SALISBURY will be hoping to return to winning ways on Saturday after losing their first home game of the season last weekend, going down 1-0 to Totton
Josh Gould made a welcome return from injury in goal, and Ryan Penny replaced Harry Williams.
A third change saw a debut for teenager Richard McIntyre, who signed on work experience from Oxford United and replaced Jamar Smith.
It took only five minutes for Gould to demonstrate his awareness by producing a great double save.
He first knocked away Scott Rendell‘s shot before promptly blocking Joseph Turner’s follow-up attempt. After that early bustle, the game became somewhat dull, with neither team able to gain control and impose themselves.
After a few of dangerous passes into the box at either end, no attacker was able to get on the end of them, Salisbury had their first chance on goal on 32 minutes. Dan Fitchett, who played alongside last week’s hat-trick hero Noah Coppin, cut inside before curling a right-footed cross/shot wide of the upright.
A minute later, the Whites were forced to make a change; Aaron McCredie had tried to run off a knock received a few minutes earlier, but after falling down again, he had to go off and was replaced by Zaide Took-Oxley, who had signed alongside McIntyre earlier in the day.
On 58 minutes, former Salisbury defender Charlie Kennedy headed a Totton corner narrowly wide, and on 64 minutes, the Whites came closest to breaking the deadlock.
On 58 minutes, former Salisbury defender Charlie Kennedy headed a Totton corner narrowly wide, and on 64 minutes, the Whites came closest to breaking the deadlock.
Josh Hedges‘ ball in from the right side saw Kennedy attempt to turn the ball back to keeper Lewis Noice, but get a little too much on the ball and cause the custodian to scramble back and claw the ball away from off the line.
On 73 minutes, the game’s only goal was scored from the penalty spot, which was maybe fitting. Following a tussle in the Salisbury penalty box, the ball bounced off the hand of defender Aaron Simpson, and after consulting with his assistant, referee Martin Bloor pointed to the spot. Rendell went up to take it and calmly hammered the ball home, leaving Gould no chance.As the game approached the 90-minute mark, the Whites had their finest stretch of the game, with substitute Harry Williams firing straight at Noice from a good position and Hedges dragging a shot wide from the angle of the box.
As the game entered extra time, Salisbury captain Sido Jombati was carried out with what appeared to be a concussion, and in the final moments, Sam Perry headed over from a corner to finish off a terrible afternoon for the Whites.
After the defeat, they sit second in the Southern League Premier South, five points behind top-of-the-table Chesham United, but still safely in the play-offs.
They go to Beaconsfield on Saturday for a 3 p.m. kickoff
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