Match report: New Milton Town FC on the brink of Wessex League Division One league glory after 3-0 victory over Fawley AFC
New Milton Town moved back into winning ways, leaving themselves on the brink of league title glory after dismantling relegation-threatened Fawley AFC on Saturday at the M.A. Hart Stadium.
The Brickmakers sent their 187 spectators away happy on Non-League Day after victory left them eight points clear with just five fixtures remaining and a game in hand over second-placed Frimley Green, who they play next, writes Jamie Tarrant.
After the game, New Milton Town manager Matt Maybury said: “That was us six weeks ago; I don’t think we’ve played well for six weeks, probably a bit longer than that, if I’m being honest. We’ve scraped results and beat teams by having better individuals, but as a team performance, that is what we have been missing.
“We did our homework on Fawley. We had them watched twice, and they are good at what they do. We changed shape, we changed personnel, we really mixed it up today. That’s probably a fault on my part, as we should have done that four to five weeks ago, potentially in certain games. But what an improvement, from start to finish.”
Callum McHale returned to the line-up after an injury, while midfielder Toby Bailey returned from suspension. He spoke after the game: “It feels good, we lit some fires today. We didn’t put any round pegs into square holes, and we just take it one game at a time now.
“I think if we all just stick together, take it one game at a time, the people that came on, like McHale with his cultured left foot, we’ve got Barney Stone, who can turn a bad ball into a good ball, a good ball into an average ball, and an average ball into a great ball, and yeah, fire them up.”
Despite New Milton having the better of the ball, it took them until the 43rd minute to make the breakthrough. The Fawley goalkeeper, Jamie Bruce, fumbled Billy Maybury’s effort from range, allowing Brad Snelling to slide in the rebound. It was the captain’s 30th goal of the season in all competitions.
The second half brought more chances for the home side. Dan Bartlett sidefooted over the bar and then hit the side netting from a direct free kick, while at the other end, Fawley’s centre-back struck the crossbar from close range following a corner kick that the Brickmakers had failed to clear.
McHale was introduced after the hour mark and lit up the game on the left-hand side. He had previously been missing with a shoulder injury sustained in early February. His tenacity to storm his way into the box eventually led to him cutting back inside and teeing the ball up for fellow substitute Luca Lane to double the lead within the last ten minutes.
McHale was not finished there. Just moments later, he found himself on the other side of the box to unleash a dipping left-footed strike across the goal and into the far corner of the net. The celebration that followed showed everyone how glad he was to be back.
The win leaves the Brickmakers with five games remaining and a healthy points lead over second-placed Frimley Green—who they travel to next week—and third-placed Alresford Town, who have games in hand to trim down the advantage the team currently holds in the Wessex League Division One table.
New Milton Town: O. Bull, E. Pearce-Eavis, B. Maybury, C. Smith, J. Kinge-Phillips, N. McCarthy-Gardiner, J. Broad, T. Bailey, B. Stone, D. Bartlett, B. Snelling. Subs: C. McHale, T. Colmer, L. Lane, J. Foden.
