Match report: AFC Totton scored two late goals to beat relegation-battling Tiverton Town FC 2-1 in the Southern League Premier South

Two late goals rescued victory from the jaws of defeat for AFC Totton after trailing at the break of a game in which they created the better chances at the Snows Stadium on Saturday.

Daniel Koita put the visitors in the lead five minutes before the break to stun the Stags, but Jimmy Ball’s substitutes, Scott Rendell and Tom Blair, each scored after coming off the bench to snatch a late win.

“That was a tough match”, said AFC Totton boss Jimmy Ball after the game. “Playing teams who are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table at this stage of the season is always tough, so we had to stand up to them and match the fight and play out football.

“Coming in trailing at the break was tough because sometimes the players you can lose a bit of belief in what we’re doing, but luckily, we stuck to the task, kept believing in what we’re doing, because, even though we trailed at the break, we created loads of chances in both halves and ultimately got what we deserved.

“Trying to break down two banks of four is always difficult at any level. We had to be patient, and our quality made the difference in the end.”

Darting runs from diminutive striker Ben Seymour enabled the Torquay United loanee to latch onto a couple of long clearances, one of which put him clean through and brought a smothering save from Tiverton’s keeper Joe Duncan that needed assistance from a defender to smuggle away from goal.

Seymour played Charlie Austin behind the visiting defence, but with Duncan out quickly to narrow the angle, Austin’s shot clipped the top of the crossbar.

Tiverton took the lead against the run of play when Joe Oastler was caught appealing for an offside that never was, and Koita ran through to round Ryan Gosney and slid the ball into the empty net.

And so it remained until deep into the second half, with Tiverton defending rigidly despite plenty of home team possession.

A triple substitution shortly after the hour mark signalled boss Ball’s intent, and it paid off at 75 minutes when Craig Tanner’s short pass infield found Blair in the right corner of the penalty area, and the winger fired a blistering shot into the far top corner.

The Stags pressed for a winner, and it came one minute from the end of regulation time when Seymour and Charlie Kennedy worked the ball from a throw-in at the right-wing corner flag, enabling Seymour to get to the byline and pull back to Rendell. The veteran striker arrived near the penalty spot to steer his shot under Duncan and grab all three points for the Stags.

AFC Totton travel to face Basingstoke Town on Good Friday at 3pm.

AFC Totton: R. Gosney, J. Oastler, M. Carter, C. Kennedy, S. Magri, B. Seymour, E. Taylor, C. Austin, C. Tanner, R. Collins, R. McIntyre. Subs: S. Rendell, L. Hallett, L. Bennett, T. Lee, T. Blair.