AFC Totton
STAGS IN FA CUP 1ST ROUND QUALIFYING FACE Toolstation Western Division One SIDE WINCANTON THIS SATURDAY.
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Following the Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round victory over Melksham Town at home on Saturday 20 August, The Stags will entertain Toolstation Western League Division One side Wincanton Town this weekend.
Goals from Scott Rendell, Ethan Taylor and Jordan Ragguette eased Totton into the 1st Round Qualifying draw in which they were originally pulled out of the hat as the away team. But, with The Wasps’ Wincanton Sports Ground currently undergoing essential drainage works, the tie has been switched to the Snows Stadium by request of the Somerset-based club.
Wincanton finished third in the Western League Division One last season, which is at Step 6 or Tier 10 of the English Football League Pyramid. They began their FA Cup campaign with a comprehensive 6-2 away win at Tadley Calleva in early August to set-up a trip to Camberley Town of the Combined Counties League Premier Division South. A 1-1 draw in Surrey led to a replay, staged at Sherborne Town’s Raleigh Grove ground in Dorset.
Jordan Ragguette scores Totton's third goal against Melksham Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round tie at the Snows Stadium.
A towering header from Matt Garner in the 16th minute sent them on their way to a 3-0 victory, with Thomas Richardson adding the second – also a header – just three minutes later and striker Connor Williams completing the win seven minutes from the end, to ensure Wincanton go into 1st Round Qualifying as the lowest ranked club still in the competition.
Last Friday night, the Wasps had FA Vase business to attend to in our vicinity at Fawley AFC. In an epic cup tie, not even 10 goals were enough to split the two teams. The Wasps were 5-3 up when the clocked ticked over to 90 minutes, but Fawley struck twice during 9 minutes of stoppage time to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out, from which The Oilers eventually triumphed.
When Wincanton returned to league action on Bank Holiday Monday, there were goals galore again in a 3-3 thriller at Brislington – although, that only tells half the story because the Wasps had to fight their way back from a three-goal deficit from around the hour mark, with Matt Garner scoring twice to salvage a point.
Wincanton Town from Step 6 are the lowest-ranked team left in the FA Cup.
AFC Totton will be firm favourites to win but manager Jimmy Ball has done his due diligence, as he would for any opposition, and is wary of his side being over-confident:
“We’re here to win every game we play and that won’t be any different with Wincanton. But we will have to be on our mettle because they have threats – there’s no doubt about that – so, we’ll have to be on our game and make sure we perform on the day.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of:
Top – Craig Hobbs Photography | AFC Totton
Bottom – Jess Hariss | Official Photographer | Wincanton Town FC
