AFC Totton
AFC Totton defender Callum Baughan has transferred to nearby Southern League Premier Division outfit Winchester City for an undisclosed fee.
Originally a centre-back while playing in the Eastleigh Academy, Baughan had to fight his way back from two ACL reconstructions and the disappointment of being released by the Spitfires in 2021 to become a regular in the right-back slot for the Stags last season, where he made 40 starts in all competitions and scored 2 goals on his way to becoming the inaugural winner of the StagsRadio Player of the Year for the quality and consistency of his performances.
Callum Baughan (middle), flanked by Benjy Rees (left) and Doug Webber (right), receiving the StagsRadio Player of the Year Award at the Players' Presentation evening in May.
However, the 22-year-old’s first team opportunities have been limited within the tactical system favoured by manager Jimmy Ball, who arrived at the club in March and used the close season to rebuild more than half of his playing squad. After an initial discussion about the prospect of the Bournemouth-based Baughan going out on loan to maintain his match fitness, the club was approached by Winchester City who were eager to complete a permanent transfer ahead of the Bank Holiday Monday round of league fixtures.
As well as adjusting to life in a higher division following their play-off promotion last season, the Citizens are also currently struggling with a combination of injuries and suspensions, so they were keen to get new recruits into their squad in time for the match against Gosport Borough at the Charters Community Stadium, which ended in a 0-1 defeat.
Speaking at the Snows Stadium after the Southern League Div.1 South match against Sholing, AFC Totton’s CEO Steve Brookwell reported:
“Callum was among a number of players who we were considering sending out on loan. Recently, he’s not had as much game time as he might have liked while new players have come into the squad and the shape of the team has been altered from that in which he performed very well last season.
“Jimmy Ball received a phone call over the weekend from Winchester City, in which they confirmed they were prepared to commit to a fee for the player if the deal could be wrapped up quickly, given the problems they’re currently experiencing with having several players out of action for various reasons.
“We certainly weren’t looking to offload the player but from Callum’s point of view it’s an opportunity to move up a division and secure the first team football that he needs, so we really had to leave it up to him and we respect the decision that he’s made and wish him every success at his new club.”
As is always the case while potential transfers are still being negotiated, the matter was kept under wraps until it could be confirmed. But while Winchester City were in a position to celebrate their new arrival with a quick pre-match Monday morning tweet, the AFC Totton Media Team were already at the Snows Stadium undertaking their own matchday responsibilities ahead of the local derby with Sholing.
“Callum is a lovely lad and I’m proud that as a football club, we were able to bring him in after his career was seemingly over having been released from Eastleigh and give him the platform to regroup and find his way in the game once again,” explained Brookwell.
“He was a standout performer for us last season but as a Board, we back the manager’s decisions regarding tactics and team selection. So, while I’m certainly sorry to see Callum leave on a personal level, that’s football and we just have to get on with it.
“We’re certainly not a selling club but we do have to be realistic in our approach and part of our role with where the club is at the moment is to catch players who fall out of clubs at higher levels, soften the blow for them and help them to develop both as players and as young men, before allowing them to move on when the time is right to go and achieve their ambitions in the game.
“That was the case for Jordan Ngalo (pictured above) who came to us after being released by Weymouth and then he did well enough to attract the interest of Aldershot Town. Ade Olumuyiwa and Hisham Kasimu are now both playing two divisions higher at Farnborough, and the young goalkeeper Josh Jeffries went from playing youth football to academy level and into our first team in a short space of time before catching the eye of Southampton and joining their Under-18s squad.
“In addition to our first team, we have the AFC Totton Academy sides, the Development team and 32 youth teams between ourselves and Totton & Eling, so we have the infrastructure in place to constantly bring new players through. While very talented individuals will inevitably attract interest from clubs higher up the football pyramid, we will still be able to produce plenty of quality players who can sustain the club over the longer term as we aim to move up the divisions ourselves and, increasingly, become one of those clubs that players from all over the region and throughout the divisions around us yearn to sign for to come and win trophies and achieve promotions in an AFC Totton shirt.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography
