Midweek football: AFC Totton held to stalemate while Brockenhurst, Hythe & Dibden, and Fawley AFC seal cup wins
IN the latest round of midweek fixtures, AFC Totton was held to a goalless draw while Brockenhurst, Hythe & Dibden, and Fawley AFC sealed cup wins.
However, it was not all good news, with Blackfield & Langley and Ringwood Town exiting the Russell Cotes Cup.
The Stags made the better start to the Southern League Premier South contest, but as the match wore on, Sholing grew into the game, and at the final whistle, the two sides shared the spoils.
Jimmy Ball’s men took complete control from the opening whistle, and one of their better early chances fell to Ethan Taylor, who danced into the Sholing area before his low-driven shot went for a corner after a good save.
Taylor was terrorising the Sholing defenders, and after more beautiful play, he teed the ball up to Leon Maloney, who placed his well-struck shot straight at the keeper.
Former Arnewood School pupil Jordan Chiedozie, the son of John Chiedozie, a former Tottenham Hotspur player, came off for Matthew Burrows with the manager looking to bring some fresh legs to the Stags’ attack.
Burrow’s lightning pace made a difference, and he used it to race clear and set up Taylor, whose excellent performance so far counted for little, skying the ball from six yards out.
As tensions rose, former AFC Totton player Jake Adams earned a caution for tripping Burrows on the halfway line, and the final whistle soon arrived.
The other local sides competed in Russell Cotes Cup action, with three of the five sides progressing to the second round.
Brockenhurst had to fight hard to progress against East Cowes Victoria, with the match hanging in the balance until the 67th minute when two goals arrived in four minutes.
Fortunately for the New Forest side they had done enough to win the game by the time captain Ronan Moore earned a second yellow in the 85th minute.
After a fairly even contest, the match turned after an excellent ball from Marcelo Rossi that released Moore down the left.
His cross left Brandon Channell with some work to do, and from his resulting lunge, the ball deflected in off a hapless Vics player.
Four minutes later, winger Max Connolly slid the ball through to the Man of The Match Rossi, who slotted past Alex Ram to seal the progression.
Hythe & Dibden gained a measure of revenge for the last time they met Andover New Street, three days earlier in a 5-4 loss for Hythe, winning 1-0 in a cagey contest.
Both sides worked tirelessly in a first half that failed to muster much in the way of goalmouth action for either side.
However, that changed 10 minutes after the restart when Marcel Laptas returned the scoring books, nodding inside Sean O’Brien’s post.
Fawley AFC continues to look like they are in the best form they have been for many years, picking up their third win in a week after a come-from-behind victory over Clanfield.
The Oilers fell behind after just four minutes when skipper Stanlie Hopkins punished a corner that the defence should have dealt with.
As the half-time break neared, Fawley worked their way back into the game when Oliver Connors smashed into an empty net following superb build-up play.
Keeper Malcolm Davie looked assured at the back and did brilliantly to keep Clanfield at bay after sloppy play put them clean through on goal.
The Oilers finally took the lead thanks to a worldie from midfielder Curtis Griffin, who spotted the keeper ever-so-slightly off his line before dinking the unfortunate keeper from the edge of the area.
Blackfield & Langley exited the cup after a 3-1 loss to Folland Sports, while Ringwood Town slipped 2-0 to Moneyfields.
The Watersiders took the lead 17 minutes into the contest when Folland’s keeper Shaun Weetch could only palm Mackenzie Gange’s low and smashed free-kick into his net.
