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The Terrors came into this
match buoyed by the fine win against neighbours Sutton that
had restored much needed confidence but were robbed of
strikers Paul Vines, Jon Henry Haden & Ben Abbey through
injury. So free scoring Martin Grant was added to a bench of
only 4 subs that also included Vernon Francis, hopefully now
recovered from a pre season game injury.
Mid table Tonbridge had
picked up two wins, including a 2-3 defeat of Ramsgate in
their last match having come back well from 2 goals down with
a brace from winger Fraser Logan.
It initially looked
as if this might be a tricky day for the Terrors who again
started with a back 3 and Hamlin & Byatt pushed further
forward. Stevens toiling manfully up front on a blistering hot
day but was often isolated so balls played forward were
frequently picked off by the back four of Tonbridge who then
passed forward confidently, always looking to channel the ball
wide to Logan.
In just the 6th
minute McCleod dwelt on the ball too long and was caught by a
tackle that was to lead to his eventual substitution. Nothing
came of the resulting free kick or a quick break moments later
when Joe Vines was adjudged to have fouled in their box.
Glover shot wide for the Angels in the 12th minute
after breaking forward from full back.
And moments later Hamlin shot over after picking up his own
cleared cross.
A sustained passing move by the Terrors ended with another
Hamlin cross for Stevens to challenge that saw goalkeeper
Grant punch away, getting injured in the process.
The efforts Tooting were
making to contain Tonbridge in their own half were evident
when centre half Hunt shoved over centre forward Olorunda a
good 10 yards inside his own half.
And this pressure, with the midfield of Tooting flooding
forward in open play, was to result in the first goal. On 22
minutes Stevens hit a long ball that was nodded back by
Pinnock to the supporting Byatt. He fluffed a shot but it
bounced up to McCleod who had crept in unseen, behind &
certainly below the giant Legge to gleefully nod home.
The Terrors had the ball in
the net again just five minutes later when a Hartburn free
kick was headed in by Joe Vines but the linesman had flagged
for offside the moment the ball was kicked.
Then on the half hour Olorunda blazed over the first really
good chance Tonbridge had been allowed when the Stripes
defense failed to win a header from a goal kick.
McCleod was then forced to leave the field,
replaced by Bouadji who assumed his midfield role. Pinnock had
a chance with a header after a defender miskicked a Goode free
kick. Hunt had to make a last ditch tackle on the edge of the
box immediately following a good chase by Stevens at the other
end that had resulted in a corner. And before the half ended a
fine Terrors passing move finished with Pinnock playing the
ball wide to Hamlin whose cross was clipped by Pitterson,
sadly straight into the keepers hands.
Half Time
0 - 1
Just 9 minutes into the 2nd
half Storey had a shot charged down and Tonbridge won the
header from the resulting corner, forcing Hamlin to head off
his own goal line. Moments later Olorunda took a weak shot and
Cade & Logan conspired to pressure the Terrors goal with a
chip that resulted in a corner.
Tooting replaced the tiring Pitterson
with Grant on the 60th minute. This left Tonbridge
manager Tommy Warrilow with the dilemma of pushing forward in
attempt to secure at least a point in front of his home fans
or maintaining sufficient defensive cover to counter the
threat of speedy Grant. A tricky one and not helped by the
need to use all 3 subs through injury, two of them requiring
he assistance of a stretcher. Almost immediately Byatt struck
a shot wide, Hartburn played a silky 1/2 with Hamlin to force
a corner and Stevens drove in a cross. Tooting were
looking to get Grant away against the stretched Tonbridge
defenders either wide or through the middle and on the 70th
minute it worked when he collected the ball, took it forward
with a few deft touches and stroked it calmly into the far
corner.
(Does he even know who Jimmy Greaves is I wonder?)
Joe Vines then had to hobble off with an
ankle injury sustained in a tackle 10 minutes earlier (time to
recover from that during his suspension) and was replaced by
Adam Fetcher, another promising Tooting youngster getting his
chance.
And Tooting nearly had another goal moments later when Stevens
bravely nodded in a Byatt cross only to see the linesman’s
flag raised aloft, presumably for offside. The view of
my touchline reporter who was directly in line was ’No
way!’
Grant then nearly had another when Fletcher played him in but
his delicate cross bounced to safety off the top of the
crossbar.
Then in the 88th minute Tonbridge were handed a
potential lifeline when Byatt made a weak challenge in the box
and the referee awarded a penalty. Storey stepped up and
struck the ball firmly but keeper Laurie Walker, who has been
a solid & dependable loan signing from Millwall during the
enforced absence of Dave King, dived low to his right hand to
make the save amidst much jubilation.
Tooting saw off another 5 minutes of extra time without
difficulty to record a fine away win against adversity, climb
to mid table and demonstrate the depth and talent of the
current squad.
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