Andy Munns
Salisbury Football Club have been promoted out of the Southern League Premier South after beating AFC Totton on penalties at the Snow Stadium.
The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes after Noah Coppin scored an 89th-minute penalty to level after Tony Lee had given Totton the lead nine minutes earlier.
Salisbury then took the lead in extra time when Josh Hedges slotted cooly past Josh Gould in the 15th minute of the first period.
Then, with only three minutes remaining, Ethan Taylor levelled it up to set up the drama of penalties.
The first half was fairly even, with Salisbury having some good early chances. Josh Hedges tested Josh Gould in the first minute when he tried to lift the ball over Totton’s keeper.
Noah Coppin then went close on five minutes when he was put in by Dan Fitchett, who had worked hard to get away down the right. Coppin’s effort, though, was deflected narrowly wide for a corner.
Andy caught up with Brian Dutton after the game; listen here:
The home side grew into the game, and right-back Jordan Ragguette gave Totton some impetus when he drove forward on the half-hour mark, but his shot was well saved by Ryan Gosney in the Salisbury goal.
Gosney was called into action again on the stroke of halftime, but he got enough behind Ethan Taylors’ effort to keep things level at the break.
Salisbury had the best chance of the opening exchanges of the second half when on 60 minutes, Noah Coppin was put into the box by Hedges, but his second touch was a little heavy, and Gould got down well at his feet to smother.
After several heart-stopping moments and Salisbury putting bodies on the line, Totton finally broke the deadlock on 80 minutes.
Scott Rendell was being a nuisance in the box and worked the ball out to the left – when the cross came in, it found Tony Lee, who headed home in front of the Totton supporters.
Salisbury were given a lifeline when the referee pointed to the spot as a shot came in from the edge of the box and hit an arm in a sea of bodies.
Noah Coppin stepped up and cooly levelled things up from the spot in the 89th minute.
Dan Fitchett then had the chance to win it in added time; with 6 additional minutes played, he couldn’t get his header on the side from a deep Simpson Cross.
The game headed into extra time, and Totton had a chance with a free kick in a dangerous position, but Tony Lee couldn’t get his shot on target.
Salisbury then took the lead for the first time when Dan Fitchett played Josh Hedges into the box, one-on-one with Josh Gould, and the White’s young winger lifted the ball past Gould in the final minutes of the first period of extra time.
The away side looked to weather the storm as Totton threw everything at them, with bodies being thrown in front of every cross and shot until three minutes from the end of extra time. Ethan Taylor finished well to send the game to penalties.
It was keeper versus keeper as Josh Gould stepped up to take the first penalty for Totton – but his opposite number, Ryan Gosney, went the right way and pushed the ball away.
Salisbury scored all their penalties, with Coppin, Jombatti, Hedges and Dore showing calm heads.
Tony Lee stepped up to keep Totton in it, but again, Ryan Gosney went the right way and kept the ball out, sending the Salisbury fans behind his goal delirious!
