It's local derby time in Southampton this evening as Totton Take on Eastleigh in the semi finals of the Hampshire Senior Cup, a bumper crowd is expected at the Snows Stadium as the Stags take on the Spitfires.
The Snows Stadium will be doing brisk business this evening when Totton take on Eastleigh, not that long ago both were Wessex League sides playing in front of 60 or so people in grounds which were not that much more than enclosed fields with a small stand.
Eastleigh of course lead the way with their movement up the leagues and the transformation of their ground then called Ten Acres into the League standard stadium that the Silverlake now is.
For their part Totton harbour ambitions of joining their near neighbours in the National Conference and building their own stadium up to a similar standard as that at Eastleigh.
Admission is £10 for adults, £6 for concessions & Saints season ticket holders & children under £13 are free.
Tickets for the game can be bought using the link below or on the gate on the night.
https://afctotton.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/eastleigh_hampshire_senior_cup
Eastleigh start clear favourites for the tie and this is what AFC Totton's official match preview has to say about the game.
Given the season they are currently enduring, it remains to be seen whether Vanarama National League side Eastleigh will regard a mid-March Hampshire Senior Cup Semi-Final against historic local rivals AFC Totton as a welcome change of pace or a fixture they need like a hole in the head.
The Spitfires, who parted company with manager Ben Strevens in late-January, are currently on a run of 11 matches without a win in all competitions, which has left their hopes of making the promotion play-offs in tatters as they now sit in 15th place. Lee Bradbury, the former Portsmouth and AFC Bournemouth striker, has just left his post as Assistant Head Coach at Crawley Town to fill the Silverlake Stadium vacancy and one of his first tasks will be to decide just how strong a team to field against the Stags.
There were several departures from the first team squad during the transfer window but the recent arrival at the Silverlake Stadium of veteran 34-year-old striker Brett Pitman, who lists AFC Bournemouth, Bristol City, Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers among his former clubs, has been one cause for encouragement.
While their National League form has been spluttering, they haven’t fared much better in the cups. They needed a replay to see off the challenge of Folkestone Invicta in an FA Cup Qualifying tie, but then fell at the 1st Round hurdle with a 0-2 defeat at fellow National League outfit, Boreham Wood. And it was a similar story in the FA Trophy with a convincing 5-0 thrashing of Enfield Town in the 3rd Round being followed up by a 1-2 defeat at Notts County.
Surprisingly, Eastleigh have only ever won the Hampshire Senior Cup on one occasion, when they beat the Stags 2-0 in the 2012 Final at St. Mary’s Stadium. They came agonisingly close to lifting the trophy again in bizarre circumstances last summer, when the COVID-delayed 2020 Final against AFC Bournemouth was eventually staged at our very own Snows Stadium. Going into the second minute of stoppage time with a 2-1 lead, the Spitfires were shot down by Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers who, joining his teammates in the Eastleigh penalty area for a last-ditch corner, leapt highest and thumped a header into the back of the net to take the tie to spot-kicks, which the Cherries won 5-3.
After a bye in the 1st Round, Eastleigh’s 2021/22 campaign began with a 3-1 win on the Isle of Wight against East Cowes Vics in the 2nd Round in late-September. Havant & Waterlooville were despatched by a score of 2-0 in December, before Eastleigh eliminated Andover Town at the Quarter-Final stage with a 2-1 victory. Totton, meanwhile, overcame 2013 winners Alresford Town and Gosport Borough, before Lymington Town’s late withdrawal from the Quarter-Final match resulted in a walkover to a home Semi-Final tie with a familiar foe.