Merthyr Town return to Isuzu FA Trophy action as they travel to the South Coast to face fellow Southern League Premier South side AFC Totton on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

The Martyrs will be looking to continue their cup run this season despite being winless in their last three league outings. The hosts, on the other hand, enter the contest in high spirits after a convincing 7-1 victory over Didcot Town in midweek.

Opposition in focus

AFC Totton came into existence after the merger of Totton FC and Totton Athletic in 1974/75. The Stags started life in Hampshire League Division Two and that is where they remained until 1979/80. In 2006/07 the club pulled off quite a feat by reaching the final of the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium. 

However, they would go on to be defeated 1-3 by Truro City in front of a record final crowd of 36,000. 17,000 supporters travelled up from the south coast to watch that match.

Totton manager Jimmy Ball joined the club in January 2022 from EFL League Two club Stevenage, where he was the Assistant Manager. He was also Interim Manager at Forest Green Rovers, he took them to the semi-finals of the League Two Promotion Play-Offs, having previously coached their Under-18s.

In Ball's first full season in charge, AFC Totton were crowned Southern League Division One South Champions 2022/23. They sealed the title, and automatic promotion to the Southern League Premier Division South, with two matches to spare.

Form Guide

Merthyr Town – L D D W W

AFC Totton – W W D L W

Previous Result

The last match between these two sides finished in a 1-0 victory for Totton last season. That match was also in the Isuzu FA Trophy where the Martyrs bowed out at the first stage.

How to Follow

If you’re not able to make it to the game, you can keep up with the action by following limited match updates on our Twitter / X page. For full commentary of the match, you can tune into Stags Radio from 2.50pm. 

By Hywel Fuller