AFC Totton
CITY of SOUTHAMPTON SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
DIVISION ONE - MATCHDAY #10
SARISBURY SPARTANS 1
Callum Coker 83mins
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 3
Jordan Canning 39mins; Liam Hanlon 44mins; Matt Harrington 50mins
City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1 Champions AFC Totton Sunday completed an unbeaten league season with a hard-fought win against Sarisbury Spartans at Wyvern College in Fair Oak, this weekend.
Having had their last match against AFC Riverside cancelled and awarded to them by a scoreline of 3-0, the Sunday Stags returned to the scene of Luke Scoular's dislocated ankle injury two months ago to complete the double over Sarisbury who they beat by a single goal in the home encounter at Testwood Recreation Ground in early-March, thanks to Michael MacLeod's first-half penalty.
The return of Jason Calcutt, who missed the game against Durley at Sherfield English in which the Sunday Stags wrapped up the title a fortnight ago, enabled Tom Rafferty to shift back into his usual central defensive role with Calcutt at left-back and Mitch Coleman on the right-hand side. Tom Munday had the flu two weeks ago but he returned to the right midfield berth with Liam Hanlon partnering Lewis Gundry in the middle. Defender Dan Gain and centre-forward Matt Harrington both maintained their ever-present statuses.
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY
Starting Line-Up
Jack MARTIN
Mitch COLEMAN
Tom RAFFERTY
Dan GAIN
Jason CALCUTT
Tom MUNDAY
Lewis GUNDRY
Liam HANLON
Michael MACLEOD
Matt HARRINGTON
Jordan CANNING
Substitutes
Jay BRADING
Harry BROOKWELL
Sam CONWAY
Sarisbury, who came into the match with the bare eleven players, almost immediately suffered a setback when defender Josh Smith misjudged a bounce and had to stretch to prevent Matt Harrington taking advantage, pulling a leg muscle in the process. But with no substitutes to call upon, Smith battled on.
A half-volley from Mitch Coleman just inside his own half set Tom Munday away down the Totton right wing. Beating his marker for pace, he drilled the ball across goal with Jordan Canning racing toward the far post, but the ball was travelling too fast for the striker to connect. Then, Harrington fizzed in a low cross that Tom Arms did well to divert away from danger, before Harrington became the target for Michael MacLeod's delivery from the left-wing, but he had to stretch to reach the ball with his head, giving Sarisbury goalkeeper Ben Butterworth a comfortable catch.
Josh Smith was visibly struggling with his pulled leg muscle, so Sarisbury reshuffled to move him upfront and bring one of his teammates back into defence.
MacLeod led a one-man assault down the left-hand side for the Sunday Stags, charging through multiple challenges. Although he ultimately ran the ball out of play, it was a moment that buoyed his teammates and brought praise from the sidelines.
The Spartans were very much in the game, able to shift the ball through midfield quickly and get numbers forward in support - although, their first attempt on goal was a speculative long-range effort by Ben Gwilliam-Cook that sailed harmlessly high and wide of Jack Martin's goal. A more dangerous move around the edge of Totton's penalty area involving the re-deployed Smith required a timely intervention from Liam Hanlon, before solid work down the left-hand side by Tomasz Krakowiak presented Gwilliam-Cook with another shooting chance that he dragged wide. And the same player shot wide to the left through a crowd of blue shirts from the edge of the area, shortly after.
In the 10th minute, Munday scampered back into midfield to atone for his own misplaced pass. Gwilliam-Cook managed to evade him and work his way out to the left wing before sending over an in-swinging cross which Martin came out quickly to claim under pressure.
Munday redeemed himself by winning a free-kick mid-way inside the Spartans half. Coleman floated it high towards the far post and Dan Gain managed to get his head to it but couldn't keep his effort down. Then, Canning and Butterworth collided as they competed to get to Hanlon's chipped through-ball, both players requiring treatment before play could continue with Canning holding his ribs.
The striker was soon back in the action, though, knocking down Coleman's high cross to the far side for Harrington, who couldn't sort his feet out in time to strike on the volley, enabling Callum Coker to throw his body in the way to smother the chance. Coker then came close to opening the scoring for Sarisbury with a long-range strike that had Jack Martin diving low to his right to push wide for a corner, which the hosts were not able to capitalise upon.
Tom Munday headed MacLeod's cross from the left towards goal from the edge of the penalty area, but Butterworth had plenty of time to adjust his position to make the save. By the 20-minute mark, it had become an open end-to-end game that could have gone either way.
Hanlon won a tackle deep in midfield, allowing Lewis Gundry to ping the ball out to the left flank where Canning centred for Matt Harrington who somehow managed to sky the chance from about two yards out. Then, at the other end, Smith slipped in possession just outside the Totton box and Gwilliam-Cook pounced to drive a venomous snapshot that Martin needed two strong arms to parry over the crossbar.
Canning's through-ball from the centre had Munday sprinting after it down the right flank, Tom Arms got across in time to kick into touch. Then, Coleman tried his luck from a 35-yard free-kick after Hanlon was fouled, but his effort was way off target.
Totton were briefly exposed while Coleman was upfield, but Gain got across to shepherd the ball safely out of play. Then, MacLeod looped a forward pass into the inside-left channel to put Jordan Canning through on goal until Aaron Murphy produced an impeccably-timed last-ditch sliding tackle to knock the ball away.
A right-wing corner for Spartans had to be hooked off the line by Coleman to stop it going straight in. Then, the defender threw himself in the way of another Gwilliam-Cook shot from the edge of the area, after good approach work from Krakowiak, rushing the No.10 enough to send his shot over the top.
Totton centre-back Tom Rafferty, who captains Wessex League Division 1 side Fawley AFC, had seen enough. He let his displeasure be known, remonstrating with his teammates for allowing the match to be too open and for not stamping their authority on proceedings. His Fawley teammate Tom Munday responded with a sharp turn and sprint to escape the Spartans left-back before Coker clattered into him with a robust but fair challenge, hurting himself in the process.
The visitors were then within an inch of taking the lead when MacLeod, having taken a corner from the right, received the ball on that side of the penalty area and volleyed it across the 6-yard-box. Canning stabbed the ball past the keeper from close range but it hit the foot of the right-hand post and trickled along the goal-line. By the time Canning regathered it, he was too far to the left and at a tight angle to convert, so settled for a corner by smashing the ball against the shins of a defender. MacLeod took it from the left and Rafferty got across his marker at the near post to head narrowly wide.
Coleman blocked another Spartans attempt inside his own area, then strong hold-up play by Harrington on the half-hour gave Canning time to run forward and receive the pass. He laid it off to MacLeod on the left who squared infield to Munday, whose left-foot curler bounced into the arms of Butterworth.
Rafferty and Munday linked up to free the right-midfielder into space. His low cross was turned away to the edge of the box where MacLeod met it with his less-fancied right foot, shooting straight at the keeper. Rafferty picked out Munday again on the right flank, who this time drove a low shot across goal that went wide of the left-hand post and hit a smaller goalpost that was positioned behind the byline of the caged 3G Wyvern College pitch. The ball bounced back into play and the Referee didn't notice anything unusual, so play continued.
Totton were gaining momentum and finally took the lead in the 39th minute. Liam Hanlon took possession on the left, near the half-way line, and fed the run of Jordan CANNING who raced off the shoulder of the last defender, kept his composure and calmly slotted the ball beyond Butterworth to put the Sunday Stags ahead.
Ben Gwilliam-Cook continued taking potshots at the Totton goal at every opportunity. His effort from 20 yards out, shortly after the Spartans went behind, struck the top of the crossbar despite the presence of several blue shirts around him. Then, Krakowiak chased onto a pass down the Spartans left, beating Coleman to the ball and turning inside the full-back to shoot for the near-post corner where Jack Martin reacted quickly to save with his foot. The keeper made another smart save to stop Smith's shot from the right of his area, parrying as far as the penalty spot and grabbing the ball at the second attempt.
But, just as Sarisbury Spartans were threatening to level the scores, AFC Totton Sunday doubled their advantage. Michael MacLeod took a throw-in on the left touchline, mid-way inside the Spartans half, setting Harrington away on a bulldozing run through two defenders before the centre-forward slipped the ball into the near side of the 6-yard-box for Liam HANLON to hold off the defender to his right while firing into the left side of Butterworth's goal, shortly before the half-time whistle.
HALF-TIME
SARISBURY SPARTANS 0
AFC TOTTON SUNDAY 2
Totton began the second half on the front foot, pressing Spartans back into their own left-back corner. Munday laid the ball back to Coleman on the right touchline and he sent over a high cross that MacLeod met with a header, looping the ball over the far post.
A foul on Hanlon 25 yards out in a central position had MacLeod and Gundry standing over it. The skipper pulled rank and attempted a right-footed curler, which Butterworth parried but the offside flag went up against Munday as he gathered the rebound.
Spartans then a had a free-kick of their own in a similar position at the other end of the pitch. Totton put up a three-man defensive wall. A low shot made it past them but Martin was equal to it, saving at the foot of his right-hand post and clutching the ball to his chest with Sarisbury forwards running in.
Five minutes into the second half, Sam Conway's team took control of the game with a third goal, a product of a swift team move that had the Sunday Stag Ultras purring from the sidelines. MacLeod and Gundry worked the ball from left to right along the half-way line, with the captain passing to Mitch Coleman in space on the right. He advanced a few feet and pinged a 40-yard diagonal pass onto the head of Matt HARRINGTON, who had pulled off the back of his marker to give himself space to wrap his neck muscles around the ball, looping it back the way it came, over Butterworth and into the right-hand side of the goal. It was Harrington's 11th goal of the season in all competitions (including those scored against teams who have subsequently folded), tying him with Nathan Gray as AFC Totton Sunday's joint top goalscorers.
Tom Rafferty tested Butterworth's concentration with a 30-yard shot from the left, which the Spartans keeper saved. Then, the Totton defender intercepted a through-ball and immediately put Jordan Canning through at the other end, until Butterworth came out to claim on the edge of his penalty area.
Spartans Ryan Dove and Aaron Murphy managed to isolate Hanlon in midfield, before feeding Krakowiak to the left of centre, to shoot with the outside of his right foot straight at Martin. Then, Jason Calcutt made a well-timed sliding tackle to prevent Tom Gage delivering from a dangerous position with plenty of red shirts to aim for in the middle.
Tom Arms had to take evasive action to divert Munday's fierce right-wing cross over his own crossbar with Canning and Harrington both lurking with threatening intent around the penalty spot. Rafferty connected with the corner at the near post to win another one. Then, Callum Coker headed MacLeod's in-swinging cross off his own goal line to keep the scoreline respectable.
Hanlon took possession in the centre circle and went past three players before being brought down by the Spartans No.15, who was booked for his trouble. But the usually reliable left foot of Michael MacLeod shanked the free-kick harmlessly beyond the gathered ranks of his Totton teammates in the penalty area and out for a goal-kick.
With Totton in control and the bare eleven Sarisbury team starting to flag beyond the hour mark, Sam Conway sent Harry Brookwell on in place of Mitch Coleman, and Jay Brading on for Matt Harrington. Calcutt switched to right-back to enable Brookwell to slot in on the left. And Brading, who usually operates in either of the wide midfield positions, joined Canning up front.
MacLeod directed Martin's long kick infield to Jordan Canning, but his shot lacked power. Then, Hanlon made a sliding tackle on the edge of the Totton box to nick the ball away from Ryan Dove, just as he was shaping to let fly.
Harry Brookwell got forward to link up with Canning and MacLeod on the left wing, to present Canning with the chance to shoot from 20 yards but Butterworth dealt with it. Then, from the half-way line, Brookwell looked to feed Canning with a curling through-ball into the inside-left, but his pass was too hard.
A misunderstanding regarding the protocol from a drop-ball situation allowed Sarisbury to go straight up the pitch and through on the Totton goal in the 68th minute, until a late flag ruled Krakowiak to be offside. Shortly after, Munday took the sting out of Coker's drive to enable Martin to save to his left.
A long kick from the Totton keeper picked out Munday on the right-hand side. He played the ball into the penalty area and substitute Jay Brading slammed a low shot against Butterworth's legs when he should have made it 4-0. Ben Gwilliam-Cook then resumed his remote shelling of the Totton goal with a ferocious angled effort from the left, which Martin did well to stop.
With 12 minutes to go, Hanlon made progress down the left wing before finding his path blocked. He turned back to tee-up Brookwell for a right-footed shot from distance that seared narrowly over the top-left corner with Butterworth rooted to the spot.
Callum Coker was the second player to have his name taken by the Referee after reacting to having his pocket picked by Canning. Brookwell took the free-kick and found Hanlon whose shot was deflected wide for a corner, but Totton were then pulled up for pushing as the cross came in.
With the Sunday Stags in full control of the match, a rare mistake in the 83rd minute gave Spartans a glimmer of hope. As the ball came across from the Spartans left wing into the penalty area, Harry Brookwell appeared to have the situation under control, taking a touch to bring the ball down while facing his own goal. But as Coker came in to challenge, the substitute left-back took a heavy touch that wrong-footed himself and enabled Callum COKER to fire under Jack Martin from close range to reduce the deficit for Spartans.
Coker was soon threatening again, crossing from the right in search of a fellow Spartan but Dan Gain knocked the ball away and Brookwell completed the job by winning a goal-kick off Coker's shins.
Hanlon got the Stags going in the preferred direction again, sweeping the ball forward to Munday on the right-hand side. His low pass fed the run of Brading who muscled his way past his marker and crashed his shot narrowly past the near post and into the fencing behind the Sarisbury goal, briefly tricking the Ultras on the far touchline into thinking he'd scored.
Gwilliam-Cook and Coker took turns with more long-range efforts but neither of them could keep their shots down. Them, Brading chased down a lost cause in the far right corner to lay it back for Munday, whose whipped cross had Hanlon airborne but his stretching header flew wide to the left of goal.
Manager Sam Conway came on to replace Jordan Canning late on, as the striker was struggling with an aching hip. Hanlon had another headed effort from MacLeod's right-wing corner, which went over. Then, Ryan Dove got the better of Conway in midfield but Munday stormed across the pitch to slam the door firmly shut.
In the dying moments, Dove threatened with a variation on an overhead kick, but his effort looped onto the top of the net, with Rafferty keeping a watchful eye on it from under the crossbar.
The Referee's final whistle brought down the curtain on the 2021/22 league season for the Sunday Stags, in which the record shows they Played 10, Won 9, Drew 1 and Lost 0. They scored 28 and they conceded 8. Their total of 28 points puts them 9 points clear of second-placed Durley. They are deserving of the title City of Southampton Sunday Football League Div.1 Champions.
And on Tuesday 10 May, they will look to complete the league and cup double when they face Empire FC at the Snows Stadium in the final of the Southampton Divisional FA Sunday Senior Cup.
Man of the Match: JORDAN CANNING
AFC Totton Sunday would like to thank our sponsors Gentlemen's League Barbers and Hurst Auto Assistance for everything they have done for us, this season - our success on the pitch would not have been possible without your fantastic support.
Match Report: BEN ROCHEY-ADAMS
