AFC Totton 1-0 Eastleigh
AFC TOTTON v EASTLEIGH
SATURDAY 17th JULY 2010
Pre-Season Friendly
SATURDAY 17th JULY 2010
Pre-Season Friendly
Eastleigh’s pre-season preparations got underway this afternoon with their first friendly ahead of the new campaign. The Spitfires took on Stuart Ritchie’s AFC Totton at Testwood Park.
With a whole host of first team players either injured or unavailable including: Jason Matthews, Anthony Riviere, Peter Adeniyi, Richard Gillespie, Jamie Slabber, Shaun McAuley, Brett Poate and Warren Goodhind; Ian Baird had little choice but to field a youthful starting eleven.
There were a handful of familiar/experienced players in action however, such as captain Tom Jordan at centre half who was partnered by summer signing Chris Holland at the back.
Richard Graham, 30-year-old winger who signed for the Spitfires only this week following his release from Grays Athletic, also made his debut for Eastleigh.
Meanwhile striker Staforde Palmer, who joined the club in February on loan from Hayes & Yeading (where he scored two goals in the space of two games before injury cut his season short), made a welcome return to action for Eastleigh.
The game came to life with just five minutes played as the hosts Totton raced into an early lead. Eastleigh were caught out by a long ball over the defence which saw STEFAN BROWN close in on goal and loft the ball over the helpless Nathan Thompson (young goalkeeper formerly of Fleetwood Town), and into the net.
Eastleigh responded three minutes later with defensive duo Jordan and Holland coming close from a set piece. Jordan had a header cleared off the line before Holland followed up with a shot that was extremely well saved from point blank range by the Stags keeper.
In the tenth minute former Eastleigh striker Brett Williams, (who together with defender Michael Green signed for Totton from the Spitfires last August), so nearly gave his side a 2-0 lead but for an excellent stop from Thompson.
Palmer drilled a left foot strike wide of the upright with 18 minutes played, but was continuing to show good movement and touches of the ball in the opening stages of the game.
Eastleigh found themselves up against a very quick, counter-attacking side in Totton who threatened to double their advantage more than once and looked dangerous in particular down the right hand side where Tom Price (formerly on the books of Eastleigh), used his trickery and pace to attack the full back.
Price was kept out by Thompson in the 24th minute but the ball hadn’t been cleared and a second shot followed, which fortunately for the visitors flew inches wide.
Eastleigh were handed an ideal opportunity to level the scores coming up to half an hour of action, when Totton were penalised for a foul inside the box. A penalty kick was awarded and Staforde Palmer stepped up to strike from 12-yards, only to be denied by an fine save from the home goalkeeper who dived to his right at full stretch to keep his side’s one-nil lead in tact.
Chris Mason, who is now back at Eastleigh following a loan spell away from the club last season and fresh from a successful Hong Kong tournament last month, looked tidy in midfield throughout the game and won a free kick just outside the box in the 33rd minute. Joe Collins, a young left back who played for the reserves last season took the set piece with a sweet left-foot strike and deserved more from the effort on goal, so nearly picking out the top corner.
Eastleigh did gradually improve as the half went on but couldn’t quite find a way through as it remained 1-0 to Totton at the break.
HALF TIME: AFC Totton 1-0 Eastleigh
At the start of the second half, Baird introduced ex-Totton utility man Ross Bottomley as well as Danny Smith and Jamie Brown who looked sharp and got through a full 45 minutes unscathed after injury problems blighted his previous campaign.
Jamie Brown in action against AFC Totton this afternoon
Totton started brightly after the restart with Brett Williams glancing a close-range header wide of the post within the first minute of the half.
Moments later, Tom Jordan had to be at his very best to make a fine goal-line clearance with his goalkeeper beaten to deny Mike Spinney’s looping effort finding it’s way into the net.
Coming up to the hour mark, Staforde Palmer was fouled in a central position to win a free kick. Joe Collins’ measured delivery found its way to Chris Holland who rose high to beat his marker to the ball at the far post but couldn’t quite keep his header down.
A number of substitutions and changes were made throughout the second half, as can be expected of a pre-season friendly where the managers were obviously keen to look at different options and players.
The game lost its way as a result, and chances were few and far between from then on.
Staforde Palmer found himself one on one with the keeper and clean through before being brought down. There were shouts for a second Eastleigh penalty though the referee was uninterested.
Young striker Joe Maxwell got a run out in the second half and had a header touched over the bar six minutes from time following good play and a pinpoint cross from the right by Chris Mason.
Totton held on to their one-goal lead but the result is irrelevant at this stage of pre-season with fitness and match sharpness the main objective.
Eastleigh head off to north Devon now for the Joma South West Challenge cup, a tournament which they won back in 2008.
FULL TIME: AFC Totton 1-0 Eastleigh
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