
5. Charlie KENNEDY (Capt.)
15. Sam MAGRI
7. Harvey HUGHES
4. Owen PELHAM
10. Luke BENNETT
12. Jordan CHIEDOZIE
14. Alfie EGAN
16. Alfie STANLEY
19. Reece GRANT
Substitutes
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
6. Miles GUDGEON
17. Zach EARLEY
18. Leo TAYLOR
20. Remus NIXON
Totton, clad in their all-white cup kit with Winsor in all-dark green, were straight on the attack through Stanley, who saw his first effort of the night blocked at the edge of the area. He then tried to latch on to Bennett’s through-ball into a crowded penalty area, only to find himself shrugged off the ball as it ran out of play.
Winsor had set their stall out to defend for dear life, and it wasn’t long before Totton players were queuing up around the edge of the opposition box to try to find a way through with a clever pass or dead-eyed shot. But, the Greens were well-marshalled by ex-Totton & Eling central defender Dan Gain and one-time England Schoolboys ‘keeper Jack Martin, compacting their team in the middle to form a solid defensive block for The Stags to ponder a way through, around, over or under. After a few more shots were blocked in the over-populated penalty area, Bennett headed wide from Read’s right-wing cross. Then, Gain stuck to his task well to slide in at the near post and divert Stanley’s low cross behind for a corner, which the 6’7” defender then headed away from Bennett’s cross.
Stanley won another corner on the right, which Liam Richardson headed out. Then, the visitors had a brief sight of Totton’s goal when a poor pass out of defence handed possession to Matt Spencer, who blasted over from about 20 yards with anxious Totton defenders nipping at his heels. Chiedozie came close to opening the scoring with a shot that had to be stabbed off the line next to the left-hand post by Spencer, after debutant Reece Grant had teed him up from the right flank. Then, Alpha Sesay launched a one-man attacking foray down the Winsor left, drifting infield of Read and letting fly from around the D with a shot that Trojanowski saved diving low to his left, grabbing the ball at the second attempt.
The home side went ahead on 12 minutes. Stanley received the ball on the left corner of the penalty area and, despite several green shirts lined-up on his goal-side as he moved across the edge of the box, Alfie STANLEY kept his calm before firing an unstoppable shot over Martin and just under the crossbar to give The Stags the lead.
Pelham tried a long-range shot that Martin saved comfortably. Then, Sesay carried the ball forward for Winsor again, until Kennedy caught up with him and won it back.
Stanley fired over after good work down the right-hand side from Read and Bennett. Then, a foul by Grant on Tom Munday gave Winsor a free-kick on their left. Mitch Coleman floated the ball into the box and Liam Hanlon connected with a header that soared over Trojanowski’s crossbar. Grant was denied by a well-timed block from Coleman at the near post, when Hughes sent in a low cross from Totton’s left wing.
Despite going behind, Winsor continued to defend deep and invite Totton on to them. Read and Chiedozie tried to work their way in from the right flank but couldn’t find a way through. Then, Chiedozie and Stanley linked up on the left side of the aream but again ran into a forest of green legs with no room to manoeuvre.
Despite going behind, Winsor continued to defend deep and invite Totton on to them. Read and Chiedozie tried to work their way in from the right flank but couldn’t get through. Then, Chiedozie and Stanley linked up on the left side of the area but again ran into a forest of green legs with no room in which to manoeuvre.
Totton tried to change their approach, moving the ball from left-to-right and back again quickly to pull the two lines of defence out of position, with Grant and Pelham conducting proceedings. However, Martin kicked clear and his opposite number had to come out and do likewise to prevent Winsor taking advantage.
Grant held the ball up at inside-right long enough for Stanley to overlap and cross, to gain a corner. It was taken short and Bennett tried to float a clever ball into the box from closer in, but the massed ranks of green were up to the task.
Matt Harrington has garnered a deserved reputation in local football for his bustling centre-forward display, and he would no doubt have enjoyed tussling with Magri and Kennedy on the Snows Stadium pitch. The determination with which Magri won one particular challenge suggested he’d already marked the Winsor No.19 as a danger man.
Grant got goal-side of Winsor’s defence at the right byline, thanks to a short incisive through-ball by Stanley, 10 minutes before the break. His low cross was turned away to Hughes on the left, who crossed to the near post where Chiedozie should have done better with a chance he headed over.
Read played a pass into the inside-right channel that tempted Martin off his line to try to clear. Chiedozie beat him to the ball and, from a wide angle on the right, chipped the retreating goalkeeper only to see the ball bounce back of the crossbar. Winsor scrambled clear as far as Bennett, whose pass back into the box found Chiedozie again, who this time flashed a cross-shot across the box and out on the far side.
Grant and Bennett won a corner on the left, which was taken short to Pelham and then played to Hughes, who crossed to the near post; Stanley’s shot was blocked. When the ball came in again, Munday headed upward and Grant found Pelham in the middle, whose shot was deflected for a corner on the right. Egan took it and Kennedy headed at goal, the ball fell to Chiedozie who struck into a ruck of players, then Kennedy blasted over with a wild effort.
Read briefly isolated Munday on the right side of the Winsor penalty area, but an excellent recovery tackle from Hanlon stopped the former Havant & Waterlooville full-back in his tracks. Then, Hughes skipped down the left wing and put a cross in that eluded two white shirts in the middle. Grant was then booked for a late challenge in the Winsor box.
Trojanowski had enjoyed a leisurely first half, but he was called into action just before the interval when a poor pass out from the back fell to Liam Richardson, who took aim from distance, forcing the young ‘keeper to tip over his crossbar.
HALF-TIME:
AFC TOTTON 1
WINSOR UNITED GREEN 0
Totton made four changes going into the second half, with Ragguette, Leo Taylor, Nixon and debutant Miles Gudgeon coming on in place of Hughes, Read, Stanley and Magri.
Hanlon tried to chip Trojanowski with a long shot when the goalkeeper was briefly off his line, but he got back into place quickly enough to catch the shot. Then, Leo Taylor’s dribbling excursion deep into Winsor United’s half resulted in him being brought down; Chiedozie curled the free-kick over.
Chiedozie took aim with another effort soon after, latching on to Bennett’s pass to force Martin into a save. From the short right-wing corner, Egan linked up with Grant before crossing to Ragguette on the opposite side of the area. Ragguette had time and space to take a touch and then curl his cross towards the back post where the unmarked Reece GRANT stole in to head past Martin into the right side of the goal. Tom Munday was booked in the aftermath for disputing a possible offside against Grant with the Assistant Referee on that far side, but the goal stood and Totton were two-nil up.
Hanlon and Harrington worked the ball forward for Winsor and Sesay delivered a cross that Leo Taylor headed out. As the ball dropped at the edge of the area, there was a painful-looking clash of studded boots between Hanlon and Pelham, but both players were able to continue after brief attention.
Trojanowski punched clear Coleman’s drifted free-kick after Harrington was fouled. Totton broke down the left flank, with Ragguette advancing and then squaring to Egan, whose left-footed shot was well-saved by Martin low to his left.
Teenaged midfielder Zach Earley stepped off the bench to make his second AFC Totton first team appearance, as a sub for Reece Grant. Tom Munday also came off, to be replaced by Luke Shergold for Winsor.
A foul on Earley gave Totton a free-kick, which was taken quickly to allow Chiedozie to control near the penalty spot and slip the ball to the left for Nixon to shoot for the bottom-right corner, Martin repelling the ball with his left foot. A cross by Ragguette from the left prompted some pinball wizardry in the box, the ball eventually looping over off Chiedozie.
Ragguette charged down the left flank and got his cross in, despite Hanlon bundling him into the advertising hoarding. Chiedozie hooked his shot over the bar from close range.
The former Cambridge United striker finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 71st minute. He received the ball in the Winsor area, danced through two challenges and played a short pass to Nixon. The young centre-forward was closed down as he got the ball stuck under his feet, so he laid it back for Jordan CHIEDOZIE to slam home from about 18 yards.
Nixon tested Martin with an angled shot from the right corner of the area, but the goalkeeper caught it. Then, Earley’s deft through-ball put Chiedozie clean through, but he rushed his shot and scuffed it into the ‘keeper’s arms. Mitch Coleman prevented Chiedozie releasing Nixon, but the striker got another sight of goal for himself, firing over from range.
Totton had a number of corners and free-kicks around the Winsor box, but couldn’t capitalise. Martin came out to collect a bouncing through-ball that Nixon was threatening to run on to. Kennedy played a square pass to Ragguette at half-way, with space to advance and cross. The ball was headed out by a stretching defender and dropped to at the edge of the box for Pelham, who controlled and shot over the bar.
An offside flag denied Totton a four-on-three breakaway, but then Winsor blotted their copybook when substitute Pablo Pascual was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for unnecessary fouls committed close to the half-way line, to reduce his team to 10 men.
Leo Taylor’s cross from the right reached Bennett on the left-hand side, and when he cushioned a side-foot volley back into the middle for Pelham, the young midfielder headed over.
Three minutes into stoppage time,Totton won a corner on the right-hand side. It was played short and Chiedozie dribbled into the box before being tripped, resuting in a late penalty. Jordan CHIEDOZIE took it himself, registering his sixth AFC Totton goal in all competitions with a firm shot that proved to be the last kick of the cup tie before the Referee brought proceedings to an end.
AFC Totton will be away to the winners of the re-arranged tie between Whiteley Wanderers and Folland Sports in the Quarter-Finals, on a date yet to be confirmed.
By Ben Rochey-Adams