AFC Totton
ISUZU FA TROPHY 2022/23
1st Round Proper - Saturday 29 October 2022
REDDITCH UNITED 3
Bernard Mensah Jr. 14mins; Danny King 43mins; Reece Flanagan 87mins (pen)
AFC TOTTON 1
Scott Rendell 53mins (pen)
AFC Totton bowed out of the Isuzu FA Trophy at the 1st Round Proper stage with defeat at the Trico Stadium in Worcestershire on Saturday, against higher division opposition in the shape of Redditch United of the Southern League Premier Division Central at Step 3.
Ben Jefford’s suspension following his red card against Wimborne Town in midweek resulted in Jordan Ragguette slotting in at left-back. Freddie Read made his first start in four matches, taking the No.10 shirt back from Brett Williams, who dropped to the bench. Jireh Oyebamiji lined up in attack with Jake Adams also among the substitutes.
AFC TOTTON
Starting Line-Up
1. Lewis NOICE
2. Jack SEDDON
3. Jordan RAGGUETTE
4. Mike CARTER (Capt.)
5. Charlie KENNEDY
6. Luke HALLETT
7. Ethan TAYLOR
8. Adam TOMASSO
9. Scott RENDELL
10. Freddie READ
11. Jireh OYEBAMIJI
Substitutes
14. Brett WILLIAMS
15. Jake ADAMS
16. Jack MASTERTON
17. Yemi ODUBADE
18. Owen PELHAM
Redditch, in their home kit of red-and-black striped shirts, red shorts and red socks, got the game started on their 4G pitch. But Totton soon gained possession and a diagonal ball into the penalty area from the right-hand side encouraged Jireh Oyebamiji to try to nip in ahead of a defender as the Redditch goalkeeper, Kieran Boucher - clad in all-light green; a dead ringer for Kasper Schmeichel - came out to claim the ball on the edge of his area. Oyebamiji tried to extend his neck muscles to knock the ball on but as he did so, he and Boucher collided heavily, leaving Oyebamiji motionless on the ground. There was immediate concern for his welfare from the surrounding players of both teams, prompting the Totton physios to sprint onto the pitch, where they were ably assisted by their Redditch counterparts during a lengthy stoppage. A stretcher was brought on but JJ was eventually able to slowly walk off the pitch with assistance, and it was later confirmed that although he had been momentarily unconscious, he did not suffer any broken bones or a dislocated shoulder.
EARLY INJURY: Jireh Oyebamiji had to be assisted off the field after a heavy collision with Redditch United goalkeeper Kieran Boucher.
So, with less than a minute played but seven minutes already on the clock, Jimmy Ball selected Brett Williams to step off the bench to restore Totton to a full complement of players. When play resumed, Jordan Ragguette had a long-range attempt blocked, after dribbling infield from the left-hand side. Redditch counter-attacked but Lewis Noice cut the ball out.
Totton got the ball down and started to play. Space opened up on the right flank for Jack Seddon, but with blue and white shirts in forward positions, he overhit his cross and the chance passed-by.
Redditch’s players were wearing squad numbers, though No.17 Max Sheaf was barely wearing his with the one dangling half-off, having peeled down from the top. Despite his shabby attire, he took possession in the middle of the park and ran at the Totton defence in the 13th minute. Space seemed to be opening up, inviting him to shoot, but Charlie Kennedy managed to do enough to put him off at the last, resulting in an undercut shot that let Noice off the hook with a comfortable save to his right.
Shortly after, Ragguette miscued his right-foot volleyed clearance from a cross from the Redditch left. Noice scrambled back into his goal as the ball threatened to drop behind him, but it landed on the roof of the net. From the resulting corner on the Redditch left-wing, Reece Flanagan curled an in-swinging cross towards the near post where Bernard MENSAH Jr. rose unopposed to head beyond Noice, putting the home side ahead.
The Reds were soon on the attack again and won a free-kick about 30 yards out on their left flank. Another in-swinging delivery was volleyed away by Seddon. Mike Carter took possession in midfield but misplaced his pass, forcing Adam Tomasso to intervene with a clearance into touch, as Totton tried to ride out a period of defensive discomfort.
Situated behind the dug-outs on the opposite side of the ground from the main grandstand at the Trico Stadium, a sizeable group of Redditch fans were in good voice, banging on walls and on a plastic waste bin to accompany their chanting, as led by one fan with a loudhailer. They anticipated a second goal for their team in the 22nd minute when Luke Hallett’s defensive header dropped inside the Totton box with Mensah chasing it down, but Noice darted out from his goal to scoop up the ball. Then, Stags captain Carter was spoken to by the Referee for pushing an opponent near the half-way line.
Freddie Read’s tenacity in midfield won possession for Totton in the 26th minute. He exchanged passes with Brett Williams before squaring to Carter mid-way inside opposition territory. He spread the play to Seddon on the right who aimed a cross towards Scott Rendell beyond the penalty spot. Boucher came out and claimed the high ball with confidence. But, as the Redditch keeper tried to play out from the back, Rendell and Williams pressed the home defence, almost forcing an error and prompting the keeper to boot the ball clear.
A 28th-minute foray down the right-hand side via a one-two with Williams, enabled Ethan Taylor to get into the penalty area and pull back for Tomasso on the edge of the box, but the midfielder was unable to reproduce his glorious strike at Larkhall Athletic last weekend, this time firing over the crossbar.
A brief altercation between Seddon and Mensah in front of the AFC Totton dug-out resulted in the Redditch goalscorer being shown a yellow card. Seddon was fortunate not to follow him into the book or worse, having performed a similar shoving move to the one that earned Ben Jefford a red card against Wimborne on Tuesday night.
Redditch defender Ryan Wollacott took charge when the ball was bouncing around his team’s penalty area, with Rendell and Read both converging upon the ball. Then, Ragguette attacked down the left flank, taking on two defenders before pulling the ball back to Tomasso on the edge of the area. He squared for Carter who opted for a shot from range, but couldn’t get enough power behind it to trouble Boucher.
Ragguette was warming up nicely, leading the charge again and crossing towards the penalty spot. Wollacott got a weak touch on the ball, causing it to drop in a dangerous area, but Boucher was alert enough to come out and claim the ball once again before Totton could take advantage.
LEADING THE CHARGE: Jordan Ragguette was an influential presence down the Totton left.
A long throw from the Redditch left presented Mensah with a shooting chance from near the penalty spot, until Tomasso got an important foot in the way to tidy up for Totton. Then, Carter had to track back to help his defence to prevent forward Danny King getting in at the right-wing byline for Redditch.
Totton had possession in the Redditch half in the 36th minute, but the home side managed to wrestle the ball back and set Mensah away with a strong run into the inside-left channel, with Seddon giving chase. Mensah’s cross-shot was batted away by Kennedy in the centre.
Ethan Taylor began to roam from his right-wing berth in search of possession and Ragguette played it to him in the inside-left. With a defender either side of him, Taylor struck a mid-height shot from about 22 yards, which Boucher did well to parry, diving to his right. Taylor quickly picked up the rebound and tried to keep the attack alive, but the home side eventually smothered Totton’s attempt to create another shooting chance.
Totton came forward again but The Reds’ skipper Calum Flanagan booted clear, hoping to set Mensah away on a counter-attack. The ball bounced out of play on the far touchline, where Stags boss Jimmy Ball was quick to return it, sensing that his team had the upper hand in the moment.
Jordan Ragguette was left staring daggers at the Assistant Referee on his near touchline after being called up for a push. Scott Rendell went back to aid his defence, heading the free-kick delivery partially away before Tomasso completed the clearance.
The energetic Read stole the ball on the edge of the Totton box and laid it to Williams on his right. A high diagonal pass enabled Rendell to hold the ball up in the Redditch right-back area, mid-way inside their half. Ragguette came chugging forward, latching onto Rendell’s pass before advancing to the byline and attempting a shot from a narrow angle, which flicked off a defender’s foot and then Boucher’s right hand and into the side-netting. Taylor took the corner from the left. Hallett took a swipe at it but only half-connected. Read managed to knock the ball down for Seddon to hit as it bounced up, but the defender couldn’t wrap his leg around the ball, sending it a long way over the bar.
It was a difficult chance, so it would be harsh to called Totton profligate. But they paid the price, nonetheless, in the 43rd minute. A heavy touch by Read on the half-way line put Redditch on the front foot, and they swept forward from the centre to the left flank. Mensah did well to spin away from Hallett to advance the attack, before holding up the play long enough to allow left-back Lewis Hudson to make an overlapping run. He received the pass and attacked the left-wing byline, then played a low pass into the near-post area where Danny KING prodded the ball home from close range to double the home side’s lead.
Totton had a golden opportunity to pull one back within a minute of the restart. Williams knocked down a long ball forward to put Rendell one-on-one with Boucher, but the former Luton Town striker’s attempted lob was too strong, looping harmlessly over the bar, shortly before the board went up to indicate five minutes of stoppage time.
Danny King won a corner on the Redditch left just before half-time, driving a shot from a narrow angle that flicked off Seddon. Ragguette headed the cross away at the far post, as Mensah went down appealing for a penalty for an alleged shove from Hallett; the Referee showed no interest and the half-time whistle soon followed.
HALF-TIME
REDDITCH UNITED 2
AFC TOTTON 0
Jimmy Ball sent on Jake Adams for the start of the second half, changing the shape of his team with the withdrawal of Jack Seddon from right-back. Adam Tomasso dropped into the heart of defence to partner Hallett and Kennedy in a central three, giving Ragguette and Adams license to get further forward down the flanks.
Straight from the restart, Ragguette and Read combined on the left to make their way to the byline. Read’s low cross was blocked but he was able to tee up Ragguette to deliver a high, dipping cross to the far post. It was partially cleared; Hallett followed up with an ambitious volley, but he couldn’t keep it down. Then, Bernard Mensah played the ball out to Reece Flanagan on the Redditch left, whose dangerous-looking cross was scrambled away by Kennedy.
Adams looked lively since his introduction. He received Hallett’s pass on the right-wing touchline and drifted infield before floating a curling cross into the penalty area that somehow eluded both Rendell and Williams as they arrived in the box, looking to get a decisive touch. Then, a foul by Hudson on Williams gave Taylor the chance to deliver a free-kick into the box, but the considerable frame of Calum Flanagan dealt with it for The Reds.
Good football between Adams, Taylor and Ragguette shifted the Redditch defence and midfield around, resulting in a shooting chance for Adams from a central position, which was blocked. When Redditch were able to mount a counter-attack, their right-back Yan Osadchyi was unable to deliver on the situation’s early promise, dragging his shot from the right of the Totton box across Noice’s goal and harmlessly wide on the far side.
Totton had begun the second half well and got themselves back into the cup tie in the 53rd minute. Rendell headed the ball on into a crowded penalty area. Taylor took control and tried to work an angle for a shot. Seeing his path was obstructed, he laid the ball off to Williams to the left of the penalty spot, who nipped the ball past the defender before being tripped. The Referee pointed to the spot - as Referees have had a tendency to do this season, when Totton are in town - and Scott RENDELL made no mistake with a firmly-struck penalty, notching his 11th goal of the season despite Boucher getting a hand to it on its way in.
ON THE SPOT: Scott Rendell's 11th goal of the season brought AFC Totton back into the cup tie at the Trico Stadium in Worcestershire.
A burst of sunshine bathed the Trico Stadium as play resumed. Hallett had to jump high to safely complete a defensive header, knocking the ball back to Noice with King lurking somewhere under his airborne ankles. Redditch then made a substitution, sending on the robustly-built forward Ryan Boothe to replace Cain Smith.
Boucher beat Williams in a foot race to a through-ball that made its way between Redditch defenders. Then, Hallett intercepted the ball on the half-way line, enabling Rendell to spread the play out to the right wing. Adams took on Hudson, going past his man on the way to the byline before crossing into the centre. Brett Williams got up well and managed to connect with a header, but the movement of his body in mid-air suggested a push from behind that the Referee either didn’t see or didn’t think was harsh enough to warrant another Stags penalty, the ball flying wide at the far post to leave the hosts’ lead intact.
Strong defending from Hallett resulted in a corner from the Redditch left, after a combination by Hudson and Reece Flanagan to get the left-back to the byline. After Rendell headed the corner out for another, Noice caught the ball from the second delivery and then kicked long upfield looking for Adams to exploit the space vacated by Redditch’s larger defenders. Adams latched onto the ball and attacked the inside-right channel, but he was outnumbered by retreating defenders and eventually conceded possession by committing a foul.
Rendell held the ball up in the right-wing corner, before pulling the ball back to Carter, who fed Taylor in the middle for a shot that deflected wide. Adams and Taylor combined for a short corner, Taylor shifting infield for a low shot that was prodded away by the outstretched leg of a defender.
A foul by Adam Tomasso presented Redditch with a free-kick about 30 yards out, left of centre. Having stood over the ball originally, Max Sheaf walked away to leave Reece Flanagan to strike with a curling right-foot shot that arced over the defensive wall and narrowly past the left-hand post, with Noice carefully shepherding it wide.
Ragguette played Taylor to the left-wing byline for Totton. His high cross to the far post had Adams interested, but a defender headed clear. Freddie Read then shot the ball past Boucher and into the back of the net, only to be called up for handball when he charged the ball down against a defender from Taylor’s in-swinging right-wing delivery.
Totton hearts were in mouths in the 72nd minute when Sheaf took aim from outside the box, left of centre, after a sustained period of Redditch possession in the Totton half. He dragged his shot infield, hitting Mike Carter in the face. The rebound wrong-footed Noice, the ball burying itself in the outside netting behind the left-hand post, prompting celebratory cheers from fans on the far side of the ground who thought it was in.
Carter was in the thick of it again a couple of minutes later, when King spun away from Kennedy down the Redditch right. His centre went behind Robbie Bunn but Reece Flanagan took a touch to set-up a right-footed blast from the edge of the area. Carter threw himself into the line of fire, taking another whack for his trouble but successfully defending the situation for his team. Carter has been Totton’s most-booked player since the start of this campaign and, despite the festive season and the multiple footballs to the face he’d already taken, there was no sympathy for the devil when a collision near half-way with Lewis Hudson had the defender rolling on the ground, holding his face. The Stags skipper’s protestations fell on deaf ears, the Referee indicating that he was taking several prior offences into account.
IN THE BOOK: Captain Mike Carter had his name taken by the Referee.
Brett Williams was replaced by Yemi Odubade, as Jimmy Ball tried to inject fresh legs into proceedings. Odubade’s first contribution to the game was to receive a pass from Carter on the right wing and pick out Taylor, who’d taken up a central position. Ethan Taylor let fly from distance, pulling a smart reaction save out of Boucher, who tipped the ball over the crossbar. The delivery from the corner was knocked away; Carter’s follow-up shot hit a defender, taking the weight off it to allow Boucher to gather.
Totton pressed hard, with Hallett and Odubade trying to capitalise on the right, with Ragguette and Adams doing likewise on the left. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Kennedy showed good pace to get to Bunn’s clearance before Danny King. Then, Ragguette got a half-sight of goal from a tight angle on the left, but his effort was high and wide.
An 83rd-minute Taylor free-kick from the left wing found Luke Hallett unmarked on the far side. Being a fair distance from goal, Hallett opted for heading the ball back across the line for a teammate to finish, but nobody could connect with it. Then, another free-kick from a similar position, slightly closer to goal, gave Yemi Odubade the chance to send an in-swinging cross into the box. Several heads went up and it looked as though the last touch was off a defender, before the ball smacked the front of the Redditch crossbar, rebounding out to the Totton right. Tomasso regathered the ball and sent it back into the box, but the impressive Boucher claimed it in the air. The goalkeeper was then shown a yellow card, although it wasn’t clear why. He hadn’t held the ball for long enough to warrant a charge of time-wasting; perhaps it was for dissent.
Totton were then pushed back as Redditch went in search of a goal to put the tie to bed. In the 87th minute, Kennedy headed Calum Flanagan’s long diagonal pass out of play on the Totton left. From the throw-in, the ball bounced on the corner of the six-yard box. Tomasso made a challenge and caught Mensah, who went down clutching his left calf. Tomasso also went down but the Referee saw enough to award a penalty to the home side and produce a yellow card for Tomasso. Reece FLANAGAN directed his shot into the bottom-right corner, Lewis Noice getting a hand to it but unable to keep it out.
The stadium announcer identified the Redditch left-back Lewis Hudson as the Man of the Match to the 304-strong crowd. The Reds should have extended their lead still further when Sheaf got the better of Tomasso to scamper to the left side of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back to outside the box where Mensah tried to place a firm shot with his right foot instep, but Noice read it, catching the ball in his mid-riff and quickly despatching it forward for The Stags.
A couple of late substitutions disrupted the flow of the game at the end, before the Referee blew the final whistle and confirmed AFC Totton’s exit from the FA Trophy for 2022/23.
After the match, AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball (pictured) said:
“I’m really disappointed in the lads and their performance, today. We didn’t match our own levels at any point in the game. We can’t blame the early injury to JJ for that. We’ve been through it with the players as to what happens in that situation, how we deal with it and focus on our game.
“We changed our shape at half-time, going to three at the back and sending on Jake Adams to make an impact on the game. But we had already caused problems for ourselves by not taking chances. We’ve had four one-on-one opportunities in the last two matches and not scored any of them. We cannot be that wasteful; we have to take these chances. We have to improve our crossing and we have to be more ruthless in front of goal, with all types of chances. I’ve been asked why don’t we start with the three at the back system, going on the offensive from the off. It’s because it leaves us too open at the back. If we need to get at the opposition and try to overload them, it’s a good system to go to, but it’s not a good one to kick-off with.
“Before the Wimborne game, I asked the fans to get behind the team and I was really pleased with the response. I thought the support was excellent - the best I’ve experienced since I’ve been here. Let’s have more of the same, please, when we play Evesham next Saturday. The excellent facilities we have are fantastic for us as a team, but they also encourage other teams to come out and play. We’ve often heard coaches and fans of other teams say: “If you can’t play on this pitch, you can’t play!” So, we need to turn the Snows Stadium into our fortress by making it a really difficult place for other teams to come. Of course, much of that is down to me and the performance of the team, but we need you to do your part, as well, as you did against Wimborne.”
NEXT UP: AFC TOTTON vs EVESHAM UNITED
Southern League Div.1 South | Matchday 09 | Snows Stadium
Saturday 29 October 2022 | Kick-Off 3:00pm
View AFC Totton’s fixture list for the 2022/23 season
Latest Southern League Div.1 South league table
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
