AFC Totton
VENUE:
Wordsworth Drive, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2HG
THE STAGS TAKE a Tuesday night trip to Taunton Town for Matchday#38 of the Southern League Premier Division South campaign.
Last time out, Totton produced a battling performance against Hungerford Town to come away from Bulpit Lane with three goals and all three points, with Charlie Austin, Scott Rendell and Tony Lee all hitting the target.
TAUNTON TOWN – THEIR SEASON SO FAR:
Taunton Town were winless for their opening four games of the season, drawing two and losing two, before recording their first league win of 2024/25 with a two-nil success at Frome Town. That victory sparked an unbeaten run of nine games, of which they won six, seeing them through three qualifying rounds in the Emirates FA Cup – at the expense of Didcot Town, Poole Town and Amersham Town, before losing to National League side Maidenhead United in a Fourth Round Qualifying replay, having drawn the first tie one-each at Wordsworth Drive.
In the Isuzu FA Trophy, Basingstoke Town were seen off a the Third Round Qualifying stage, before a 1-5 defeat at Gosport Borough ensured that The Peacocks would be “concentrating on the league” for the remainder of the campaign. In between those two results came a league win at Basingstoke and, in the game before the Privett Park pummelling, a 1-5 loss against a rampant AFC Totton at the Snows Stadium.
November and December saw a mixed bag of results, with good wins against Walton & Hersham and Hungerford Town offset by losses to Wimborne Town and Chertsey Town. Ultimately in this period, Taunton failed to win half of the games they played, leaving them firmly in midtable territory.
Between New Year’s Day and 01 March, Taunton only lost one game – away at league leaders Merthyr Town. In this period, The Peacocks won three and drew six, but in their last six games have seen them taste victory only once, leaving them in 10th place coming into Tuesday night’s fixture.
TAUNTON TOWN – LAST FIVE:
Marlow (Away) | SLPDS | Drew 1-1
Walton & Hersham (Home) | SLPDS | Lost 1-2
Chertsey Town (Away) | SLPDS | Drew 3-3
Swindon Supermarine (Away) | SLPDS | Won 2-1
Sholing (Away) | SLPDS | Lost 0-2
AFC TOTTON – LAST FIVE:
Chertsey Town (Away) | SLPDS | Won 2-1
Bracknell Town (Home) | SLPDS | Won 2-0
Hanwell Town (Away) | SLPDS | Lost 0-1
Dorchester Town (Home) | SLPDS | Drew 1-1
Hungerford Town (Away) | SLPDS | Won 3-0
IN THE REVERSE FIXTURE...
Tony Lee slides in to put AFC Totton ahead during The Stags' 5-1 win over Taunton Town at the Snows Stadium in October.
AFC TOTTON PRODUCED ARGUABLY their best display of the season so far to thrash Taunton Town 5-1 in their Southern League Premier Division South encounter amid the evening fog of the Snows Stadium (Tuesday 22 October 2024).
The Stags took the lead on 16 minutes, when Bennett’s replacement Declan Rose provided the cross that enabled Tony LEE to slide into the six-yard unopposed and guide the ball beyond Parkes. Totton extended their lead in style four minutes into the second half, with a goal of pristine quality. From a left-wing corner, Tom Blair picked out Ethan TAYLOR on the edge of the penalty area for the winger to strike an exquisite left-foot volley that scorched the cold air between the heads of several Taunton defenders as it flashed past Parkes and tore the net off the frame of the goal.
Totton’s third goal on 55 minutes may not have been as easy on the eye but it was no less welcome. After one flowing team move was defended by the visitors, Blair tried to centre for the in-rushing Taylor. A defender’s head knocked the ball out as far as Lee, whose volley hit his marker and spun close enough for Ethan TAYLOR to lift his left leg and prod home from five yards out for his fifth goal of the season.
Clearly enjoying themselves, The Stags made it 4-0 from another left-wing corner delivery by Blair to the edge of the six-yard box for Sam MAGRI to score a towering header with which to celebrate his son Nico’s sixth birthday.
Taunton pulled one back when an angled shot from the right bounced in front of Gould, causing the Totton ‘keeper to parry into the path of the unmarked Oliver WOODHOUSE who side-footed into the exposed left portion of the goal.
But The Stags re-established their four-goal advantage on 81 minutes through substitute Ash CLARKE, who ran at two defenders on a swift left-wing counter-attack and used Austin’s movement in the middle as a distraction, before firing home from just inside the box.
Full-Time: AFC TOTTON 5-1 TAUNTON TOWN
STAGS RADIO:
Can’t make the trip to Taunton? Josh Cole has you covered on StagsRadio, providing LIVE radio commentary throughout the match – and you can listen in to all the action from 7:45pm on our official X account.
By Joshua Cole
Image courtesy of Harvey Gerring
#GoStags
