Pre-season football: Young Southampton FC side provides tough test for AFC Totton

Pre-season friendly

AFC Totton 2

Southampton FC XI 3

JIMMY Ball's AFC Totton contested a hard-fought pre-season friendly against Southampton FC XI, predominantly consisting of U21 players.

It was an excellent chance for new signing, Northern Ireland U21 international Marcus Daws, to get to know his new Stags teammates, and he scored both goals for the hosts.

However, goals from Derrick Abu, Dominic Ballard and an unnamed trialist just after the hour mark gave the youthful visitors the victory.

Derrick Abu put Saints ahead on 14 minutes with a beautifully struck free-kick before Daws levelled the scores five minutes later after pouncing on an interception and firing a low shot past the keeper.

Striker Dom Ballard’s neat finish to a well-constructed move nudged the visitors back in front before the break, and Southampton extended their lead midway through the second half.

Former Dorchester Town winger Daws headed home his second goal of the game after crashing a header in off the underside of the crossbar, but the young Saints, who had first team manager Russell Martin watching them from the SFS Main Stand and recently-appointed U21s manager Simon Rusk taking his first match from the dug-out, held on for the win.

AFC Totton wore last season’s gun metal grey and fluorescent away kit, while Southampton wore a training kit with no numbers on the back.

The tone of the match was set early on with Totton striker Tony Lee twice being called up for robust challenges on his man-marker. However, he claimed that similar treatment had already been inflicted upon him without the referee’s intervention.

The Stags’ trademark high, energetic press appeared to trouble Southampton’s defensive unit as they tried to play out from the back.

Notable chances included a brace of chances for Scott Rendell, who scuffed his shot for the first, while goalkeeper Adli Mohamed made a smart recovery save to deny the Totton skipper a few moments later.

Josh Owers produced another fine cross shortly after, latching onto Ben Jefford’s nicely weighted forward pass to curl an inviting cross into the box. Rendell met it with a firm header to draw an impressive double-handed parry from Mohamed, pushing the ball away to safety.

In contrast, Southampton scored with their first attack of the game with around a quarter of an hour played, which instilled confidence in the young side.

Daws had the chance to complete his hat-trick after losing his marker to get his head to the ball, but the goalkeeper was well-placed to catch, and no further goals arrived.