Big spending AFC Totton came to town on Saturday and returned to Hampshire with maximum points with the game swaying somewhat on the controversial dismissal of United’s Omar Rowe in the second half. United were hit with a defensive blow inside the opening ten minutes as Will Salmon went down injured and had to be replaced by Jerry Wiltshire at the heart of the United defence. The visitors controlled much of the possession early doors with Jacob Adams first called into action on 16 minutes when Jordan Ragguette broke down the left wing, Scott Rendell dummied the cross into the centre and as the ball was laid off to Juan Luque Prados, his 20 yard drive was comfortably held low down by the United stopper. A similar effort ten minutes later had the same ending as this time Leon Maloney cut inside from the left and tried his luck from 20 yards, again Adams was solidly behind the shot. Within a minute Adams had to be sharp when another Ragguette cross from the left went all the way across to the Stags new big money signing Tony Lee who failed to find net from three yards out as Adams pounced on the ball right on the line. It was fully 37 minutes before United’s first serious effort on goal and that came after a neat interchange of passes between skipper Cole Brown and Steve Ngunga with Brown cutting in from the right and firing goalwards with his weaker left foot, the ball going inches wide of the Stags goal. As we approached the break the visitors missed another decent chance to take the lead as Benny Read raced away on the right side, his low centre picked out Scott Rendell but the Stags skipper screwed his effort well wide of the target and the teams went in at the break scoreless. The second half continued much as the first with the visitors having large spells of possession without really troubling the well marshalled United back line and surprisingly the first half chance of the second 45 fell to United as Brown fired in a corner from the left, Totton ‘keeper Tommy Reid in trying to punch clear almost found his own net before the danger was cleared. Disaster struck for United a minute later when, having been cautioned for what looked like a hard but perfectly timed tackle earlier, Omar Rowe leapt over a tackle and went to the ground and was deemed to have simulated a foul and referee Spencer showed him a second yellow card and subsequent red leaving United a man short for the final half hour. The visitors immediately looked to take advantage of the extra man and just two minutes later another Read cross almost found the United net with Jerry Wiltshire slicing the cross inches wide of his own past while attempting an intercept. Soon after Read fed the ball inside to substitute Ethan Taylor who looked odds on to test Adams only to be denied by a superb Wiltshire block and clearance inside the United area. The visitors finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when a long range effort from Maloney caught Adams out and the United stopper in trying to turn the shot over the crossbar only succeeded in helping it into the net much to the delight of the travelling Stags fans. Despite the man advantage, thereafter the visitors failed to push their numerical advantage and they almost came undone four minutes from time when Luke Gambin fired in a corner kick that Wiltshire rose highest to meet, his glancing header going marginally wide of the target with Reid rooted to his line. Sadly this was the last effort of note and the Stags travelled home with all three points in the bag as they continue their play-off push.
Report by Kevin Watts. United Man of the Match: Jerry Wiltshire. Print the Teamsheet: Here.