My last visit to Testwood Park was with Alan and Chris back in 2001 and the ground hadn't changed much since that visit although the weather had! Instead of bright winter sunshine, we had grey clouds and heavy drizzle throughout the afternoon. I decided to wander round to the main stand to watch the game from the comfort of a dry seat. While I could hear the crackle from the nearby electricity pylons, I could hardly see the high buildings in Southampton through the cloud cover.
Salisbury's squad was a mix of trialists, out of contract players from last season and the four remaining players still under contract. The coaching drills before the game reflected the 'getting to know you' nature of pre-season, with the defensive unit practising clearing the ball together in one corner while the midfielders and strikers practised pass and move in front of us.
When the game kicked off, the first chance fell to Salisbury after 9 minutes. Robbie Matthews closed the keeper down so when the ball was cleared, he was able to jump up and get his body in the way of the ball. It bounced back off him, over the keeper's head but ended up going just wide. Totton looked quite dangerous on the break and their left winger was giving the Salisbury defence a tough time. One of his crosses into space almost found a blue shirted team mate but Cox was able to gather the ball and clear it upfield.
The slippery surface and the rusty techniques meant that there were a few sliding tackles flying in. However the first injury was from an accidental clash of heads and meant that trialist Micky Burn had to be substituted, Danny Webb replacing him in defence.
Salisbury took the lead following a corner after 13 minutes. The ball was played into the centre of the box and headed towards the far post, finding a Salisbury player who turned and shot low for the corner of the net. The Totton keeper got down well to make the save but the ball came off his arm and straight to trialist Bradley Gray who had a simple task to tap the ball in from close range.
Gray created another chance for himself on 20 minutes. He won the ball on the left hand edge of the area and attempted a chip over the keeper which went just over the bar from the acute angle. Totton started to put some pressure on the Salisbury back four and on 26 minutes only a superbly timed sliding tackle by Webb prevented a free run on goal. Webb stayed down after the tackle and it looked for a couple of minutes like he would also have to be substituted - luckily for him the magic sponge did the trick and he was ok to continue.
Totton equalised after 29 minutes with their first on-target attempt. The ball was on the left side of the box and despite having three defenders back to cover, they were hesitant in making a challenge for the ball. This allowed the Totton player to pull the ball back to a team mate who placed a pacy shot across Bittner and into the net to the delight of the home fans.
The tackles continued to fly in and both sets of supporters in the stand were tutting when a challenge on one of their team was mistimed. One or two of the tackles were very late and there was a flash point just after the equaliser when Webb reacted badly to a tackle on one of his Salisbury team mates. The referee was in quickly to defuse the situation.
Salisbury were finding it difficult to get forward and the Totton right fullback was playing really well, reading the game and stopping any attacks down the Salisbury left. On 34 minutes Totton had a good chance to take the lead but Bittner was out quickly to smother the ball as the striker found himself one on one with the keeper.
Just before halftime, both teams had a good chance to score. Totton had a shot that took a slight deflection and was heading towards the bottom right corner. Bittner was able to correct his position before diving down to save the shot. At the other end, a deep cross from the right wing found Gray by the penalty spot but his on-target header was straight at the Totton keeper.
Salisbury made a good start to the second half and hit the post from a corner. Several experienced players had come on for the Whites at half time and this helped with the attacking options. The first 25 minutes of the half saw both teams create some chances without really testing the keepers. Salisbury were getting the ball into good positions but lacked the final ball while Totton were good at counter-attacking with pace but weren't allowed to take the ball close enough to get a shot in.
Salisbury retook the lead after 70 minutes. An unmarked Matt Tubbs picked up a high ball into the box and tapped a shot across the goal. The keeper couldn't re-adjust his position on the wet surface and watched the ball as it trickled past him in what seemed to be slow motion.
The game now entered pre-season territory with a substitution every couple of minutes breaking up the flow. It was good to see former Whites favourite Craig Davis get a five minute run out for Totton after breaking his leg last season. Tubbs managed to get a good shot on target from the edge of the box but the Totton keeper was able to push it round his post.
On 88 minutes Salisbury wrapped the game up. The ball was played into the box and Rob Sinclair ran clear down the right side. His first cross was cleared back to him but his second cross found Toby Osman who blasted the ball in as he ran into the box. The away support had been shouting "Rambo" when Osman got the ball due to his black headband and the tannoy announcer picked up on this - crediting the goal to "Rambo" Osman. An entertaining match for the crowd of 306.
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