Match report: AFC Totton seals late 2-1 Southern League Premier South triumph against Sholing FC

AFC Totton completed a thrilling, come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Southern League Premier South rivals Sholing on Saturday.

After the win, the Stags, who hold games in hand over all their rivals, head into Christmas in second place.

Sholing made a blistering start, scoring inside two minutes through Michael Folivi before Ethan Taylor sprung into action, levelling with 20 minutes left before winning it deep in added time.

The visitors got off to a dream start, with the free-scoring Folivi beating the offside trap before rounding Ryan Gosney to slot home virtually straight from kick-off.

From there, it was all AFC Totton in the first half, with Sholing twice coming up with goal-line clearances alongside a strong goalkeeping performance from Patrick Nash as The Boatmen went into half-time with the lead.

The second half followed the same pattern, with Totton applying plenty of pressure, but their rivals somehow found the crucial blocks and challenges to cling onto the lead.

The Stags finally found a way back into the game when Tom Blair was brought down just inside the penalty area, with Taylor thundering the resulting spot-kick home to level the scores.

The goal jolted Sholing back to life, with Folivi striking the base of the post two minutes later.

While both sides had chances, it felt like it may end even when the officials signalled six minutes of additional time.

The hosts stuck to their task admirably, searching for a winner. Scott Rendell’s immaculate control from an aerial ball allowed him to find Luke Bennett, who squared to Taylor to blast in at the back stick and send the home fans into raptures with a second injury-time winner in as many games.

AFC Totton: R. Gosney, J. Oastler, B. Jefford, C. Kennedy, A. Tomasso, E. Taylor, C. Austin, L. Hallett, R. Collins, T. Lee, T. Blair. Subs: S. Magri, S. Rendell, T. Stephens, L. Bennett , O. Agberhiere.