AFC Totton
THEY SAY A WEEK can be a long time in football, and that is especially true when trying to track the comings and goings of non-league footballers.
With The Stags not having played at home for a while, and the plan to send most of the members of the newly-formed AFC Totton Under-23 team out on loan or dual-registration deals now having been realised, there are quite a few comings and goings for us to catch up on. So, without further ado…
Many of you will have already seen via social media posts that winger MARCUS DAWS has left the club by mutual consent. The former Dorchester Town man, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, found the frequent travel to and from Totton difficult and leaves the Snows Stadium with the club’s best wishes.
The arrival of ex-Yeovil and Poole Town ‘keeper Max Evans has inevitably prompted questions as to the future of LEWIS NOICE. Noicey (pictured below) has been battling a persistent knee injury for a long while and has decided to take some time off to deal with it. The club is calling it a “sabbatical”; we retain his registration in the hope that he will make a successful return to full fitness.
Young striker REMUS NIXON and the recently acquired central defender LOGAN LAIRD are both playing on loan for Southern League Division One South outfit Shaftesbury, as well as giving the average height of The Rockies’ squad a major boost. Both players remain available for AFC Totton’s U23s.
Millbrook have taken all-action midfielder OWEN PELHAM and striker CONNOR DUNESBY-BENT on dual-registration deals. They both featured as second-half substitutes during The Dockers’ 5-0 win at Totton & Eling in the First Round of the Velocity League Cup at Miller Park on Tuesday night.
Goalkeeper NICO TROJANOWSKI and giant central defender EBENEZER ASARE-EKOTO are also now on dual-registration deals with Wessex League Division One side Lymington Town. And likewise full-back SA-SEAN LUTUMBA and ex-Eastleigh midfielder OLLIE ERDINC at current Wessex League Premier Division strugglers Downton, where they have teamed up with the former AFC Totton Sunday centre-back, Tom Rafferty.
Ethan’s tough-tackling younger brother LEO TAYLOR has once again joined Hamble Club as a dual-registered player, as was also the case in each of the last two seasons. The Monks are among the Wessex Premier’s early league leaders.
Young midfielder ZACHARIAH EARLEY and forward HUGO RAWLINGS have dual-registered with Romsey Town, who will be hoping to make this season’s Wessex Div. One Play-Offs.
Meanwhile, the former Weymouth defensive midfielder WILL KEITA, who had a hamstring injury when he signed for AFC Totton at the start of the season, has been spending time with his family in Canada and will be returning to the club shortly.
We can also confirm that the AFC Bournemouth Under-23s striker ASHLEY CLARKE (pictured below), who had a short spell on loan at the Snows Stadium late last season and scored two goals in The Cherries’ recent 4-1 SERVIO Hampshire Senior Cup Second Round win here on 17 September, has re-joined The Stags on loan. The paperwork was being finalised on Thursday evening, in the hope that he would be available for selection in this weekend's matchday squad for the Isuzu FA Trophy visit of Merthyr Town.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Craig Hobbs Photography (top) and Tom McKenzie (bottom)
