Match report: AFC Totton dominated their final match of the regular Southern League Premier South season, beating Frome Town FC 4-0
AFC Totton gave themselves a confidence boost ahead of the promotion play-off semi-finals, comfortably beating Frome Town in the sunshine at Badgers Hill on Saturday.
In their final match of the league campaign, the Stags rubber-stamped their second-place credentials, thanks to a brace from long-time AFC Totton servant Ethan Taylor and goals Tom Blair and Tony Lee.
The victory leaves Jimmy Ball’s men just four points behind champions Merthyr Town and five points clear of the chasing pack.
They will play at home when they take on Dorchester Town in the semi-final on Wednesday evening, with a final against Walton & Hersham or Gloucester City in a winner-takes-all promotion decider the prize.
The Stags have played Dorchester three times this season, with a record of one win, one draw and a loss.
“Really good first-half, we came and did a job on them in the first half,” said AFC Totton boss Ball. “We were really energetic, we were ruthless. We attacked with aggression and really positive energy going forward.
“I’m usually quite critical of the chances we miss, but we didn’t leave many chances out there today. I’d have liked them to continue that in the second half, but the second half was about conserving energy, and we plod through, remaining nice and fresh for Wednesday night.
“Dorchester have had an excellent season; they’ve been excellent against us, too. Fair play to them, but I’m looking forward to it. We know a lot about each other, which is great, so it should be a very exciting, very close game.”
With 11 minutes played, Robins’ goalkeeper Kyle Phillips saved well with his feet. However, the ball rebounded out to Luke Bennett, who slid the ball to Blair on the edge of the box. His low cross invited Taylor to nip in front of his marker and apply a close-range finish to open the scoring.
Within two minutes, the Stags had doubled their lead. Taylor dispossessed an opponent near the halfway line and strode forward before switching play to Blair, who had time to control the ball, shuffle past his marker onto his right foot and fire an unstoppable shot high into the far corner of the net.
The Stags had the wind in their sails, and with 16 minutes played, they won a corner. Craig Tanner delivered a high, in-swinging cross to the far post, where Joe Oastler got above his marker to head back across goal. A small cluster of players jumped for it, with Taylor’s deft touch flying inside the right-hand upright to make it 3-0.
Lee made it four just past the half-hour mark. The striker latched onto Blair’s incisive pass during a rapid counter after a Frome corner. The diagonal pass was perfectly weighted for the striker to run onto. Lee got the ball under control about 20 yards out and picked his spot, firing into the top-right corner for his 22nd goal of the season in all competitions, making it 4-0 after just 32 minutes.
No further goals came during the second half. In the final few minutes, the game took on a decidedly end-of-season feel, with the players of both teams looking like they had had enough for the day. The referee decided against inflicting any additional time upon the 506-strong crowd and brought the regular season to a close with his full-time whistle.
AFC Totton: R. Gosney, J. Oastler, M. Carter, S. Magri, A. Tomasso, E. Taylor, C. Tanner, L. Bennett, T. Lee, T. Blair, R. McIntyre. Subs: B. Jefford, B. Seymour, S. Rendell, L. Hallett, R. Collins.
