Match report: Southern League Premier South title-chasing AFC Totton beat Plymouth Parkway 4-0 after late goal blitz
AFC Totton were getting ready for a nervy finish as their match against Plymouth Parkway headed into the 82nd minute, but three late goals left the promotion-chasing hosts with a 4-0 win on Saturday.
Despite the need for late goals to settle the affair, AFC Totton were dominant, and they deserved their win after a brace from Ethan Taylor and goals from Scott Rendell and Sam Magri.
“The lads seemed a bit edgy and nervy early in the game”, said AFC Totton manager Jimmy Ball. “They again missed opportunities, but their belief and confidence carried them through.
“We’re having a great season; we’re second, we’ve got game in hand. We’ve got a lot of exciting games ahead of us, but everyone seems a little nervous, so I want them to enjoy it a little more. I’m a football fan, and we’re heading into the final three months with a chance to win the league!
“We built pressure as the second half progressed, and we got what we deserved at the end of the day.”
Both sides began slowly, with AFC Totton unable to break down Parkway’s defensive structure before the visitors were denied a goal by a controversial offside decision, the flag going up against Tylor Love-Holmes during a rare counter-attack.
The hosts finally capitalised on their possessional dominance, bombarding Parkway’s box with crosses from both flanks. A low-driven cross from debutant George Franklin was beautifully dummied by Ben Seymour for the unmarked Taylor to slot home.
In the second half, AFC Totton boss Ball sent on Scott Rendell, Adam Tomasso and Tony Lee to add greater momentum to the team. That was a stroke of genius, and the second goal soon arrived. Taylor, latching onto Lee’s lobbed pass, sidestepped the defender and goalkeeper before calmly finishing in the 82nd minute.
The Stags continued to attack a by-now demoralised Parkway. Lee was brought down in the box by goalkeeper Matthew Wonnacott, and Rendell made it 3-0 from the penalty spot with four minutes of added time left.
Big centre-back Magri rubbed salt into Parkway’s wounds four minutes into stoppage time with an elegant Ronaldinho-esque spin to avoid a defender, pass the ball into the net and cap an emphatic victory that keeps AFC Totton on Merthyr Town’s tail at the top end of the table.
The second-placed Stags take on third-placed Gloucester City away from home on Saturday at 3pm.
AFC Totton: R. Gosney, J. Oastler, B. Jefford, C. Kennedy, S. Magri, B. Seymour, E. Taylor, C. Austin, C. Tanner, L. Bennett, G. Franklin. Subs: M. Carter, A. Tomasso, S. Rendell, R. McIntyre, T. Lee.
