Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
AFC Totton vs Basingstoke Town
When: Saturday 7th September 2024 Kick-off 3pm
Where: The Snows Stadium, Salisbury Road, Totton. SO40 2RW
AFC Totton (The Stags), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 1,087 (?)
Having been booted out the latest annual FA Cup merry-go-round, and with us sitting in third place we travel to AFC Totton, who sit top of the league.
Last time we visited Snows Stadium was last Boxing Day, with Stoke in the middle of a losing run, we raised our game, trailing 2-0 in the second-half, goals by Dan Rowe & Markus Johnson-Schuster, earned us a valuable point.
Our Opponents
The Stags continue to be managed by Jimmy Ball, who was the Assistant-Manager at League Two club Stevenage, prior to that he was interim Manager at Forest Green Rovers.
Last season AFC Totton fell a similar way that Gosport (our last away opponents) losing in the playoffs to Salisbury. This season however, Totton have hit the road running, as they sit top of the table, unbeaten after five games with 4 wins and a draw and 13pts.
However, like Basingstoke they suffered an early-exit in the FA Cup last Saturday, as they fell to step 4 club, Westbury Utd 3-1 in Wiltshire.
AFC Totton regarded as one of those clubs bankrolled by millionaires, have a host of strikers and they made a big-splash in pre-season, signing Former Southampton and QPR striker Charlie Austin. The Berkshire-born hitman was out of contract after leaving Swindon Town in May, having also spent time at such clubs as Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Australian side Brisbane Roar. However, he is still to find the net this season. Another well-known striker is ex-Poole Town striker Tony James-Lee. The 28-year-old has maintained an impressive goals record throughout his non-league career, which began at Eastleigh before the first of three spells at Totton, as a loanee in 2015. He has had spells at Gosport Borough, Poole Town, Weymouth, Wimborne Town, Havant & Waterlooville (loan) & Farnborough (loan). He has two league goals this season. They also have the experienced Scott Rendell, in his third season at the club, and known to live in Basingstoke. Rendell has played for a host of clubs including Aldershot Town, Reading, Crawley Town, Cambridge United, Peterborough United, Wycombe Wanderers, as well as other non-league clubs on loan. Rendell has three goals on the season. Add Ethan Taylor to the mix, a former Southampton academy player, who also played for Sholing, as well as Gosport Borough.
Their midfield starts with the experienced Adam Tomasso, who joined from local side Blackfield & Langley as part of the swoop of players when their Owner upped sticks and took over at Snows Stadium. Mike Carter who left Gosport Borough at the same time as Charlie Kennedy (see below), has also played for Sholing & Havant & Waterlooville. Joshua Owers, is a central midfielder who was part of the Yeovil Town squad that won the National League South title last season. He previously had loan spells with Bath City and another at Gloucester City. Gosport-born Harvey Rew is a left-sided midfielder, who came through Portsmouth’s ranks and joined via Gosport Borough in July.
The defence will once again be marshalled by ex-Stoke hardman Charlie Kennedy, who joined the Stags in July 2022 after being at Gosport Borough and Salisbury before then. 33 year-old Joe Oastler is likely to partner Kennedy in the middle and has a wealth of experience having played for clubs such as QPR, Torquay Utd and Aldershot Town, before dropping down to the Non-league clubs like Gosport Borough & Havant & Waterlooville. Another retainee is Luke Hallett who was converted into a defender by Jimmy Ball when The Stags manager was Luke’s boss at Forest Green Rovers in 2021. Sam Magri will also earn a spot at the back. Magri, who played 31 times for England’s U16 to U10 youth team, playing alongside the likes of Jordan Pickford, Arsenal forward Raheem Sterling and the former Southampton winger Nathan Redmond. At non-league level he has spent time at Dover Athletic, Ebbsfleet United before signing for Havant & Waterlooville in 2019. Left-back and another ex-Stoke player is Ben Jefford, who has returned to the Snows Stadium, signing on a permanent deal after having been with Bashley for six months.
In goal could either be last season’s keeper Lewis Noice or Joshua Gould who has played the last couple of games, and joined from Salisbury this season.
Basingstoke Town Side
Well we ended the month of August unbeaten in the league, but as previously mentioned, our defeat in the cup, means we will once again be sitting on the sidelines, as other smaller clubs look forward to FA Cup success and financial reward.
We now head down south to take on the initial league leaders, and will likely make some changes within the team and how we set-up. Looking at our strikers, with Dan Warre back in the match-day squad, we now have Liam Ferdinand, Nnamdi Nwachuku, Dan Warre & the possible return of Jonny Efedje, let alone George Reid, and Robbie Gallagher, probably fighting for just three starting spots. Dan, Liam & Nnamdi have all found the back of the net three times this season.
The midfield, is likely to see Simon Dunn absent once more this week, which still leaves a number of options with Max Smith & Rudy Allen likely to retain their starting roles. This leaves Paul Hodges, in one of his last games for the club, as a serious option to start with Ben Cook, Flynn Bolton & Alfie Bridgman as potential options off the bench. Rumours that Luis Le Paih has left the club are still to be confirmed.
The defence took a couple of knocks in the past seven days, with Curtis Angell likely out after being injured at last week’s cup loss against Sholing. Back-up defender Aleks Kokoszka then picked up an injury Wednesday night in a FA Youth Cup game at Banbury. This leaves Markus Johnson-Schuster potentially playing in a left-back role, allowing James Clark switching to the right-back role with Billy Upton (who underwent surgery on his wrist but able to play) & Jack Ball as the centre-backs.
Massimo Giamattei has today confirmed that he has left the club.
Simon Grant will once again be wearing the goalkeeper gloves.
If the game goes ahead (weather permitting), a large contingent of Basingstoke supporters will make the way down to the Snows Stadium (hopefully not having to wade through a foot of water to get to the ground), this will be the toughest challenge for our squad this season. But like the Boxing Day game last season, this squad can raise it’s game to match team in the league, and come away with a result.
Match Preview by Martin French..