AFC TOTTON’S home match against Burnham on Saturday will be preceded by a minute’s silence for club trustee and former chairman Alf Peckham who passed away last weekend.

Alf’s seat, right in front of the press box at the Testwood Stadium, had been empty for some time after the 85-year-old was hospitalised following a fall at home.

News of his death last Sunday morning brought great sadness to the club who, in time, will honour his memory with a lasting tribute – just as they did for another much-loved club stalwart Pete Chilcott, who has a suite named after him at the top of the main stand.

Team boss Steve Hollick only briefly had the pleasure of knowing Alf but, in that short time, he knew how much he meant to the Stags.

“He was brilliant for me and gave me lots of advice,” he said.

“The last time I saw him he was full of spirit and the thing everyone liked about Alf was that he told you what he thought.

“He did a massive amount for the local football community, and for AFC Totton in particular, and he’ll be missed around the club.

“As a trustee, he was one of the four pillars of AFC Totton. The trustees are there for a reason, they do an awful lot behind the scenes.”

Outside of Totton, Alf’s other great contribution to non-League football was starting up the Wessex League in 1986.

The Stags themselves were founder members and, even though they now ply their trade one league above, the job Alf did in promoting Wessex football was almost too good from a Southern League manager’s perspective.

“The Wessex League’s an excellent league – probably too strong at times!” admitted Hollick. “Trying to encourage lads to come out of playing Wessex football is really difficult, creating all sorts of problems for Southern League clubs.”

Although Totton’s season has fallen short of expectations, the 12th-placed Stags will finish comfortably mid-table – more than can be said for Saturday's second-to-bottom visitors Burnham who need a miracle to avoid the drop.

With Nathaniel Sherborne and, hopefully, Jack Alexander coming back, the Stags should be approaching full strength.