After a long day at work, whilst staying down in Bournemouth, I decided to come for a first visit to Miller Park at Little Testwood Farm, the home of Totton & Eling FC of the Wessex League Divison 1.

Miller Park, (Giving the home team their nickname of the Millers) is a well resourced step six ground, boasting a modern clubhouse and decent covered grandstand with seating for 105, as well as modern and bright floodlighting. The capacity at Miller Park is reported as 1500.

Totton & Eling FC came into tonight’s match rooted firmly to the bottom of the Wessex League Division 1. They have won just four matches, drawn two and lost eighteen of their twenty four games. Goals have been hard to come by and manager Ben Hillman has relied on goals from Dylan Male (7 goals), Oliver Kimble (4 goals) and Gideon Nebechukwu (3 goals), this season, having taken the reigns on Josh Nace’s departure a month ago.

Tonight’s visitors Kintbury Rangers FC sat seven places above Totton & Eling in fifteenth place. Goals have come this season from Oliver Denner (10 goals), Harry Way and Elliot Weaving (6 goals). Managers James Mandry and Liam Thorne would have been keen to see their team secure an away win tonight to push them further away from the relegation zone.

The game opened up with both sides showing attacking flair. Chances were created by both sides.

Then on 33 minutes it was the league’s bottom team who took the lead, when Totton & Eling’s Alfie Male scored, with a well hit half volley to put the home side 1-0 ahead. My filming was poor but I caught the post goal celebration!

On the stroke of half time, the home team doubled their lead when Jalil Conteh finished with aplomb, when finding space in the penalty area. With the whistle coming shortly afterwards it meant that at half-time the teams went in with the score at 2-0.

The second half saw both sides commit to attacking football, but with 73 minutes gone Kintbury Rangers pulled the score back to 2-1 when Sam Walsh stabbed the ball home from a corner.

Five minutes later Kintbury Rangers broke away and Archie Goode scored after a fine counter attacking move, to level the scores at 2-2.

With a mammoth nine minutes of added time on the clock, Totton & Eling’s Dominic Scambler shot bravely, from the edge of the box, to fire the home team into a deserved lead.

At the final whistle it was Yotton & Eling’s players who celebrated a win which lifts them off the foot of the table and ignites belief that they may be able to survive this season. For the visitors there was little to come away with, other than the fact they showed they would not give up and every player gave their all tonight in front of the crowd of 124.