The Swans welcome AFC Totton to the Xcel Sports Hub for their first game of 2025, after their New Year’s Day trip to Chertsey Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Last time out, the Swans fell to a 5-2 defeat at Merthyr Town having been reduced to ten men inside the opening six minutes. Junior Eccleston was sent off for what appeared to be a perfectly legal slide tackle, before Lewys Twamley netted from the resulting free kick to put the hosts ahead. Minutes later, Josh Tobin put good pressure on the Martyrs’ defence to win back possession and score to level it up. The hosts retook the lead near the half-hour mark through Kane Simpson. The Swans held their own in the second half but couldn’t stop Merthyr extending their lead further. Twamley took it round Josh Blunkell before smashing it home, for his second of the afternoon. With just over ten minutes remaining, Jack Evans was shown a second yellow card for the hosts, levelling up the numbers, but the Swans couldn’t take advantage. Moments later, Simpson finished off a counter-attack to all but seal the deal for the Martyrs. Merthyr hit on the break again soon
after with Twamley finishing off a slick move for his treble. Alex Body pulled back a consolation for the Swans in stoppage time to make it 5-2.

AFC Totton have enjoyed a superb season so far, sitting in second having lost just once all campaign. The Stags were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Poole Town in their last outing, putting an end to a seven-game winning streak in the Southern League Premier Division South.

The Swans faced Totton at the Snows Stadium in their opening game of the season and fell to a 1-0 defeat despite putting in a good performance. The Stags’ victory largely came as a result of a heroic goalkeeping performance from Josh Gould.

Billy Rowley will be keen for his side to start the year with a win, that will boost their hopes of getting back into the play-off spots. A victory against a high-flying side like Totton would also act as a huge morale boost for the Swans squad, who have shown in recent weeks that they are very much capable of testing the top outfits in the league.

Head-to-head
The Swans have faced AFC Totton on three occasions to date, with the first encounter coming last season at the Hub. Walton & Hersham looked set for victory at the Hub having gone 2-0 up in the final minute of regulation time but two goals from the Stags in added time meant the points were shared. Totton put on a show in the return fixture on April Fools’ Day as they romped to a 3-0 win. The latest meeting between the two sides came on the opening day of the current season with the Stags running out 1-0 victors.

Match information
The game will kick off at 3pm on Saturday 4th January, at the Elmbridge Xcel Sports Hub – KT12 2JP. Tickets are priced at £12 for Adults, £9 for Seniors/Concessions, £6 for Next-Gen (13-21), and £2 for U12s. Tickets are available to purchase on the day at the gate, with either cash or card, but supporters are strongly encouraged to purchase beforehand (tickets
available until 12:30pm online) by following this link.
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For match enquiries, please email info@waltonhershamfc.com