AFC Totton
CITY of SOUTHAMPTON SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION ONE - MATCHDAY #6
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 1
Michael MacLeod 37mins (pen)
SARISBURY SPARTANS 0
Despite having had 9 points expunged from the records due to other teams folding, AFC Totton Sunday strengthened their City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1 title challenge with a home victory over Sarisbury Spartans at Testwood Recreation Ground on Sunday.
Mike MacLeod's 37th minute penalty separated the two sides on paper but Totton were much the more dominant side throughout the match and should have won by significantly more goals.
Absence and injury enforced another re-shuffle of personnel by Player/Manager Sam Conway. Kaine Stanton, who usually plays in midfield but is recovering from injury, took up the goalkeeper's gloves in the absence of both Mitch Coleman and Jack Martin. Former Southampton FC youth player Harry Brookwell made his AFC Totton Sunday debut at left-back, while Liam Hanlon and Tom Munday both returned in midfield. The boss was joined on the substitutes bench by his brother, Luke Conway, together with Jay Brading and Jordan Canning.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY
Starting Line-Up
1. Kaine STANTON
3. Michael MACLEOD
4. Dan GAIN
5. Tom RAFFERTY
7. Lewis GUNDRY
8. Jason CALCUTT
9. Matt HARRINGTON
10. Nathan GRAY
11. Tom MUNDAY
13. Harry BROOKWELL
14. Liam HANLON
Substitutes
2. Sam CONWAY
6. Luke CONWAY
12. Jay BRADING
15. Jordan CANNING
The Totton players were put through their paces in a vigorous warm-up session and came charging out of the blocks from the kick-off. First, Jason Calcutt played Mike MacLeod in down the left wing and his low cross found Tom Munday - back after suspension - free on the far side, his shot well-saved by the legs of Ben Butterwell in the Spartans' goal. Then, Butterwell had to come out quickly to claim the ball before Nathan Gray could latch onto Munday's through-ball.
MacLeod, playing further up the left-hand side than he usually has done for AFC Totton Sunday, was carrying much of the early threat for the home side. Tom Rafferty won the ball near half-way and then Liam Hanlon kept the ball despite coming under pressure from the player that had been dispossessed. Hanlon's pass released MacLeod again and his cross was stabbed behind for a corner, Sarisbury already looking stretched. Gray's in-swinging corner from the left seemed destined for the forehead of Dan Gain but Munday didn't see him and inadvertently flicked the ball away from his better-placed teammate.
The energy level and focused determination of the Sunday Stags was impressive, though, and a marked improvement on some recent displays. The busy Munday, keen to make up for missed time, had Butterwell stretching towards the top corner at his near post to prevent a left-footed cross-shot from the right-wing touchline flying straight past him.
As Harry Brookwell lined up a left-wing throw-in, captain Lewis Gundry instructed that the ball should go to Matt Harrington, who controlled and fed MacLeod in space to deliver another cross, which Gray flicked just past the right-hand post. Then, Gundry's defence-splitting pass plated MacLeod into a more central area, from where he was able to strike for goal, forcing Butterwell to parry. Gray followed up but hit his shot over the bar.
With just 12 minutes played, Sarisbury were already hanging on, struggling to keep up with their hosts. Gray received the ball back from his own corner, danced around a defender and fed Gain, who missed his kick in a crowded penalty area. Then, Harrington held up a long ball to lay it off for the on-rushing Gundry, whose drive was wide to the left.
Hanlon and Gain moved the ball across the Totton defensive line near half-way. When the ball came forward, MacLeod flicked it round the corner and sprinted away to receive the return pass from Harrington, before beating the full-back and driving the ball across goal.
When Spartans finally managed to mount an attack, they were flagged offside. Then, Munday fired one across the Spartans goalmouth from the right-hand side without troubling Butterwell.
For all their dominance, Totton had failed to open the scoring and by the 22nd minute, Spartans began to show signs of coming back into the game, which was becoming quite open. Spartans forward Ryan Goodwin was brought down by Calcutt to earn his side a free-kick in a dangerous position, but Brookwell intercepted and drove forward before finding Gray, who ran into a defender. Then, Gray was sent to the Sin Bin for 10 minutes for arguing with the Referee about the correct location of a free-kick that Gain had conceded while up for another Totton corner.
Despite being a man down, Totton continued to search for the opening goal. Brookwell, looking more assured by the minute on his debut, floated in a well-measured cross from the left-hand side, which eluded Harrington's head by inches. But when Tom Munday dribbled his way into the Spartans area shortly after, he was taken down and the Referee immediately awarded a penalty. With a firm strike of his left instep, Michael MACLEOD slotted the spot-kick into the left side of the goal to give Totton a deserved lead.
Ben Gwilliam went past Brookwell down the Spartans right in an attempt to get his side onto the front foot, but Tom Rafferty was able to control the situation. Sarisbury did manage to apply some pressure before the break, though, winning a corner on the right-hand side which was headed over by their big centre-back, up for the set-piece.
A strong sliding tackle by Brookwell sent the ball on to MacLeod, who exchanged passes with Harrington and shot into the outside netting behind the near post. Then, Kaine Stanton was called into action for the first time when Jack Savage managed to win a battle with Gain to make space for an angled shot that the Totton keeper saved.
Liam Hanlon came within a whisker of making it 2-0 to the home side just before half-time, with a 20-yard pile-driver that soared past Butterwell and smashed against the underside of the crossbar. The ball may have bounced goal-side of the line before it rebound out, but without the luxury of goal-line technology the Referee had to err on the side of caution. So, Totton had to settle for just the one-goal lead at the break.
HALF-TIME
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 1
SARISBURY SPARTANS 0
Totton came out for the second-half with Nathan Gray restored to the team with his Sin Bin expulsion having expired. And Jay Brading came on for Harry Brookwell, with Brading going to left-midfield and MacLeod shifting into the full-back role.
A speculative up-and-under from MacLeod, that usually wouldn't be dangerous, suddenly became so when Butterwell slipped in his 6-yard box with the ball in flight. But fortunately for the Spartans keeper, the ball dropped wide of his right-hand post.
Tom Munday's energy was too much for Sarisbury left-back Tom Arms to live with. Munday raced past him to latch onto Calcutt's pass from midfield and sent a low cross to the near post, which deflected kindly for Butterwell off a defender.
At just 1-0, Spartans were never out of the game and Dan Gain had to block a cross from a corner, midfielder Callum Coker following up for the visitors with a looped shot that landed on to the top of the netting, behind the crossbar.
Gray took a free-kick from the half-way line, after he had been shoved from behind. Harrington headed it on to Munday to the right, who was unable to finish. Gain kept the ball alive and found Gundry, whose cross brought Butterwell off his line to claim the ball among several bodies. Then, Gain, still up from a set-piece, diverted Munday's cross from the right over the bar, with the whole goal to aim at.
Gray tested the keeper with another free-kick delivery, but Butterwell was equal to it at his near post. Then, Gain inadvertently got in the way of Hanlon's well-hit volley that appeared to be flying into the top-right corner. And Gain had the chance to redeem himself with a point blank header but missed the target.
In the 58th minute, Rafferty found himself stretching to cut out a looped punt into the Totton area. His touch wrong-footed Stanton but sent the ball wide for a corner, which Gain headed clear. Then, the diminutive figures of Nathan Gray was penalised for a shoulder charge on a defender twice his size, much to the amusement of the Sunday Stags Ultras watching from the sidelines.
Totton could have lost heart at not increasing their lead despite their continued dominance, but the lack of a second goal only inspired them to work harder for each other all over the pitch. MacLeod continued to terrorise down the left flank whenever the opportunity was presented; Harrington dropped into midfield to deny Spartans the room to manoeuvre their way upfield; Munday charged around the pitch with his characteristic determination, but with a renewed sense of control and purpose that had Gundry and Calcutt constantly looking for him as the attacking outlet down the right wing and Harrington and Gray salivating at the prospect of his deliveries into the box.
Hanlon played the ball in from the left touchline and a defensive header only succeeded in sending the ball into the air. Gray controlled it but found himself crowded out before he could get his shot away. Then, at the other end, Dan Gain's brilliantly timed sliding tackle inside the Totton penalty area slammed the door shut in the face of Spartan ambitions for an equaliser.
Shortly after the hour mark, Nathan Gray should have doubled Totton's advantage when Hanlon's pass through the middle hit a defender and left Gray one-on-one with the keeper, but the striker shot straight at Butterwell. In the 67th minute, Hanlon picked out Munday on the right. The winger stood up his marker and left him for dead, sending a low cross to Harrington who attempted a flick that drifted wide of the far post.
Gwilliam did well to ride Calcutt's challenge to launch an attack down the left wing for Spartans. But Hanlon was quickly across from central midfield with a strong sliding tackle to halt the winger's progress.
Arms brought Munday down, as they chased Gundry's pass. Gray fancied his chances from the free-kick but drove his effort into the defensive wall. Then, Jay Brading was able to get the ball down under pressure on the left wing and work the ball infield to Harrington, whose attempt to find the top-right corner lack the necessary venom. And, Munday received the ball wide right and drove infield, laying it off to Hanlon but his shot was deflected into the arms of the goalkeeper.
Into the last 10 minutes, Stanton had to make his second save of the match to force away Coker's high-angled shot from the left, the follow-up snapshot flying well-wide. Then, Calcutt made a well-timed intervention to prevent Gwilliam going clean through, as Stanton was also rushing out of his goal. Calcutt, who has been dealing with a long-running leg injury, had to come off to be replaced by Jordan Canning.
Harrington's willingness to engage his opponents in a physical struggle continued to cause problems for the over-worked Spartans defenders, who were lucky the Referee didn't allow play continue when Harrington was fouled in the centre-circle but Gundry ran onto the loose ball to go clean through, with Jay Brading crying out for a square pass in acres of space in the centre. The Referee called the play back, though, and within a minute, he ended the match with the final whistle.
Man of the Match: TOM MUNDAY
AFC Totton Sunday would like to thank our sponsors Gentlemen's League Barbers and Hurst Auto Assistance for their invaluable ongoing support.
Match Report: BEN ROCHEY-ADAMS
