AFC Totton
Image credit: The Digital South.
IT’S ONE IN, ONE OUT at the Snows Stadium this week, as one AFC Bournemouth loanee midfielder steps aside to make way for another to join the AFC Totton squad.
Ben Winterburn made his Stags debut as a second-half substitute during the emphatic 6-0 away win at Winchester City in mid-August, and he went on to make a total of seven starts and two sub appearances before being recalled to the Vitality Stadium by AFC Bournemouth this week.
Ben started all of Totton’s matches in the 2023/24 Emirates FA Cup, beginning with the 5-1 home win over close rivals Sholing in First Round Qualifying, the subsequent 3-0 away win at National League North side Gloucester City, the 1-0 win at home to Berkhamsted and the defeat to Ramsgate in Fourth Round Qualifying on 14 October.
Among the highlights of his time with The Stags is providing the assist that enabled Leon Maloney to smash the ball into the roof of the Sholing net to put Totton ahead just one minute into the second half of that first FA Cup tie.
MY BALL: Ben Winterburn in possession for AFC Totton during this season's FA Trophy tie with Plymouth Parkway at the Snows Stadium (Image credit: Craig Hobbs Photography).
Manager Jimmy Ball commented:
“Ben has done very well for us. He trains hard and does everything right off the pitch. Men’s football is relatively new to him but he’s learning to use his size and strength to good effect, and we’ve seen him make some crucial tackles for us in the midfield. We’ve enjoyed having him here. I hope we’ve helped him to make that next step in his football journey. I wish him all the best and I’ll be watching his career with great interest.”
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Lewis Brown arrives at the Snows Stadium hoping to gain a similar experience with his own introduction to men’s football. Usually a central midfielder, Lewis can also operate anywhere across the back four.
He joined The Cherries when he was just 7 years-old, progressing through the AFC Bournemouth Academy to be named captain of their U18s team last season before he was moved into the Development Squad at the beginning of 2023/24.
Lewis has travelled extensively during his time with The Cherries, taking part in several tournaments in Italy and the Netherlands, which included a 5-4 win against PSV Eindhoven. Much closer to home, his father Phil is the manager of Bournemouth FC (The Poppies) in the Wessex League Premier Division.
NEW MAN IN THE MIDDLE: Central midfielder Lewis Brown has joined AFC Totton on loan from AFC Bournemouth (Image credit: The Digital South).
Described on the AFC Bournemouth website as a “tenacious middleman”, Lewis is now a First-Year Scholar at the Vitality Stadium club. He joins AFC Totton as they are about to embark on cup matches on three fronts, while also trying to take advantage of games in-hand to climb back into Promotion Play-Off contention at the top end of the Southern League Premier Division South.
Merthyr Town will visit the Snows Stadium on Saturday for an Isuzu FA Trophy First Round tie, while there are also imminent knock-out matches on the horizon in both the SDFA Southampton Senior Cup and the Servio Hampshire Senior Cup, all of which should provide plenty of opportunity for the teenager to gain valuable experience of playing against adult opposition, building upon the loan spell he had at Wimborne Town at the tail end of last season.
Jimmy Ball, whose nephew Mack Allan is also signed to Bournemouth’s youth ranks as a goalkeeper and played for AFC Totton at the end of last season, said of Lewis Brown:
“I’ve heard some very good reports on him and seen him play a couple of times. This is another case of helping a young player with genuine ambitions of making it in the professional game to make that transition from youth football to senior level. We can offer that opportunity, while also strengthening our squad with another option in midfield. I’m looking forward to working with him. I hope he will get a lot out of it and that we can have a positive impact on his development.”
Paperwork permitting, Totton will be hoping to have Lewis cleared in time to feature in the matchday squad for tonight’s visit of Didcot Town in the Southern League Premier Division South.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
