The clubhouse in the corner of the ground was quite busy as a number of Totton supporters had made the journey across to Sussex, some sporting their pink FA Vase final special shirts from a couple of seasons ago. The sun was shining out occasionally through the clouds and there was a strong breeze across the pitch.
While the teams warmed up I had a read through the programme and found a 4 page insert with a replica programme from 1909 - two programmes for the price of 1! There was a wipeboard on the side of clubhouse and one of the club officials was writing up the lineup's - not just the players but also the managers, assistants, directors of football.
One Totton wag put himself forward as Fan no 1 and asked when the names of the gateman and the PA announcer would appear. He might have been waiting a while as there was no PA at the ground! It was interesting to note that seven substitutes are now permitted in FA Cup games to fit in with the Premier League. While Totton were able to field seven alternatives, Chichester stuck with the regular five.
I decided to watch the first half in the shelter of the terraced stand to get some protection from the wind. Before the game kicked off there was a one minute silence but there was no indication of who it was for in the programme. I was later advised that it was for one of the league's stalwarts who had recently passed away. If anyone complains about the younger generation having no respect, I'd point them towards the group of elderly men in the corner of the stand who continued their loud discussions throughout this period of contemplation.
Totton play in the Southern League which is one step higher than Chichester who play in the Sussex County League. This difference was soon evident when Totton took the game to Chichester and forced five corners in a row in the first three minutes. None of these corners led to a goal thanks to some well timed defensive clearances and an acrobatic save from the Chichester keeper to push one shot over the crossbar.
It was no surprise when the first goal came early but it was a surprise to see the home team score in the 9th minute against the run of play. The ball was played into the box and deflected kindly off a defender into the path of a Chichester player on the right side of the penalty area. He took the ball into the box, held off a challenge and put his shot past the keeper.
Two minutes later and the home team should have scored again. On this occasion Totton were caught napping at the back and didn't mark all of the Chichester players in the box. A good cross found one unmarked player who headed the ball on target but straight at the keeper who had taken his position in front of him. It was one of those chances where if the ball had gone to either side, the keeper wouldn't have been able to stop it.
Totton continued to put pressure on the Chichester back line and this paid off in the 16th minute. A Chichester player lost possession in midfield and the Totton player who won the ball used his pace to push the ball forward, run it into the box and take a low shot that skimmed past the keeper and in. A goal from nothing to the disappointment of the home fans.
The rest of the half was mainly Totton pressure but they were unable to convert the chances that they created, not helping themselves by committing a number of fouls in the home team's penalty area. Chichester were restricted to occasional counter-attacks but almost retook the lead just before half time. One of their players took the ball through the Totton defence and just had the keeper to beat. He delayed his shot which allowed the keeper to advance and smother the shot. The ball skidded to the right and was pushed out for a corner.
Just before half time there was an unsavoury incident as the Totton goalscorer took out some frustration on the home keeper. Both players were challenging for a low through pass and when the striker left his boot in and caught the Chichester keeper when he had time to avoid the collision. The referee agreed as he booked the forward but there were some arguments between the supporters to my right as to who was at fault.
During the half time interval I wandered around the pitch as the wind had died down a little and the sun had come out. A number of supporters headed for the bar in the clubhouse and took their time over their drinks which meant that they missed the next goal.
In the first minute of the half, a Totton player hit a long high ball forward and the Chichester keeper decided that he would act as the sweeper by running out of the box and heading the ball away. It turned out to be a poor decision as he miscalculated the flight of the ball and missed his header completely. The ball sailed past him and allowed a Totton player to run past him, collect the ball and pass it into the back of the net.
Totton increased their lead in the 60th minute from a corner. When the ball was cleared, it fell to the edge of the box and a Totton player connected with a great half volley. It was one of those rare occasions where I was inline with the shot and the goalmouth and could see it was going to hit the target before the ball had reached the goal. The keeper had no chance to reach it and the Totton player celebrated his hat-trick.
Totton were now well in control of the game and started to play some good pass and move triangles to keep possession and wear down their opponents. The assistant referee nearest me commented that with the sun out the windscreens of the cars behind the far touchline were causing a problem as the glare from the sun was in his eyeline. I suggested that he went with the colour of the car which may not have helped that much as there weren't any blue or white coloured cars in that section! I had to agree with his comment that the game had got scrappy towards the end and a couple of players were booked as the referee lost his patience with some repeat offenders.
This was Chichester's first defeat of the season but on this showing against higher league opposition they should have a good campaign.
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