Saturday 29th January                                        Tooting & Mitcham United 1 South Park 1

 

Once again it finished honours even at Imperial Fields as both sides played out a hard-fought draw. Once again, we will come away feeling we should have taken all three points, but Mo Otuyo in the visitor’s goal turned in a man-of-the-match performance to ensure his team took something out of the game.

 

Oddly, we had drawn only one of our opening twenty league matches this season - yet this was a third league game in a row now in which the points have been split.

 

It is a testament to our ever-improving back line, now that we seem able to field a settled unit there - this was the fifth match in a row that Nikolai Krokhin, Nathan Daly and Cory Walters-Wright have formed the back three, with Marco Figueiredo-Correa and Nathan Gordon in the wing-back positions. In the last three matches, that has resulted in the concession of just one goal from open play, and could be the foundation on which to build a survival route in the remainder of the season.

 

The only breach of the defence on this day was from the penalty spot, when Krokhin was harshly penalised for a high foot against the powerful Melford Simpson, and Adam Aziz struck his kick emphatically wide of Ollie Pain to bring South Park level, midway through the first half.

 

We had gone ahead seven minutes earlier, when the otherwise reliable Otuyo flapped at a corner, and Mark Waters drove in a volley that crashed against the crossbar and bounced down threateningly. The only question was : had it crossed the line? Thankfully, the referee and his assistant were both in agreement that it had, and the goal was given.

 

After the equaliser, South Park seemed to grow in confidence and began to put us under sustained pressure for the first time. Thankfully, our defence remained resilient and, but for a free header which Joe Bell put just over the bar, didn’t look like giving anything away.

 

HT : T&MU 1 South Park 1

 

Early in the second period, Samuel Faniyan set Michael Dixon away but his shot from the edge of the box was high and wide.

 

Shortly after, Faniyan set off on a run himself down the left, wrong-footed his marker with some lovely footwork, and curled in an effort that dropped just wide of the far post.

 

Dixon atoned for his earlier miss by winning a loose ball impressively in midfield, and set Faniyan away again; he burst into the area and tried to steady himself for a shot, but a defender had got back to crowd him out and Sam couldn’t get an attempt in of any note.

 

Dixon was working away tirelessly with little reward, and bustled his way through for a shooting opportunity which went just wide, Otuyo seemingly had it covered though.

 

Faniyan and Baye Ndiaye combined well just outside the area; Faniyan fed Dixon who couldn’t get it nicely under control, but managed to loft it back to Mark Waters who struck powerfully toward goal. Otuyo looked as if he had touched it round the post, but a goal-kick was given to (officially) deny him a moment of glory.

 

Tooting were really stepping up the pressure now; Nathan Gordon sent a free-kick into the box, Krokhin won the header in the air, and as the ball dropped, turned and got a shot in but just past the post again.

 

Ndiaye made a burst from midfield, onto a through ball, and advanced into the area but Otuyo was once again alive to the danger and was out to smother the opportunity.

 

Dixon was next to have a chance - seizing onto a loose ball and powering a drive from a tight angle - Otuyo once again showed his reflexes to turn another one aside.

 

Billy Brown emerged from the bench, to the delight of the home fans, and was quickly involved, setting fellow sub Anuar Ceesay away down the right; he was crowded out by two defenders but the ball skewed back to Billy for an inviting shooting chance and his powerful effort was heading toward the top corner when Otuyo made another fine save to tip it over.

 

Anuar worked a good chance, and played Nathan Gordon in for a run on the left of the penalty area, but Adonai da Cruz came across and shoulder-barged Gordon to the floor for what looked an obvious penalty; referee Harry Wayer was in a good position to see the incident, but amazingly spread his arms wide and waved play on.

 

As the game ticked over into injury-time, there was still one last chance for the hosts to turn one point into three; from a corner threateningly floated in by Ceesay, Cory Walters-Wright got his head on the ball and glanced it goalwards, but just wide - again - and the whistle went shortly afterwards to seal the draw.

 

T&MU : Pain, Figueiredo-Correa (Brown 85”), Krokhin, Walters-Wright, Daly, Gordon, Waters, Ndiaye, Dixon, Edwards (Ceesay 75”), Faniyan.

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Bassett, Clarke.

Attendance : 270.

 

Saturday 22nd January                                 Chipstead 0 Tooting & Mitcham United 0

 

It was a frustrating day in the Croydon countryside, with Chips displaying little ambition from the off, beyond keeping their clean sheet intact. Despite enjoying the bulk of the possession, and playing some nice football at times, the Terrors lack of a cutting edge came into sharp focus again and both goals remained unbreached at the final whistle.

 

The positives to be taken from the afternoon are another solid defensive display, with the back five growing in understanding with each other, and Ollie Pain having little to do.

 

With five minutes to go in the first period, a free-kick floated in from the left-hand side threatened to deceive Pain and he did well to back-pedal and tip the ball over the bar. That was just about the sum total of his work on the day, beyond gathering routine balls and organising the men in front of him.

 

We were solid in midfield, with Mark Waters once again the dominant figure on the pitch, and Baye Ndiaye continuing to grow in confidence alongside him.

 

It is in the last third that the problems remain; for all their hard work and tireless running, Shamal Edwards, Michael Dixon and Samuel Faniyan never looked like poaching a much needed winner, and a ‘fox-in-the-box’ - somebody capable of sniffing out a chance and finishing it consistently - could be the saviour of our season.

 

And so to the half-chances we did create : inside the first ten minutes, a long throw by Nathan Daly found Nikolai Krokhin inside the area; he controlled and tried to spin to create a shooting angle, but surrounded by defenders couldn’t get sufficient power on his effort and Matt Kearney gathered comfortably.

 

On twenty minutes, Waters did well to seize on a loose ball in the middle of the park, but dragged his shot wide from distance.

 

A nice passage of play saw Faniyan dispossess a Chips midfielder, and slide the ball wide to Marco Figueiredo-Correia who lofted a forward pass down the right-hand touchline toward Mark Waters. A defender came across to intercept, but from the throw Waters crossed into the box where Krokhin had bust a lung to get in a good position, but his momentum had carried him just a little too far for a perfect heading opportunity and his improvised effort saw him leaning back, and unable to get any direction on the header, which drifted wide of the post.

 

Figueiredo-Correia was growing into the game, and tried his luck down the left, a powerful run took him into the area but with colleagues gathering in the centre, he elected to try his luck from a difficult angle and fired disappointingly wide.

 

Another pleasing move saw Shamal Edwards win a ball he had no right to, touch it off nicely to Faniyan who laid it off perfectly for Waters who shaped to shoot from distance, but a defender had come across to block his attempt, and it skewed off for a throw.

 

Mike Dixon and Cory Walters-Wright both had long range efforts before the break, but neither troubled Kearney and it was the hosts who had the last effort off the half when forcing Ollie Pain into his one save as mentioned earlier.

 

There was less to enthuse about in the second period, as the hosts seemed intent to wind the clock down and the Terrors grew increasingly frustrated at their inability to break down a massed defence. We stepped things up as the game ticked over into the final ten minutes and may have pinched it late on. Firstly, Dixon powered away down the right and crossed a dangerous low ball into the box; Waters was coming in at pace but couldn’t quite get a toe on it and that chance was gone. Then, in the dying embers of the ninety, Waters latched onto a Dixon through-ball but Kearney was off his line swiftly to narrow the angle and block the shot, and we had to be content with taking another point back to south London.

 

T&MU : Pain, Figueiredo-Correia, Krokhin, Walters-Wright, Daly, Gordon, Waters, Ndiaye, Dixon, Edwards (Clarke 72”), Faniyan.

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Bassett, Brown, Ceesay.

Attendance : 168

 

Tuesday 18th January                               Tooting and Mitcham United 1    Balham FC 2

 

The fifth game of 2022 saw the Terrors face Balham in the second round of the Surrey Senior Cup. Balham, who are currently sat midtable in the Combined Counties League Premier Division South (tier nine of English football), saw off fellow Combined Counties side, Knaphill, in the previous round. The Stripes were also victorious against Metropolitan Police in the first round.

 

With the famous black and white army at the ready, the game starts with the Stripes’ Leevi Bassett instantly, and aggressively, targeting Balham’s left hand wing. Game on. However, there were early warning signs for Tooting and Mitcham as Balham put the ball into the back of the net from a quick free kick, only for it to be chalked off for offside.

 

Nevertheless, it was the Terrors who struck first in the seventh minute. Samuel Faniyan produced a terrifyingly good turn in the penalty box that even Wilfried Zaha would have been proud of. Faniyan then swivelled around and smoothly dispatched the ball underneath a clambering Haydn Read. 1-0 Tooting and Mitcham. C’mon you black and whites!

 

Disappointingly, the Terrors didn’t take control of the advantage handed to them. Thereafter, the ball bounced around the midfield like a 90s pinball machine, from side to side, alternating in possession between the two teams, with few attacking plays from either side until the inevitable happens from Balham:

 

In the 19th minute, Balham, in a genuinely excellent piece of football, sees Tom Read pass inside the full back, cutting him out of the game completely, to Luke Hedges. Hedges is able to compose himself and cross the ball accurately to James Adebayo. With time to take an extra touch, Adebayo expertly sets himself up to slot the ball under Mackenzie Foley at the near post. 1-1, the underdogs are back in the cup tie.

 

With Terrors fans proudly backing their side loudly from behind Balham’s goal, a minor set back like this would not keep them down, as they continued to superbly back the boys in black and white. Whilst I wish I could say this was working, the Stripes concede another gilt-edged chance, but fortunately Tom Read puts the ball over. Tom Read is almost in on goal again as the defender let’s him run through - luckily, Foley is on hand to expertly catch the ball first.

 

Fortunately, the substitution on the 25th minute provided some light comical relief for the fans, as Connor French is substituted for Michael Dixon, only for the board to incorrectly show Faniyan’s number instead! With the play stopped as the referee, Luis Nunes, clarified what was happening, a corrected board, accompanied with a typical sarcastic cheer, was shown.

 

After this, Tooting and Mitcham saw the better of the play with a couple of corners and a free-kick to crank up the pressure on the astute Balham. Bar these, the end of the first half was relatively uneventful bar a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ from the home fans behind the Balham goal.

 

Half Time: Tooting and Mitcham 1 Balham 1

 

Just like the end of the first half, the second half begins cagey again with the opening six minutes being summed up with the only shot on goal being a 30 yard effort from Ed McCrea, Balham’s left back, that Jonny Wilkinson would’ve been proud of after the Terrors clear away Balham’s corner.

 

The Stripes look the better side in the beginning of the second half, as they did at the end of the first half, however struggle to find a way past Balham’s uncompromising defence. Despite the dominance, a Tooting and Mitcham mistake gift wraps a chance to Hedges, whose shot is deflected perilously wide - a huge let-off for the Stripes.

 

The 61st minute produces a fabulous bit of play from the Terrors, as the ball is fired towards Nathan Daly’s midriff; Daly seizes the opportunity to summon his inner-Zinedine Zidane and flicks the ball onto Shamal Edwards. With Edwards in on goal, he attempts a half volley, but cannot quite keep it down - a difficult chance, but signs of encouragement for the boys.

 

However, this would be in vain as Balham broke down on their right wing on the 63rd minute with their right winger popping an accurate cross into the box for Laurie Goddard, who is able to take advantage of slow defending before taking a touch and putting Balham ahead in this cup tie from about 5 yards out.

 

Surely the Terrors would not go down with a fight? Almost immediately, Faniyan had a shot blocked expertly. Whilst not a clear-cut opportunity, is this a sign that Tooting and Mitcham can produce the comeback that the fans are desperately craving? Unfortunately, things would not quite work out:

 

Perhaps epitomising Tooting and Mitcham’s performance after Balham’s second was the very unfortunate double-slice from Foley after attempting to deal with a route-one ball several yards outside the penalty box, which allowed Balham a shot into an empty net (bar one Stipes player) from 20 yards out - thankfully the Balham player fumbles the opportunity to put them 3-1 up.

 

Two attacking substitutions later, Jordan Clarke replacing Shamal Edwards and Billy Brown replacing Marco Figuerdo-Correia on the 66th and 71st minutes respectively, shows the fans that the Terrors are going to go for this in the final throes of the game. Can the Terrors equalise, or will there be an upset in the cup?

 

Unfortunately for the Stripes, Balham handled the rest of the game extremely well with excellent forward play from Cameron Gordon, whose domineering frame helped win the ball up the pitch. Balham further dug in and put men behind the ball, which the Terrors found difficult to break down.

 

Despite Tooting and Mitcham successfully producing crosses and winning corners towards the end of the game, there was a lack of the final touch, pass and shot that ultimately culminated in Balham being able to see out their lead. Overall, Balham were worth their victory, and played excellently with stupendous efforts made by every player - all credit to them and good luck with the rest of the cup.

 

Onto Chipstead away - ‘Mon the Stripes.

 

Written by Daniel Turner Browne / @DownToTen

 

Saturday 15th January 2021                             Tooting & Mitcham United 1 Guernsey 1

 

The spoils were shared on a chilly afternoon as a young Terrors outfit failed to take the opportunities presented to bank a much needed three points. Nevertheless, a run of four straight defeats in all competitions was halted, and in the current circumstances every point secured must be viewed as a point gained.

 

With top scorer Daniel Williams’ midweek departure to Bedfont Sports, and experienced returnee Connor French struck down with gastric trouble, it was inexperienced teenager Samuel Faniyan who led the line, supported by Shamal Edwards and Michael Dixon.

 

With just one minute on the clock, Dixon’s flick found Faniyan inside the box and as he attempted to dig out a shooting chance, Ben le Tocq bundled him over and referee Nicholas Metcalfe pointed to the spot. Mark Waters took the opportunity to emphatically strike the penalty past goalkeeper William Huffer and we had the perfect start.

 

The sizeable crowd, including an impressive travelling contingent, might have expected such an opening to settle nerves in the home ranks and perhaps lead to better things, but it was the visitors who were spurred on by the early setback and they might easily have been level within a few minutes.

 

First, a loose ball from Cory Walters-Wright was seized on by Matthew Loaring, who played in Kyle Smith. His cross-shot was parried by Ollie Pain, but the ball fell perfectly for Loaring, following up and in a seemingly perfect position to bag the equaliser; the Guernsey man couldn’t keep his shot down though, and we breathed a huge sigh of relief as it sailed over the bar.

 

A minute or so later, Nathan Daly’s attempted clearance was charged down by Loaring and deflected into the path of Guernsey skipper Ross Allen but he, too, could only blaze the chance over once again.

 

Having lived dangerously, we began to settle and Mark Waters - impressively guiding the young Baye Ndiaye alongside him - began to orchestrate the play in his usual unruffled fashion. On twenty minutes he played a lovely through ball for Shamal Edwards to run onto, and his curled effort was tipped brilliantly round the post by Huffer.

 

Waters himself had a half-chance shortly after, but after skipping through the visitor’s defence he tried to be too cute with his effort and couldn’t get any elevation on the ball which dropped harmlessly into Huffer’s arms.

 

Guernsey stepped up the pressure and started to get back into the game; Kyle Smith had an opportunity but dinked his shot wide, then as the half-hour mark approached the Tooting defence were stretched by a couple of corners in quick succession. The second of these saw Liam Mahon collect a short pass, and then cross a dangerous ball toward the far post; Jacob Fallaize stooped to head the ball home from barely a yard out and the visitors were back on terms.

 

HT : T&MU 1 Guernsey 1

We started the second half in resurgent mood, and looked determined to get our lead back. Marco Figuerdo-Correia opened proceedings by powering down the left flank, and fired the ball across the six yard box; unfortunately, there were no attacking Terrors on hand to take advantage and the situation was lost.

 

Waters played a measured pass out of defence, and Faniyan was onto it in a flash. He outpaced the defence to create a promising opening, but hesitated with just Huffer to beat, and chipped the ball wide of the far post. A well worked opening on his first start for the club, and hopefully this is the sort of chance he’ll be taking regularly with a little more experience under his belt.

 

A Tooting corner was cleared by the Guernsey defence, but fell to Waters who lifted it back into the area with dangerous intent; Nikolai Krokhin, with his back to goal, got up highest to win it in the air but couldn’t get any power on his back header and Huffer took it comfortably.

 

The hosts were enjoying a good spell of possession, and Figuerdo-Correia was becoming an increasing threat down the right-hand side, but clear chances were few and far between as the Channel Islanders defended in depth and with determination to hold onto what they had.

 

Crowd favourite Billy Brown entered the fray from the bench, and was quickly into the action - his shot from the edge of the box was deflected for a corner, which came to nought, as time began to tick away ominously.

 

In the dying seconds, a home free-kick was punched away by the keeper and fell to man-of-the-match Shamal Edwards on the edge of the box; he managed to get a powerful shot off towards goal, but it deflected wide and that was that.

 

T&MU: Pain, Walters-Wright, Krokhin, Daly, Figuerdo-Correia (Brown 74”), Gordon, Waters, Ndiaye, Faniyan, Dixon (Clarke 75”), Edwards.

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Bassett, Ceesay.

Attendance : 329

 

Saturday 8th January                   Bedfont Sports 5  Tooting and Mitcham United 4

 

The Terrors, struggling for goals of late, led 3-0 and 4-2 at high-flying Bedfont, yet still failed to take anything from the game on a quite extraordinary afternoon in west London.

 

Skipper Nathan Daly led by example just two minutes into the game, as he rose highest to head home from Nathan Gordon’s free kick and give us a perfect start.

 

Mark Waters, recently back after injury, kept a cool head to pick his spot and double the advantage after twenty minutes as the sizeable contingent of travelling fans could barely believe their eyes.

 

And when Daniel Williams broke away onto Waters’ flick through to slip the ball past former Tooting custodian Matte Pierson on the half hour mark, it really did start to look as if this was the day our season finally kicked into life.

 

What was most needed at that point was to get to half-time with the lead intact but, in typical Tooting fashion, it wasn’t to be as Ricky Wellard fired in a shot that took a wicked deflection past Ollie Pain to give the hosts a lifeline at the break.

 

HT : Bedfont S. 1 T&MU 3

 

With just three minutes gone in the second period, Wellard scored again to put the Eagles right back in the match and suddenly, it didn’t look like such a straightforward job after all.

 

But the Terrors stemmed the tide, and when Nathan Gordon’s inswinging corner evaded everybody to drop in at the far post it looked as if we had got through the worst of it to strike a decisive blow.

 

Not so; Jordan Esprit reduced the arrears once again with eighteen minutes left, and as the game entered the final ten minutes we breathed a sigh of relief as a Bedfont ‘equaliser’ was disallowed for offside.

 

Our respite was short-lived, however, as substitute Usman Lalustani fired in a shot minutes later to bring the hosts level. A point would at least have given us something from the afternoon, but even that wasn’t to be; with the game inside the last minute of regulation time, another substitute - Lewis Flatman - spotted Pain off his line and tried a speculative effort from just inside the Tooting half. Remarkably, unbelievably, the ball sailed over the back-pedalling Pain’s head and nestled in the back of the net to send the home fans into a frenzy and deny Tooting on the cruellest afternoon of the season thus far.

 

T&MU : Pain, Figuerdo-Correia, Krokhin, Walters-Wright, Daly, Gordon, Waters, Ndiaye, Brown (Faniyan 54”), Williams (Dixon 79”), Edwards (Ceesay 89”).

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Bassett

Attendance : 171

 

Monday 3rd January                   Tooting and Mitcham United 0  Hanwell 2

 

A clinical second half display by the visitors saw them become the latest team to depart Imperial Fields with the points.

 

It seemed to be a chance missed, as the Terrors had shaded an even first half and at the break the points looked to be there for the taking.

 

Mark Waters made a welcome return to the Tooting starting eleven after recovering from injury and he settled in as if he’d never been away, spreading the play nicely to either flank, and making some important interceptions in the middle of the park.

 

Youngster Baye Ndiaye was clearly a beneficiary of Waters’ return, visibly growing in confidence alongside his more experienced team-mate and enjoying his most impressive outing in his fledgling career thus far.

 

Ndiaye it was who carved out the first chance, setting Nathan Gordon away down the left; he fed the ball neatly into the box but the defenders crowded out Daniel Williams’ attempts to reach it and skewed the ball out for a corner.

 

There was some nice interplay between Jack Hutchinson and Thomas Collins for the visitors, but the latter scuffed his shot and Ollie Pain was able to hold onto it comfortably.

 

Dan Williams was enjoying his usual lively showing, and a nice touch from him set Shakeel Morris away, but a Hanwell defender was able to make a last-ditch tackle and send the ball out for a corner.

 

The two Terrors combined again moments later, to create the best chance of the first period; Morris played a give-and-go with Williams, and collected the return pass inside the penalty area. A beautiful switch of feet wrongfooted his marker, and set up a presentable chance but Shakeel was unable to get sufficient curl on the ball and keeper Hugo Sobte gathered comfortably.

 

Wing-back Marco Figuerdo-Correia, making his home début, was looking impressive. He was going quietly about his business but getting some nice little touches and tackles to thwart visiting attacks.

 

In the opposite wing-back position, Nathan Gordon was also showing up well and he timed a tackle brilliantly to break up a promising Hanwell move; there was no margin for error and had he mis-timed it, it would have been a certain penalty.

 

Nevertheless, he was slightly fortunate not to concede one just before the break as he engaged in a foot-race with Hutchinson, slipped on the wet turf and brought the Hanwell number nine down; there was nothing intentional about it but by the letter of the law, it looked a spot-kick. Referee Stephen Hawkes gave us the benefit of the doubt, though, and waved away the Geordies’ appeals.

 

HT : T&MU 0 Hanwell T. 0

 

Hanwell came out of the blocks fast at the start of the second period, and a decent passing move set Massimo Gram away down the right. He cut inside and unleashed a long-range drive which deflected off a home defender and onto the crossbar. The resulting corner was headed down and Edon Proti struck a ferocious effort which Ollie Pain saved at close range to keep the scores level.

 

Tooting broke away to create our first chance of the second half, Mark Waters driving in a trademark long-ranger which went just wide, but it was the visitors who deservedly broke the deadlock just past the hour; Sam Saunders broke down the right-hand side and fired a dangerous cross into the penalty area which was swept home by Harry Rush.

 

Figuerdo-Correia made nice run and cross down the right, which was headed away for a corner, but it was Hanwell who were tightening the screw now and it was no surprise when they doubled their advantage thirteen minutes from time; Tooting had innumerable chances to clear a Hanwell corner, but failed to take them and Sam Saunders drove in a speculative cross-cum-shot which deceived Ollie Pain and snuck in at the far post.

 

Heads dropped from the home side in the remaining ten minutes, and it was only Pain who kept the scoreline respectable as he saved from Hutchinson and Rush, whilst Kyle Watson had a free header from another corner which he failed to steer on target and put it over the bar when well-placed; it was an irrelevance by that stage though, as the points had long since disappeared over the horizon.

 

T&MU : Pain, Figuerdo-Correia, Krokhin, Walters-Wright, Daly, Gordon, Waters, Ndiaye (Bassett 78”), Williams, Morris (Brown 61”), Edwards (Dixon 78”).

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Stewart.

Attendance : 333

​

Saturday 18th December                   Tooting and Mitcham United 1  Westfield 0

 

Mike Dixon’s headed goal, midway through the first half, was enough to secure a welcome three points and make it three wins from four league games to end the year’s home fixtures on a positive note.

 

Both of these sides had been expected to be in the promotion shake-up when the season started, yet both had struggled to the extent that this was a real relegation six-pointer come start of play.

 

Westfield settled better early on, with the pony-tailed Tayshan Hayden-Smith (reminding older fans of former Italian star Roberto Baggio) orchestrating proceedings and spraying some nice passes around the pitch. However, there was little cutting edge to the visitor’s pretty play, and the home defence were untroubled as Cory Walters-Wright, Nikolai Krokhin and Nathan Daly looked an impressively solid unit.

 

But Westfield stepped up the pace, and began to look more threatening. Sheridan Campbell fired a shot over the bar when well placed, and Ollie Pain had to be alert to block a free-kick from Callum Abraham-Barlow. From this latter move, the ball ran free and Walters-Wright was thankfully in position to clear from the goal-line as Sam Evans raced in.

 

Pain was called into action again shortly afterward, as Afolobe Soyemi-Oloiade outpaced Walters-Wright and fired in a shot from a tight angle which Pain turned behind for a corner, which came to nothing.

 

Tooting had shown little in attack so far, but began to make inroads as the half progressed. Daniel Williams, lively as ever, outpaced his marker but was crowded out by a covering defender as he shaped to shoot, the ball being deflected into the arms of keeper Callum Backhurst.

 

Shortly after, Mike Dixon seized onto a Jordan Clarke through ball and showed a cool head to take the ball round Backhurst; once again, however, a covering defender had made up the ground to deflect Dixon’s shot out for a corner.

 

Williams and Dixon linked up again, with Dixon’s long-range effort not troubling Backhurst, but he more than made amends just before the half-hour, as Krokhin headed out of defence and a surging run and cross by Billy Brown was headed home by the powerful striker.

 

We breathed a sigh of relief just before half-time, as IK Hill played a defence splitting pass through to the well-placed Abraham-Barlow, but he snatched at his effort and put it wide.

 

HT : T&MU 1 Westfield 0

 

The visitors started the second half in much the same vein with which they began the first, and Pain was once again called into action early on, getting a good touch to Campbell’s effort which looked to be sneaking in at the far post, and pushing it round the upright.

 

Pain saved again from the same player shortly after, as Campbell looked to finish a sweeping move started by Hayden-Smith and carried on by Hill.

 

It was desperate defending now as Westfield really looked to turn the screw but, for once, the Tooting back five were up to the task with Krokhin winning everything in the air and Walters-Wright having another impressive outing as he beds into the side. Both were benefitting from the experienced head of Nathan Daly who was marshalling the defence superbly at this stage.

 

We were looking to hold onto what we had, and the home attacks became sporadic as Westfield dominated possession, but they were still doing very little with it and Tooting might have extended the lead on a couple of occasions; substitute Shakeel Morris showed good footwork to create an opening, but his effort was weak and didn’t trouble Backhurst. Then Jordan Clarke worked his way into the box, twisted and turned as he looked to make room for a shot but the Westfield defence deflected his eventual strike wide.

 

With time ticking away, Hayden-Smith floated a curler toward the top corner, but Pain took it comfortably and that proved to be the last chance for the visitors to take anything from the game as Pain cemented his man-of-the-match award with the save to seal the points.

 

T&MU : Pain, Daly, Krokhin, Walters-Wright, Bassett, Clarke, Ndiaye, Ouaret Sorr (Bangura-Williams 56”), Dixon, Williams, Brown (Morris 65”).

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Foley, Orimolusi.

Attendance : 216

 

Saturday 11th December                   Thatcham Town 0 Tooting and Mitcham United 1

 

The Terrors secured back-to-back league wins, on a murky day in the Berkshire countryside, to give us some breathing space over those teams below us and send the travelling hordes home happy.

 

In truth, it was always going to be an afternoon where pretty football would be at a premium on such a surface, but our boys showed grit and fighting spirit that bodes well for the immediate future as we look to haul ourselves away from danger and into the top half of the table.

 

This result sees us leapfrog our hosts, who started the day two places and two points above us, and sets us up nicely for the hectic festive period.

 

Despite the conditions, there were a lot of positives to be taken from the afternoon - and a lot of boxes were ticked in the process : three points - check. Penalty scored - check. Clean sheet : check.

 

That last one may well prove to be the most important - it was our first of the season and emphasises that Ollie Pain is settling well into his role as the fifth goalkeeper we have used this campaign; hopefully he will be able to cement the position as his own, and bring some much needed stability to the position behind the back line - arguably the most important on the pitch.

 

On this afternoon, he wasn’t called into action that often as the boys in front of him controlled much of the play and showed a solidity that has been lacking in recent times; but Pain showed some good handling of a greasy, slippery ball - taking corners and crosses with a composure that can only have radiated out to those around him.

 

Tooting started in confident fashion, and carved out the first opening of note just a few minutes in; Zaid Ouaret Sorr, growing in confidence with every first-team outing, took a nice pass from Nathan Gordon, got away from his marker down the left and fired a dangerous cross back into the penalty area; Mike Dixon got a firm strike on the ball, but it was a bit too close to Jack Hopwood and the keeper took it comfortably.

 

Shortly after, Hopwood had to be alert to leave his area and head clear when another through ball from Gordon threatened, but Thatcham then had a chance of their own as Lamin Ceesay and Daniel Fosu combined to set Nathan Jones through on goal, but the home midfielder dragged his shot wide of the target.

 

Billy Brown was, as usual, causing his marker all sorts of problems down the right flank, and he fed Daniel Williams whose shot from distance was well held by Hopwood. Still, the Terrors were carving out the more promising chances at this stage - with Ouaret Sorr almost forcing an own goal minutes later as a home defender very nearly scuffed his clearance into the net.

 

It looked like a goalless first half would be recorded, but as we moved into time added on, Ceesay tangled with Ouaret Sorr inside the area with the latter going down; the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot - to the consternation of the home defence - and Daniel Williams buried the kick to register his thirteenth goal of the season and a lead that was well deserved.

 

HT : Thatcham T. 0 T&MU 1

 

The home side enjoyed a good spell of possession at the start of the second period, as they sought to cancel out our advantage. But the Tooting defence, marshalled superbly by Nathan Daly, held firm and Ollie Pain continued to handle the increasingly slippery ball well when called upon. As the game wore on, it was the visitors who looked more likely to add a second on the break if there was to be any further scoring in the game.

 

Indeed, the impressive Ouaret Sorr was staking his claim for a man-of-the-match performance as he twice threatened to give us the breathing space of a two goal cushion. Firstly, Billy Brown did superbly to take a loose pass off the toes of a Thatcham defender, powered into the box and smashed the ball across toward the far post; Ouaret Sorr had slipped on the greasy turf, but despite being on the deck he still managed to prod a shot goalwards but couldn’t get the power required to find a way past Hopwood.

 

Then, as the game entered the last twenty minutes, Mike Dixon flicked on a lovely through ball which Ouaret Sorr controlled, and slotted past the keeper for what seemed like a second goal. However, a questionable flag had been raised and the goal was disallowed for offside.

 

Dontai Stewart had replaced Williams, and he looked lively as he twice tested Hopwood from range, then bore down on the keeper in a one-on-one which the latter did well to block and keep his side in the match. It was to no avail though, as the referee finally put an end to proceedings and another welcome three points were confirmed.

 

T&MU : Pain, Gordon (Bassett 61”), Daly, Walters-Wright, Brown, Belford, Williams (Stewart 69”), Clarke, Krokhin, Dixon, Ouaret Sorr.

SUBS NOT USED : Hamlin, Ndiaye, Ceesay.

Attendance : 133

​

Saturday 4th December                   Tooting and Mitcham United 2  Chalfont St. Peter 1

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Going into the fixture, Tooting and Mitcham United (the Terrors), were sitting one place above Chalfont St. Peter (the Saints), after a run of four straight defeats and winless at home since October 4th. Chalfont’s equally poor recent form meant both sides sat in 16th and 17th respectively and are currently engaged in a dogged relegation battle, this is the very definition of a six-pointer. Game On.

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Not long after the referee eagerly blew his whistle, the Saints’ number nine unleashed a fearsome shot, which was successfully parried away for a corner kick; an already nervous crowd became noticeably more anxious. Fortunately, the corner was dealt with well by the Terrors’ defence, who then sought to turn defence into attack with number seven attempting a long overhead ball to the strikers.

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The first affairs were cagey; unsurprising given the form of both sides. The ball bobbled frequently and often bounced from player to player without either side stringing several passes or more together. When they could, the Terrors tried another overhead ball to the strikers, and, although amounting to nothing this time, this tactic would eventually pay dividends.

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With tackles flying in left and right, and every player being constantly pressured whilst on the ball, a chance from a set piece would inevitably come; fortunately, this would fall to the Terrors: on the eighth minute, number four gets a strong head on a 30 yard free-kick crossed from the right hand side, but sees the ball flash agonisingly wide of the goalkeeper’s left hand post.

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This excellent set piece was followed up by some equally-excellent last ditch defending: the Saints’ striker, seemingly through on goal two minutes later, had his shot blocked by a Terrors defender. The resulting deflection bounced around the box to another Saints player, who was crowded out, unable to get a shot on goal, and the ball was cleared by the uncompromising defence.

The 15th minute rolls around and number 10 whips a delicious cross into the box, only for there to be no one there to capitalise. Despite this, it is clear that the Terrors are becoming the dominant side in this game. Two consecutive corners ramp the pressure up further, stretching Chalfont’s set-piece defending capabilities.

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Fortunately for the Terrors, the pressure and their set-piece prowess was too much for the Saints’ defence as number five scored an excellent header that Slabhead, Harry Maguire, would be proud of. 1-0 to Tooting and Mitcham; the balance is really in their favour.

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Bar a frenzied goal-line clearance on the 20th minute, the Terrors were comfortably the best team of the two after the goal: the Chalfont ‘keeper came close to picking the ball out of his net for the second time in the half after number 9 narrowly missed the target, after a long throw-in took the defence out the game. Soon after, other passages of play culminated in a saved bicycle kick from number 11, and a low shot from number four after receiving a great pass from number 9.

At the other end, the Saints rarely troubled Tooting and Mitcham’s number 1 through a combination of astute defending and poor finishing from Chalfont St. Peter. Even in the moments that the Terrors’ number 1 was needed, he held the ball well after a sole longshot from the Saints.

 

HALF TIME - 1-0 TOOTING AND MITCHAM UNITED

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The second half begins and the pattern continues: the Terrors dominating the play and creating excellent chances. Not long after the ref blows his whistle, the Terrors’ number 9 is put through on goal after a lovely overhead through ball, but is saved by the Saints’ ‘keeper.

However, the Terrors very nearly rued the chances that they had seen go astray as Chalfont’s number 11 received the ball on the edge of the box, swivelled excellently and unleashed a hard shot, which was fortunately directed straight at the Terrors’ ‘keeper.

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The second half continued with some brilliant possession from the Terrors, who were working the ball excellently on the wings. With the wingers and strikers working in tandem, crosses fly into the box; one of these is headed away and breaks to number 15, who absolutely thumps the ball from 25 yards out, missing the target by a fraction of a hair to the keeper’s right hand post.

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Tooting and Mitcham’s dominant spell led to another well-worked overhead through-ball to number 9, which was stopped excellently by Chalfont’s best player on the pitch. Surely it’s only a matter of time before the Terrors exploit this? And that they did: another pin-point through-ball puts number 9 through who finished fantastically under the ‘keeper to put the Terrors 2-0 up in the 73rd minute.

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Defensively, the Terrors were more than matching Chalfont through the half; one particular spell of play seeing a Saints shot blocked and then rapidly smothered after the subsequent rebound to another Saints player.

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Even the Saints’ goal had an element of luck to it: a collision between defender and goalkeeper bobbled perfectly to a Saints player, who was in the most fortunate position on the pitch and was able to tap the ball into the goal.

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Whilst a mist of anxiety gripped the Terrors faithful, the players controlled the game excellently, running down the clock after winning fouls in prime locations through brilliant dribbling and some skills from number 17 that were almost certainly learnt from FIFA Street. The game finished 2-1 to Tooting and Mitcham United who moved up to 14th, three points off mid-table.

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​Tuesday 23rd November                 Tooting & Mitcham United 1 Chertsey Town 2

 

It is becoming sadly predictable writing match reports for the Terrors recently. The formula seems much the same for each game; Tooting lose by the odd goal, but have enough chances to win comfortably; woodwork is struck at least once during the ninety minutes, and invariably there is a decent penalty claim summarily dismissed by the officials (though given our spot-kick credentials, perhaps they are only saving us from further embarrassment).

 

Any neutrals reading these reports would find their credulity being tested - surely no team can be this consistently unfortunate? The law of averages always evens itself out eventually, and teams get what they ultimately deserve. Maybe - but it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.

 

And so to a bitterly cold, and increasingly foggy Tuesday evening in November, and the visit of high-flying Chertsey - revitalised by the recent appointment as manager of former Arsenal star Ian Selley.

 

The game followed the usual pattern; a bright start, belying our run of three straight defeats in the league. Several chances are created, with Mark Waters forcing a flying save out of Nicholas Jupp about the best of them. Then, the inevitable - Chertsey take the lead against the run of play with former Terror Jake Baxter using his quick thinking to place his shot past debutant keeper Oliver Pain, who may have been unsighted.

 

Surprisingly perhaps, the lead lasted barely a minute; Tooting force a corner, the ball is headed goalwards by Ahkeem Belford, but cleared by a defender. As it falls to Daniel Williams, some thirty yards from goal, he thumps in a first time effort that flies past the despairing hands of Jupp - a quite astonishing goal, and one that makes coming out on one of the coldest nights of the year so far seem not such a bad decision after all.

 

And, surely now, an indication that our luck has changed for the better - that we’ll finally go on and claim a welcome three points that could kick-start our entire season…

 

By half-time, we troop off dejectedly again - Chertsey have regained the lead with a Samuel Murphy free-kick six minutes before the break; a nicely taken goal, it has to be admitted, but once again we have given ourselves a mountain to climb in the second forty-five.

 

HT : T&MU 1 Chertsey T. 2

 

There are no further goals in the game, but how that is the case - nobody is quite sure. Apart from one or two occasions when the Curfews threaten to extend their lead on a breakaway, Tooting dominate the period.

 

But can’t score.

 

We can’t score when Jupp makes three astonishing point-blank saves in the space of thirty seconds around the hour mark, in a sequence that unfolded so quickly it is difficult to see which players he has denied. It was Mike Dixon who powered into the area initially, and drove in a fierce shot from a tight angle which Jupp parried; it fell to (I think) Billy Brown who sent the next effort in, but Jupp had sprung up to keep that one out; it rebounded again, (possibly) to Daniel Williams who thought he only had to prod it over the line but somehow a grounded Jupp got across to push the ball away again - whereupon a grateful defender hoofed it away to gain some respite.

 

We can’t score when Dixon powers in another drive from the right-hand side, and the post intervenes; we can’t score in injury-time, when Brown curls in a speculative effort from the left which deceives the keeper, but not the crossbar from which it comes back into play.

 

And we certainly can’t score from the penalty spot between those incidents, because we are not given the chance to. Mike Dixon, who has terrorised the Chertsey defence all evening, but particularly so in the second half, powers away down the right once again; in a chase with Bryan Taylor, the defender makes a rash challenge and does not win the ball. He takes the legs. It looks a clear penalty, but the referee waves play on to the amazement of those in the ground (probably even to those few who are sporting away colours). It seems a harsh call by the man in black, although as pointed out earlier, there is no guarantee it would have been converted - it might have been nice to have the opportunity though.

 

And so, the dust settles on another three points dropped. Another defeat - four in a row now, and seven out of the last eight - all by the odd goal. We have to accept we are in a relegation scrap now, and face a number of teams in a similar position in the coming weeks. The festive period could well and truly define the rest of our season.

 

T&MU : Pain, Hamlin, Waters, Daly, Belford, Morris, Williams (Stewart 74”), Clarke (Ouaret Sorr 70”), Walters-Wright, Brown, Dixon.

SUBS NOT USED : Ceesay, Coleman, Bassett.

Attendance : 164

 

Saturday 20th November                 Tooting & Mitcham United 1 Marlow 2

 

The Terrors slumped to a fourth consecutive league defeat, amidst a very familiar pattern.

 

An encouraging start was not capitalised on with a goal, and promotion contenders Marlow punished us with two quickfire strikes that left us with a mountain to climb once again.

 

The players didn’t let their heads drop, and showed fight and spirit in abundance - qualities we shall surely be needing in the weeks ahead - but when the dust settled, three more points had been dropped and we have to face up to the very serious position we now find ourselves in.

 

It had been a bright start, and Simon Grant in the Marlow goal was called into action early on, touching the ball round the post after some good wing play from Billy Brown had set up Daniel Williams for a shot.

 

Shortly after, a searching through ball found Williams outpacing the defence and through on goal but Grant foiled him again, with his legs this time.

 

And we were made to pay for this profligacy shortly after when Nnamdi Nwachuku took advantage of confusion in the home defence to break the deadlock for the Blues. Six minutes after that it was two, when a free-kick from Kameron English took a deflection off the defensive wall and somehow found its way past Mackenzie Foley.

 

But eight minutes later, and with still a full hour of the match to play, Williams was faced with another one-on-one with Grant and this time despatched the ball past the keeper with a confidence that had not been diminished by the earlier misses.

 

Game on.

 

Billy Brown was tormenting his marker with some trademark speed and footwork, and from one of these moves floated a dangerous cross into the six-yard box, but just over the heads of both Williams and Mike Dixon. Marlow got it away but Ahkeem Belford struck a firm shot from distance that cleared the bar.

 

HT : T&MU 1 Marlow 2

 

The Terrors began the second period in similar fashion to which we ended the first, as Billy Brown and Daniel Williams continued to cause problems for the visiting defence.

 

Shakeel Morris worked his way down the right, and centred for Williams who laid the ball off to Mark Waters who never has any qualms about shooting from distance; on this occasion though, it was too close to Grant and the keeper gratefully took it into his midriff.

 

Mike Dixon was becoming increasingly influential as the match wore on - his strength and determination proving a handful for the Marlow back line - and drove in an awkward shot from a difficult angle that Grant could only fist away, Williams following in couldn’t quite get the touch that was needed and another chance was gone.

 

Grant saved from Dixon again as the game entered the last ten minutes and set pieces looked the most likely source of salvation as Tooting began to throw everybody forward. From one such kick, Daryl Coleman touched the ball into the danger zone, Ahkeem cut it back across the box and substitute Zaid Ouaret-Sorr shot just wide; with that, our last hope had disappeared.

 

It was another enterprising display, another defeat by the odd goal; and yet another day when we felt justified in claiming we should have had something tangible from the ninety minutes. The worry now is that if this trend continues for much longer, the season could fall apart completely.

 

T&MU : Foley, Hamlin, Waters, Daly, Belford, Morris (Stewart 65”), Coleman, Williams (Ouaret-Sorr 83”), Clarke, Brown, Dixon.

SUBS NOT USED : Ceesay, Turbi, Bassett.

Attendance : 184

 

Saturday 13th November                 Basingstoke Town  3 Tooting & Mitcham United  2

 

Despite a much improved showing, the Terrors fell to yet another defeat - our seventh of the league season - to leave us some way short of play-off contention even at this relatively early stage.

 

With the win, Basingstoke moved into third in the division, but they can count themselves fortunate to have bagged the points even with our, sadly now traditional, customary concession of a goal start.

 

Before most of the sizeable contingent of travelling supporters had even taken up their position behind the goal we were attacking, we once again found ourselves chasing the game; with barely a minute registered, Simon Dunn powered onto a through ball and finished clinically past the exposed MacKenzie Foley to give the hosts the perfect start.

 

As the half progressed, the Terrors played their way back into contention with some neat passing football - with Billy Brown and Dontai Stewart looking particularly lively on the flanks, and Mark Waters pulling the strings impressively in midfield.

 

We were unlucky not to be on terms in the fourteenth minute when Waters let fly a trademark long-range effort, but with Paul Strudley flailing in the home goal the ball crashed back off the crossbar to preserve the hosts’ lead.

 

Tooting were controlling the play for long periods, without looking too threatening where it mattered, when out of the blue we were on terms; some sparkling wing play from Billy Brown saw him bamboozle the home defence, then switch the play to the other flank from where Shakeel Morris whipped in a dangerous cross. Strudley could only parry the ball and Stewart pounced with a diving header to restore parity with half-time looming.

 

We could have actually departed the field with an unlikely lead when the referee awarded us a free-kick just outside the area but after Dontai and Daryl Coleman had deliberated over who would take the kick, Stewart finally curled it just over the bar.

 

HT : Basingstoke T.  1 T&MU  1

 

Having finished the first half in the ascendancy, Tooting picked up where we’d left off at the start of the second period and with the home side looking rattled we threatened to take control of the game. Mark Waters continued to control things in midfield, and an early pass set Shakeel Morris away down the right; he beat his man with confidence, then cut the ball back to Daniel Williams who controlled it well but curled his effort just wide of the far post.

 

Billy Brown continued to torment his marker down the opposite flank, and a similar move down the left saw him cut the ball back across the six yard box with no attacking players in the vicinity to take advantage.

 

Basingstoke capitalised on some hesitancy at the back to carve out a chance that George Reid fired over shortly afterward, but the Terrors continued to control possession and create the better openings when we suddenly fell behind again on fifty-three minutes, after a contentious decision by referee Tom Baines. Home defender Bradley Wilson looked to have dragged Daniel Williams down on the edge of the area, and with the travelling support (and much of the home fans) expecting a free-kick to the visitors, Baines signalled it the other way and Reid got on the end of a long ball to thump it past Foley and restore the advantage to the delight of the home crowd.

 

We didn’t let our heads drop though, and continued to press forward - with set pieces looking our most likely route to salvation. From a corner just after the hour mark, Dean Hamlin firmly headed past Strudley to make it 2-2 and the points were in the balance once again.

 

Tooting continued to pass and move, and enjoy the bulk of the threatening moves once again - and looked the more likely to bag the points at this stage, with the hosts seemingly out of ideas in an attacking sense.

 

However, there was one more cruel twist to come, as Billy Brown once again ran at the home defence and was seemingly illegally chopped down just outside the box by two defenders. Referee Baines had other ideas though, and waved play on - which resulted in a long ball being played through the middle with Foley hopelessly exposed; he did well to advance from his goal, and deflect the ball wide, but with an attacking player picking the loose ball up and driving it towards goal once again, Mark Waters was penalised for a debatable handball and the hosts had the chance to regain the lead from the spot - which they took.

 

There were still some twenty minutes or so to go, but the decision (and subsequent booking for the influential Waters for protesting) had knocked the stuffing out of us and with the home side content to protect what they had and take no further chances, the game petered out somewhat after that; despite some decent possession - particularly down the right flank with Shakeel Morris - we were unable to carve out any real threatening goal chances and fell to our third successive defeat (all by the odd goal) in the league, since our smash and grab late win at Guernsey. The gap to the play-off positions is now looking worryingly large and unless we start turning promise into points, the task ahead of us will begin to look frighteningly insurmountable.

 

T&MU : Foley, Hamlin, Waters, Daley, Brown, Coleman, Williams, Clarke, Stewart (Demby 71”), Bassett (Dixon 60”), Morris.

SUBS NOT USED : Mbangui, Ouaret-Sorr, Ceesay.

Attendance : 653

 

Saturday 6th November 2021     Ashford Town (Middx)  2  Tooting & Mitcham United  1

 

The Terrors were brought back down to earth after back-to-back victories, as struggling Ashford Town - without so much as a home point in the league - found an indecisive Tooting team just what they needed to kick-start their season.

 

After impressive showings against Guernsey, when all three points were brought back from the longest journey of all, and a Metropolitan Police side who were confidently despatched from the Surrey Senior Cup, hopes were high of another three points as we travelled out to west London. All that good work was undone by a nervous and disjointed start which saw the hosts move into a two goal lead with the match barely twenty minutes old.

 

It is becoming a worrying trend for Tooting to concede an early goal and just two minutes had been registered here when Aaaron McLeish-White took advantage of some hesitancy in the visiting defence to shoot Ashford into the lead. The hosts had the ball in the net again on the quarter-hour but this time the flag was up and the goal disallowed for offside.

 

The warning was not heeded by the Terrors’ back line, though, and just seven minutes later the lead was doubled as Connor Cullen - who scored against us earlier in the season for his former club Northwood - got in behind and slotted calmly past MacKenzie Foley.

 

With the game quickly slipping away, we did manage to get some kind of grip on proceedings, and just past the half-hour, Andrew Sesay combined well with Billy Brown before smashing a shot into the side netting as we finally began to wake up a bit.

 

HT : Ashford T.  2 T&MU  0

 

With a mountain to climb, we did at least start the second half with a renewed sense of purpose and within the first five minutes, Jamarie Brissett showed some good footwork to turn his marker and get a shot in but Paul McCarthy in the home goal did well to get down and touch his shot round the post for a corner which came to nothing.

 

A few minutes later, Jamarie got away from his man once again and flashed a testing ball across goal where Sesay was waiting at the far post but he showed just enough hesitancy to enable two home defenders to crowd him out, and the chance was gone.

 

Half-time substitute Zaid Ouaret-Sorr was once again showing promise as he continued his development at first team level and he was combining well now with Mark Waters as we started to look a little more threatening.

 

Zaid certainly looks a danger from dead-ball kicks and it was one such move that finally gave us a toehold in the game as his floated ball in was glanced home by Waters with just over twenty minutes left.

 

But any hopes of a point disappeared into the gloom as further half-chances were not taken; Dontai Stewart played Jamarie in but he pulled his shot just wide of the post, and then put another high over the bar when well-placed. Nathan Daly had a long-range drive deflected out for a corner and Mark Waters couldn’t get on the end of a Dontai free-kick in stoppage time that flashed just past the post.

 

In truth, Ashford deserved the points for showing a greater team-spirit and togetherness; qualities that hitherto could have been applied to us but were sadly missing on this afternoon. It is to be hoped that we have hit the nadir with this performance, and the only way is up in forthcoming matches - if not, we could face a very long winter ahead.

 

T&MU : Foley, Krokhin, Hamlin, Waters, Daly, Belford (Ouaret-Sorr 45”), Williams, Clarke, Stewart, Brissett, Sesay.

SUBS NOT USED : Ceesay, Mbangui, Ilic, Moco.

Attendance : 74