AFC Totton finished a horrendously tough season on a winning note at Burnham in the Calor Southern Premier yesterday.
The battered Stags battled right up until the last whistle against the side one place above them in the division.
And their endeavour paid off as Harrison Gilkes poked home the winner with 15 minutes left, his second of the game, to give them a 3-2 success. After Nik Kembamba had given the Buckinghamshire side the lead, Taylor Edwards struck a superb effort as he broke clear of the defence from Gilkes’s through ball to slot neatly past keeper Adam Lawrence. The AFC Bournemouth loanee winger then got his first of the day as he jinked past several Burnham defenders before scoring from 12 yards.
Kembamba equalised for the hosts, nodding home a free header from a corner, to round off a frantic four goal first-half. Boss Steve Riley was delighted to end the campaign, which could see the Stags relegated in third bottom spot, with three points.
“It feels great to finish on a good note, we were the better side and we created the better chances – this side haven’t stopped battling, I’m very proud,” shouted Riley, trying to drown out the noise of his merry team singing on the way home. “It’s a shame the season can’t go on for another couple of weeks as we’ve really turned a corner.” Elsewhere in the Southern Premier, Poole Town thrashed rock bottom Bashley 5-0. A hat-trick from Steve Devlin and a brace from Luke Burbidge sealed the expected victory. Tommy Killick’s Dolphins narrowly missed out on a play-off spot, though, after Stourbridge won 5-0 with one game left to play. Bash, meanwhile, haven’t won in 14 matches.
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