AFC Totton
ISUZU FA TROPHY | SECOND ROUND
Saturday 16 November 2024 | The Dripping Pan, Lewes, East Sussex | Att: 1,259
JOB DONE AT THE DRIPPING PAN AS STAGS RIDE ON TO ROUND THREE
LEWES 0
AFC TOTTON 2
Charlie Austin 53mins;
Tony Lee 90mins
THE STAGS MARCH ON in the Isuzu FA Trophy after a two-nil away win at Isthmian League Premier Division side Lewes at The Dripping Pan in East Sussex on Saturday (16 November 2024).
Goals from Charlie Austin and Tony Lee were enough to ensure AFC Totton matched their best-ever performance in the competition by reaching the Third Round draw, in front of a crowd of 1,259.
Goalkeeper Ryan Gosney was cup-tied having represented Gosport Borough in an earlier round, so Max Evans made his senior AFC Totton debut. Charlie Kennedy was shifted to right-back with Richard McIntyre - whose original debut was rendered void due to the power cut at Gosport last Friday night - finally getting to make his Stags bow at left-back. Tom Blair returned from his recent suspension. Club captain Mike Carter was named among the substitutes, as he continues his return from long-term injury.
LEWES: 1. Toby BULL; 2. Jerry PUEMO; 3. Jack ENKH; 4. Matt WARREN; 6. Marcus SABLIER; 7. Danny BASSETT (Capt.); 8. Hamilton ANTONIO; 10. Eddie ALLSOPP; 11. Tolu LADAPO; 14. Shae HUTCHINSON; 19. Marcel McINTOSH. Substitutes: 5. Ethan KAISER; 12. Christo NANO; 15. Michael ELECHI; 17. Maliq MORRIS. Substitutions: KAISER for ANTONIO (62mins); MORRIS for LADAPO (72mins). Yellow Cards: None.
AFC TOTTON: 1. Max EVANS; 2. Joe OASTLER (Capt.); 5. Charlie KENNEDY; 8. Adam TOMASSO; 10. Ethan TAYLOR; 11. Charlie AUSTIN; 12. Luke HALLETT; 14. Richard McINTYRE; 15. Roddy COLLINS; 18. Tony LEE; 19. Tom BLAIR. Substitutes: 4. Mike CARTER; 9. Scott RENDELL; 16. Luke BENNETT; 17. Owen PELHAM; 20. Tega AGBERHIERE. Substitutions: RENDELL for BLAIR (72mins); BENNETT for AUSTIN (89mins); PELHAM for LEE (90mins). Yellow Cards: McINTYRE (Foul); BLAIR (Foul); LEE (Dissent).
The home side got the cup tie underway, dressed in red shirts featuring a black pinstripe, with black shorts and socks. Totton wore their cup kit of light blue shirts, dark blue shorts and light blue socks.
The Stags were up against a recent teammate in the shape of Marcel McIntosh, who lined up in central defence for The Rooks. Charlie Austin was quick to unsettle him, charging him down as Lewes tried to play out from the back to dispossess him and take the ball to the byline before crossing to the far post where nobody in a light blue shirt could arrive in time to apply the finishing touch. Then, from a right-wing throw-in, Blair found Kennedy whose first-time cross was headed over the crossbar by Tony Lee.
FAMILIAR FACE: Former AFC Totton player Marcel McIntosh was named in Lewes' starting XI.
Blair was penalised for a push on Lewes left-back Jack Enkh, midway inside the visitors’ half. Kennedy headed the free-kick away from Totton’s front post. Then, Adam Tomasso won a free-kick for The Stags on their right. McIntosh rose high to head Blair’s delivery away; Tomasso met it at the edge of the box with a volley but he stabbed his effort wide of the right-hand post.
Lewes favoured passing the ball out from the back but they appeared somewhat nervous in possession, allowing Totton to press and rush them into kicking it long or risk giving up the ball deep in their own defensive third. Ethan Taylor capitalised on a misplaced pass in midfield to run at the Lewes defence. Lee pulled off to the left but Taylor delayed playing him in, enabling a defender to kick into touch.
Blair’s left-wing corner was nodded out for another corner on the opposite flank. Blair’s next delivery flew over the cluster of players in the penalty area to Austin, who controlled the ball and laid it back to Joe Oastler. The Totton captain sent a diagonal pass back to Blair just off the right corner of the box, whose cross with a first-time volley was headed narrowly wide to the left by Lee.
Taylor managed to win the ball despite an untidy sliding tackle on McIntosh. Lee sprinted after it towards goal but Lewes goalkeeper Toby Bull reacted quickly to claim the ball at the striker’s feet.
Hallett committed a foul midway inside his own half of the pitch, but the Lewes delivery was too long for the home side to take advantage of the set-piece. Then, a poor pass by McIntosh gave possession to Austin, who tried to direct a cross-field pass into the run of Blair. Enkh intercepted and tapped the ball back to Bull, who had to kick clear in a rush under pressure from Blair.
DEFENSIVE DUTIES: AFC Totton defend a corner duing their Isuzu FA Trophy Second Round tie against Lewes at The Dripping Pan in East Sussex.
When Roddy Collins went down in need of treatment, Lewes Manager Craig Nelson was quick to use the opportunity for an impromptu time-out, bringing his whole team to the dug-out for a conference and a tactical rethink.
A high cross from Blair on the Totton right was gathered by Taylor. He was too far to the left to threaten the goal directly, but defender Jerry Puemo had to make a well-timed last-ditch tackle to prevent Austin latching onto the winger’s pass and getting a shot away.
A Lewes tendency to pass backwards when a more positive forward pass appeared to be on began to bring murmurings of discontent from some of The Dripping Pan faithful. Blair and Austin pounced on a moment of hesitation in midfield to engage in a fast one-two from which Blair crossed to the far side. Taylor tried to get it under control but was pulled up for hand-ball.
Richard McIntyre showed good concentration to deal with the tricky feet of Todu Ladapo, as the former Charlton Athletic forward tried to make in-roads down the Lewes right wing. From an advanced throw-in, Matt Warren was able to drift infield and attempt a curling shot from the edge of the Totton box, but he didn’t get enough bend on it and watched his effort fly wide of the left-hand post.
On the half-hour mark, Lewes No.10 Eddie Allsopp made a promising run down the middle of the pitch, riding one challenge before laying off to Warren, whose first-time square pass presented Marcus Sablier with a chance to let fly from 20 yards, but he couldn’t keep his shot down.
DEBUT, TAKE-TWO: After his first appearance in a Totton shirt was declared void due to the power cut as Gosport Borough last week, left-back Richard McIntyre finally made his Stags debut.
Lee tried to give Bull an old-fashioned shoulder charge into his own net as the ‘keeper caught Blair’s high right-wing cross, but the Lewes No.1 held on and landed on the safer side of his goal line. Then, Collins intercepted a pass in midfield and found Blair on the right. His cross beyond the far post was headed back across goal by Austin, but Lewes cleared and launched a counter-attack that fizzled out just as quickly when an over-hit through-ball presented the ball to Max Evans.
The recently prolific Shae Hutchinson skipped around Oastler’s challenge on his way to the right-wing byline, only to find Hallett blocking his path. Then, the Lewes striker made another threatening run into the right corner of the Totton box until McIntyre got back in to dispossess him.
Taylor and Lee were both halted as they tried to dribble into the Lewes area. Then, a push on Taylor gave Totton a free-kick close to the left corner of the box. Blair curled an in-swinging cross towards the far post; the ball arced over the inrushing Oastler and Kennedy met it with a firm downward header that Bull did well to save on his line.
Collins got back to block Warren’s attempted cross from the right-wing byline. From the resulting corner, the ball flew over everybody and Totton were able to safely move it out on the far side.
A long Max Evans kick down the middle of the pitch had Lee and Austin chasing after it. The Lewes defence struggled to deal with it but as the two Totton strikers tried to charge their way through, the ball bounced up and struck Lee on the arm, prompting the referee to give a hand-ball decision against him. Two minutes of first-half stoppage time passed without major incident, ensuring the teams went in level at the interval.
HALF-TIME: LEWES 0-0 AFC TOTTON
Neither side made any changes during the break. Totton got the second half underway, attacking the end that most of their travelling fans were congregated. They were quick to resume their high pressing of the Lewes defence, particularly on Totton’s right wing, but the home side managed to pass their way out of trouble.
Taylor and Austin linked up on the left flank, with Austin’s clever back-heel allowing the winger to charge into the box and feed a short pass to Lee, whose snapshot flicked past the near post. Then, Totton regained possession in midfield and Lee was able to advance to within 20 yards of the opposition goal and strike a right-footed shot between two defenders and narrowly wide of the left post.
At the other end of the pitch, Tomasso headed clear a Matt Warren corner at the near post. Then, Hallett read the situation well to get across and intercept, preventing one of The Rooks’ forwards latching onto a through-ball into the inside-right channel.
After a largely uncomfortable first half, ex-Stag Marcel McIntosh redeemed himself with a well-timed tackle on Taylor, just as the Totton No.10 was shaping up to pull the trigger from the left side of the Lewes penalty area. Antonio attempted an acrobatic volley in the Totton box from a right-wing throw-in, but Oastler got his body in the way. Then, Hallett repelled the follow-up attack from the Lewes left by booting the ball over the main stand and out of the ground to allow Totton time for a defensive positional reset. Warren then threatened from the Lewes right before choosing to lay the ball off when he had Evans and the Totton goal at his mercy; the eventual follow-up shot went right to the right.
DANGER MAN: Striker Charlie Austin scored his seventh goal in all competitions to give Totton the lead against Lewes in the Isuzu FA Trophy.
But as Lewes were showing signs of growing into a game in which they had been largely second-best, Totton struck to take a deserved lead. Collins intercepted a Lewes pass near half-way and redirected the ball forwards to Tomasso. His short pass fed Blair, temporarily tucked infield until he chose to dribble past one defender on his way to the right corner of the penalty area and sent a low cross along the edge of the box to left of centre. Charlie AUSTIN needed no second invitation to unleash a first-time arrow into the bottom-right corner of the net for his seventh goal as a Stag; Toby Bull barely saw it.
Hallett’s long pass down the middle of the pitch caused confusion between Puemo and Bull, the goalkeeper having to push the ball wide at full-stretch to prevent Lee pouncing onto it. Blair whipped in the corner and Kennedy met it with a near post header that flashed across Bull and struck the far post, with the rebound carrying it clear of the Lewes goal. Totton regained possession with the ball being hooked back into the box. Tomasso received and scampered to the right-wing byline to pull back into the middle; Lee slid in to finish at close-range but couldn’t get a solid connection on the ball. There were some half-hearted appeals for a penalty for a potential tug on Lee’s shirt, but Bull gathered the loose ball and the referee waved play-on.
Lewes sent on defender Ethan Kaiser in place of Hamilton Antonio two minutes past the hour mark. Richard McIntyre was shown the first yellow card of his AFC Totton career for a foul that prevented Lewes from launching a counter-attack after The Stags’ initial attack had broken down.
Lee ran onto Blair’s headed flick-on to charge into the box at inside-right. Wrestling with his marker as he went, the Totton striker was eventually pulled-up for a foul, although it looked like a typical six-of-one, half-a-dozen-of-the-other situation that could really have gone either team’s way. At the other end, Hutchinson tried to battle his way through massed ranks of Totton defenders, until Oastler stepped out to take control of the ball and then win a free-kick for a trip.
CAPTAIN SENSIBLE: Joe Oastler led the Totton defence with another imperious display.
Tom Blair’s last contribution to the game was to get booked for a foul, before he was then replaced by Scott Rendell. Lewes took that same opportunity to send on Maliq Morris in place of Tolu Ladapo.
McIntyre skipped past a tackle on the left-wing to make his why towards the corner flag, from where he hung a high cross into the box that Rendell, marked by two defenders, headed over the bar. Then, Collins put in another important defensive block to halt the home side’s progress down their right, after some neat approach play.
Tony Lee was the next player to have his name taken by the referee for complaining after he felt he had been manhandled and thrown to the ground while trying to engage in an aerial challenge near the centre-circle. The former Poole Town hitman was then undone by an awkward bounce, as he tried to spin and race in behind the Lewes defence.
With 10 minutes to go, Collins made a sliding tackle to repel another Lewes attacking foray on their right wing, at the expense of a corner which Tomasso again cleared at the near post, this time with a hefty volley. Then, Evans managed to drop-kick the entire length of the pitch, with the ball bouncing over Rendell at the edge of the Lewes box before going out of play for a goal-kick to the home side.
Lee was left holding his head in his hands after he and Taylor exchanged passes in a sharp one-two from the left side of the Lewes area, and as the return pass fell to his right foot with Bull scrambling to get back into position in the centre of his goal, the striker dragged his shot wide of the left-hand post with the Lewes defence at sixes-and-sevens.
Lewes managed to raid forward but a speculative shot from 20 yards thudded against light blue shirt, as the Totton defence - who had barely been stretched throughout the cup-tie - continued to hold firm. But, with the match moving into its final minutes, The Stags were beginning to fall back to defend their slender lead, conceding possession and territory to the East Sussex side, who were given some small encouragement when Evans sliced his kick from within his box to concede a throw-in high up on the Lewes left; Kennedy cleared the ball for Totton.
Evans was then called upon to beat Hutchinson in a foot race to a through-ball to inside-right, the Totton ‘keeper electing to boot the ball over the embankment located on the far side of the ground and into the fencing at the top of the hill.
ALL OVER BAR THE SHOUTING: Tony Lee (light blue shirt, left of frame) takes the adulation of Totton's travelling fans after securing the team's passage into the Third Round by making it 2-0.
As the clock ticked over to 90 minutes, Totton put their involvement in the Third Round draw beyond any doubt when, having soaked up pressure from another Lewes attack, they sprung forward on the counter and Austin played a delightful pass with the outside of his right foot to release Lee to run at a defender on the left of the penalty area; Tony LEE chopped and turned to leave his marker in knots, advanced towards goal and picked his spot with a firm finish beyond Bull to make it two-nil.
Austin made way late on for Luke Bennett, now back in action after his recent shoulder injury. And, a minute or so later, Owen Pelham replaced Tony Lee. Five minutes of stoppage time were indicated, during which Taylor was almost presented with an open goal as Puemo and Bull again seemed to put one another off, but another defender got back to make the angle too tight for Taylor to squeeze his shot through.
Lewes continued to go in search of a goal but offered little by way of creativity to break down the well-marshalled Totton defence, who kept the home side comfortably at arm’s length. The last shot of the game came from Taylor, who attempted a long-range finish when Bull was standing level with his penalty spot; the effort lacked the power to beat the Lewes goalkeeper, but it didn’t matter as the final whistle confirmed a job well done for AFC Totton.
Watch JIMMY BALL’S Post-Match Interview
Watch RODDY COLLINS’S Post-Match Interview
Next Up: MERTHYR TOWN vs AFC TOTTON
Southern League Premier Division South | Matchday#15 | Penydarren Park, Park Terrace, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8RF | Saturday 23 November 2024 | Kick-Off 3:00pm
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By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of James Boyes
