AFC Totton
VENUE: The Causeway Ground, Edge Hills Road, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2QH
Life is a game of second chances, no more so than at Cinderford Town, the Gloucestershire-based club that suffered relegation from the Southern League Div.1 South last season – only to receive an 11th-hour reprieve thanks to a Southern League-wide administrative reshuffle.
They finished 17th in the 19-team division last season, with 31 points from 36 matches. That put them into an Inter-Step Play-Off against Skelmersdale United from Lancashire, who had finished as runners-up in the North West Counties League Premier Division. Despite home advantage, The Foresters were resoundingly beaten 1-5, and were seemingly consigned to life at Step 5 for the 2022/23 season. But following the untimely demise of Walton Casuals at Step 3, and with the Southern League determined to restore Div.1 South to 20 teams, Cinderford were granted a welcome stay of execution.
They began the new season’s league campaign with one win, one draw and one defeat, and have been holding their own sufficiently – 16 points from 14 matches so far has them sitting in 14th position – to suggest they might be able to avoid the relegation dogfight come the end of the season.
Initial progress in the Emirates FA Cup was brought to an abrupt end in 1st Round Qualifying with a 2-3 home defeat to Wessex League Premier Division side Laverstock & Ford in early-September, before Thatcham Town tripped them at the first hurdle the following weekend in the Isuzu FA Trophy.
Cinderford Town were the Southern League Div.1 South & West Champions in 2015/16. According to their Wikipedia page, the club applied to forego promotion due to financial concerns. But their application was rejected by the Football Association, and they struggled to compete in the Southern League Premier Division in 2016/17, finishing bottom of the table and dropping back to Step 4.
The club has been at its Causeway Ground since just after World War II. In 1993/94, the team had to play at Worrall Hill while work was underway to level out an 18-foot slope from one corner of the pitch to another. The work resulted in banking behind one of the goals and alongside the pitch opposite the main stand. The ground’s capacity is 3,500, which includes 250 seats.
Foresters Manager Alex Sykes was a player with Mansfield Town, Forest Green Rovers, Bath City, Nuneaton Borough and Gloucester City, with whom he won promotion to the Conference North. Formerly manager of Bishop’s Cleeve and Shortwood United, he combines his responsibilities at Cinderford Town with secondary school teaching.
Totton fans who travelled to the away game at Evesham United last November might recognise centre-forward Michael Symons, who imposed his considerable physique on the game at the Spiers & Hartwell Jubilee Stadium to good effect in the 3-3 draw in Worcestershire. He moved to Cinderford in the summer, where he operates as a player/coach, and has contributed two league goals to date.
Their most recent recruit is Brandon Liggett, signed from Cheltenham Town to add some steel to their central midfield area. He went straight into the starting line-up that faced Bashley at the Causeway Ground on Saturday 29 October, going down to a 1-2 defeat following Matt Tubbs’ late, late winner four minutes into stoppage time.
Top scorer Ben Brooks, who had six league goals to his name, left Cinderford at the beginning of this month to sign for divisional rivals Melksham Town.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Captain on the day Ben Jefford leads AFC Totton onto the Snows Stadium pitch ahead of the most recent meeting with Cinderford Town in January 2022.
Last season’s mid-September visit to the Causeway Ground brought a thumping 8-1 win for The Stags. Jordan Ngalo got the ball rolling on 22 minutes. Two goals from Brett Williams, either side of half-time – the first of those from the penalty spot – were followed by strikes from Ethan Taylor, Sam Griffin, two from Jack Hoey and a 69th-minute Freddie Read goal in front of a crowd of 121.
Totton won the return match 4-0. Captain for the day Ben Jefford put his team ahead on 17 minutes. Jack Hoey, Jordan Ragguette and Shaquille Gwengwe completed the rout.
In terms of the historical head-to-head, it’s all to play for! That 4-0 win in mid-January levelled the record at 8 wins each with 4 draws from a total of 20 meetings since goals from Nathaniel Sherbourne and James Taylor delivered a 2-0 away win for The Stags in 2008/09. Taylor, Senior was also on target in the subsequent 3-3 draw at Testwood Park. With Ethan having got on the scoresheet in that 8-1 mauling last season, a brace from him on Saturday would nudge him ahead of his father’s total – errors and omissions in our historical records notwithstanding, of course.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Image courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
