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Threadbare Terrors
luck ran out as a late goal handed the
points to Ashford Town. In another
disappointing home result Tooting were
without flu victim Tom Graves and could only
name three outfield players on the bench.
Ashford are a match for
any side in the division and, looking to
extend a a run of eleven unbeaten league
games, confidently pushed forward from the
start. Tooting, on the other hand,
were again guilty of starting sluggishly at
home.
Poor defending presented
the visitors with a two goal lead.
First, a conspicuous lack of movement
towards a long throw into the area,
presented Haule with a simple tap in. Then,
ten minutes before half time, a Swiss cheese
wall against yet another free kick conceded
on the edge of the area, proved to be no
obstacle for Johnson, albeit with the aid of
a deflection.
The first goal did stir
Tooting into action, with Mitchell Nelson
first to threaten Burgess' net with an off
target header. Burgess then beat Paul
Vines to a 50-50 ball, but it was Simon
Parker who came closest with an effort that
was cleared on the line.
As half time approached
Vines shot over from a Nelson cross before
being bundled over by Johnson. Parker
stepped up to take the resulting free kick
and reduced the deficit with a fine strike.
Half Time: Terrors
1-2 Ashford T
Tootings injury
crisis deepened when Paul Vines and Alan McLeod limped
off five minutes after the break. But the now
fully awake Terrors, and the combative Goode and
elegant Parker in particular, were going all out for
the equaliser -which nearly arrived when a Matt York
attempt was headed clear from just under the crossbar.
Warren Harris gave
Dean Hamlin a torrid afternoon with his trick skills
and speed, as well as his penchant for going to ground
- eventually getting the fullback into the book when
winning a free kick that required the intervention of
Dave King. England grazed a post on the hour as,
for a while, the visitors regained the upper hand. On
the hour, though, Aaron Goode picked out Parker on the
edge of the box with space and time to direct a
beautifully floated shot into the top corner of the
net - a carbon copy of his gem at Bognor.
Burgess pulled off a
double close range save as Tooting pressed for a
winner in the last quarter of an hour, but Ashford did
not buckle and three minutes from time played Johnson
into a huge gap at the edge of the Tooting area.
With no defender in sight he had time to turn and
plant the ball low to Dave Kings left and claim the
three points.
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