TM produced a very lacklustre display compared with their best performance of the season the previous week. They failed to produce any structured play that was required to break down a very determined, skilled and hard running Worcester Park side. The opening five minutes saw Tooting fight hard against the opposition with Tom Gorden making some fine saves to keep the score neutral. Eventually, WP produced the first goal which was the result of their hard, fair tackling and their crisp passing, which produced a shot that Tom was unable to save. TM battled hard, but were unable to keep WP at bay. Two more goals followed in a similar vein with the score 0-3 at half time. The second half followed in much the same fashion with WP controlling the game, scoring goals as a result of their skilful play. Louis scored a fine goal following a good period of play by TM with the team making use of some good possession. WP scored two further goals from quick breakaways as TM become tired with all the pressure they absorbed. However, Tom continued to make fine saves throughout the match and deserves special mention for his overall display. Hopefully, this match was a learning experience in a game played against the best and most skilful side in the league.

Squad: Tom, Ben, Tommy, Charlie, Bradley, Louis, Reece, Luke, Owen.

Coach: Andy Chute .              
 

The Terrors got off to the worst possible start against Corinthian Casuals when they conceded two soft goals in the first five minutes of their encounter. Kicking up the slope and into a strong wind, there seemed little danger when Bryan’s goal kick landed around the half way line. The opposition central midfield player returned the ball towards our penalty area where, inexplicably, our defence left the Casuals centre forward completely unmarked. The danger seemed to have passed when it became clear that the Casuals player was not going to be able to reach the ball. However, a combination of the wind behind and an unkind bobble from the pitch meant that the ball eluded Bryan and ended up in the unguarded net. Within two minutes Casuals had doubled their lead when we failed to close down a Casuals left wing attack and the ensuing cross rebounded off Michael’s shin straight to a Casuals player who made no mistake from a yard out. The Terrors responded well to this shocking start and with Casey and Christian competing well in midfield and Harry dealing with the Casual’s aerial threat, we started to see a lot more of the ball and were posing threats to the visitors defence. After good work down the right hand side of the pitch, Casey’s quick throw was flicked into the penalty area by James to the unmarked JJ whose tidy finish from close range put us back in the match. Tooting were very much in control now and James threaded an excellent pass through the Casuals rearguard only for JJ to shoot just wide. The interlinking play between the Terrors midfield and forwards was beginning to flow and another opportunity for JJ ended with a good save by the visiting goalkeeper. The half time whistle sounded with us a goal down but the advantage of kicking with the wind in the second half. Ben replaced Christian for the second half, but as with the first half we were very slow to get into our stride and seemed very low key for such an important match. We failed to maintain possession and errors were becoming commonplace as the promising football that concluded the first half was nowhere to be seen. Any chance we had of grabbing a much needed win evaporated when we contrived to give the ball away on the half way line and then failed to make winnable tackles on the edge of our area and on the byline to present Casuals with a third goal from an acute angle. Throwing caution to the wind, Lucas came on for Michael for his debut, pushing Ben into defence and James into midfield in an attempt to pull a goal back. Ben had a great opportunity to score when put clean through but his first touch let him down and their goalkeeper made a comfortable save. Within minutes JJ took too many touches on the ball and turned a good chance into a difficult one which again the keeper dealt with and then a rebound off a defender looped over the goalkeeper and stopped near the goal line for him to collect. In the closing stages of the game, Harry’s corner was headed onto the crossbar by Casey, which just about summed up our recent luck!

Team: Brian, Michael, Harry, Christian, Casey, Thomas, James, JJ, Ben. Lucas

Colin.              
 

The Colts got back to winning ways with a comfortable victory over a much-improved Surrey Predators. Churchman opened the scoring in the first five minutes, coolly slotting home after a superb through ball from Kearley. Williams almost added a second, shielding the ball well from his opponent, cutting inside and shooting just over. Thornton was having an excellent half and had a big hand with the second goal. He sent a brilliant pass to Kearley, who fired the ball across the box and although Churchman effort was blocked but Williams was on hand finish. Clark made it 3-0 straight after the break and again it was a wonderful goal, sweetly striking the ball home from a corner. Hogan had little to do but was organising his defenders well and offering encouragement. With the game out of reach, the Colts made some tactical changes. Bouchez went from defence up to attack, Abassi went in midfield and Power dropped to the back. Predators reduced the arrears with a well-worked goal, nodding home from a corner. But the Colts weren’t finished and Rondeau scored a beauty, working a quick throw with Churchman before drifting past the defender and curling his shot into the top corner.

Coach: Mick Thornton
Manager: Mike Churchman
Squad: Hogan, Thornton, Abbasi, Bouchez, Power, Kearley, Churchman, (1) Creegan, Rondeau (1), Williams (1), Clark (1). .              
 

Colts found Fulham too strong for them on Sunday as they lost 3-0 to the league leaders. But it was another spirited performance from the Stripes, who continue to impress with their determination and attitude, and there were plenty of positives to take out of the match. Hogan was into the action early, rushing out of smother the ball after Fulham broke dangerously down the left wing. Bouchez was unfortunate not to open the scoring with a dipping shot that was tipped over the bar following after a terrific passage of play between Churchman and Kearley. Bouchez was also making some crucial tackles in midfield, while Williams also got back to produce a brilliant interception as Fulham threatened. The visitors took the lead with their next attack, finishing well with a shot into the far corner. Creegan and Clark come on for Churchman and Kearley and both subs impressed with some strong running down the flanks, while Thornton and Abassi were doing their best to keep things tight at the back. Fulham doubled their lead from a corner but the Colts refused to buckle, with Clark going on an amazing run, beating four players and firing in a shot that was tipped round the post. Rondeau came on for the injured Abassi at half-time and looked comfortable at the back, making some well-timed tackles. He also had perhaps the Colts’ best chance to score, diverting Thornton’s shot past the keeper but the ball drifted agonisingly wide. The Colts looked really strong in the second half, pinning back Fulham for long periods, but it was the visitors who scored again when a cross from the left eluded everyone in the box and nestled into the far corner.

Coach: Mick Thornton
Manager: Mike Churchman
Squad: Hogan, Thornton, Abbasi, Bouchez, Power, Kearley, Churchman, Creegan, Rondeau, Williams, Clark.              
 

T & M had nine players available and the starting line-up was the same as for much of the second half last week, with Tom in goal, Chin and Ben in defence, Charlie, Bradley and Louis across the middle and Owen, up front. The Colts were focussed picking up from their good performance last week as the game was initially going end to end on the smallish, good surfaced pitch. Ben and Chin worked well and were containing the threats from Splenthorn’s large centre forward with Bradley covering across the pitch. Chin was calm on the ball and linking with Louis, who was beating his marker and getting some good balls up his wing to Owen, who was moving well. Bradley and Charlie settled into their roles and the team was showing good shape. Having been defensive in the early minutes, the Colts began to have the edge in terms of getting the ball forward as both Charlie and Louis were drawing Spelthorn players out wide. Owen worked hard against the two defenders but neither side had a real chance until a free was awarded to the Colts the left of the Spelthorn area. Ben drilled the free kick between the two boys in the wall and high into the right hand side of the net. The power of the shot took everyone, especially the keeper, by surprise. The lead was deserved and helped the boys settled down more. However, with the short pitch and a large defender goal-kicking well and also coming forward to have some long range strikes, there was always a chance of an equaliser. Tom’s decision making and handling was excellent coming for the ball when necessary and he was relieving pressure with good kicking from his hands. Reece was introduced for Owen, who had kept their defence busy, and Tommy came on for Charlie on the right. The boys continued to edge the game until half-time. Tommy and Bradley played short passes and Reece beat his marker, but Spelthorne were covering well. For the early part of the second half, the Colts launched numerous attacks up both wings. Chin and Ben were playing some high balls forward and Bradley and Reece were showing some good first touches. However, despite pressure and having men over on occasions Spelthorne were quick to get bodies back and the boys failed to have a clear strike. Spelthorne were still in the game and had some good possession feeding their strong front-man, who eventually came good from a long ball which he won and then lost and then re-won, to turn on goal and strike powerfully home. Charlie replaced Tommy and T&M continued to have the edge getting good attacking balls forward and eventually, one long range shot from Louis was fumbled by their keeper, as Charlie raced in on goal, and the Colts had the lead again. Bradley was replaced by Tommy and Louis by Owen. The boys had to remain competitive as Spelthorne were still threatening and forcing corners and throw-ins. The marking was good and Tom was organising his defence. He held a well struck free and caught a shot over his head from one corner. The Colts were also forcing numerous corners and sent some long range shots wide. On the balance of play this was a deserved win for the Colts against a well organised side and evidence of further progress by the team.             
 

The heavy overnight frost left parts of the main pitch unplayable so the game had to be switched to the smaller pitch which proved to be a massive advantage to a very tall and powerful Molesey unit. The Terrors started the game brightly on very difficult underfoot conditions and took an early lead through JJ, who after beating his man on the edge of the penalty area produced a calm finish. The lead did not last long as within minutes Molesey won a corner on the left hand side and the resulting delivery ricocheted past the unlucky Bryan in goal off an unsuspecting Molesey player. The Terrors responded well and were working hard to get their passing game going. They took the lead again within minutes of conceding when after good battling by Casey in midfield JJ saw his initial effort blocked only to swivel onto the rebound with his left foot to force the ball home. Again Molesey responded quickly and equalized swiftly to leave the game finely balanced. For whatever reason, Tooting completely switched off during the next five minutes and a combination of poor tackling and sloppy marking gifted our opponents two further goals and left ourselves a mountain to climb in the second half. Kicking into a strong sun, the Terrors attempts to play their passing game were being constantly thwarted by very physical yet fair challenges by Molesey. The next goal was always going to prove decisive and unfortunately Molesey scored it with a soft goal when, once again, we failed to make a tackle in our own penalty area and left the opposition with a simple goal scoring opportunity. As we pushed forward to try and get a goal to put us back in the match, Molesey were attacking on the break and Bryan excelled again with some excellent handling and super saves. We let ourselves down again five minutes from time when once again we failed to win a defensive tackle leaving the opposition forward with a close range tap in. The game brought to an end our recent unbeaten run as Molesey ran out convincing winners. It also taught our boys that when they are playing against opponents who are physically bigger and therefore stronger, they have to raise their game physically to allow them to impose their style of play on the match.

Team: Bryan, Michael, Harry, Ben, Casey, James, JJ,

Man of the Match – Casey

Colin            
 

Two goals from set-pieces cost the Colts as they went down against Samba. It was another fighting performance from the boys but the stubborn Samba defence restricted their chances. The visitors started the match brightly, breaking well down the left and forcing the alert Hogan to rush from his goal to kick the ball clear. Rondeau had the Colts first opportunity, latching on to a nice pass from Clark but his shot was smothered by the Samba keeper. The Colts then found themselves one down as Samba worked a near-post corner and smashed the ball home, giving Hogan no chance. Thornton tried to get the Colts back into it with a long-range drive that flew just wide before Power scored a superb equaliser. He took the ball from inside his own half, drifted past two defenders and slotted past the keeper with a cool finish. The Colts finished the half strongly - Williams’s snapshot was well saved, Bouchez’s volley was tipped over and Creegan’s cross was blocked on the line. At the other end, Abassi made a superb covering tackle inside the box, sliding in to knock the ball clear just as the Samba striker was set to shoot. Samba started the second half strongly and could have gone ahead but Hogan, Thornton and Williams somehow managed to block three or four shots and scramble the ball clear. But the visitors scored their winning goal from a long throw-in, ramming home the loose ball from close range. Clark had two excellent chances to grab an equaliser and Rondeau’s shot was well saved after he had been put through by Churchman but Samba held on to take the points.

Coach: Mick Thornton

Manager: Mike Churchman

Squad: Hogan, Thornton, Abbasi, Bouchez, Power (1), Kearley, Churchman, Creegan, Rondeau, Williams, Clark.            
 

T&M lined up with Tom in goal, Chin and Ben in defence, Luke Henderson, Bradley and Tommy across the midfield and Reece up front. From the start, the Colts looked to have the edge over the opposition. Chin was tackling well and making good passes forward. Bradley and Luke covered in front of Ben. As the game progressed, the Colts settled into a phase of dominating the possession. Tommy and Bradley were making their passes count as they worked the ball forward and supported Reece. Luke began to win the contest on his wing and T&M were creating numerous chances. Kew Park Rangers did counter attack on occasions having a good player on the left and a strong, skilful centre forward who had a rising shot on target which brought a good save from Tom. Bradley was tackling tenaciously and Luke and Tommy were sweeping up for Ben and Chin on the right and left, respectively. Tommy took a knock and was replaced by Louis. T&M built up more pressure with fluid passing, either forward to Reece, who held the ball up well, or across the pitch with Bradley as central midfielder constantly involved. This led to Reece having two good chances and finally the first two goals came from Louis. The opposition then rallied and forced a number of corners and then scored through a fine individual goal from their frontman. Luke was replaced by Charlie just before the interval. The game was ended as a contest early in the second half with Charlie using his strength and speed on the right, in both defence and attack, and scoring twice. Owen replaced Reece up front and turned one of Louis’ crosses into the net with his left foot. Kew had a number of chances and Tom made some more good saves and was kicking well from his hands. There was now a good platform for an almost continuous flow of attacks with Chin and Ben focussed and Bradley always close to the play to defend or start an attack. Charlie and Louis were domination both wings and Ben also made some forward runs in search of another goal, with reliable Bradley covering for him. Louis then completed his hat-trick, after a long run up the pitch, having beaten three players. The last two well-taken goals came within a minute of each other from Owen, who had scored three in under 20 minutes. Tommy replaced Ben, who was tired, for the final minutes. This was a deserved comfortable win, with good finishing. The Colts played as a unit with each player growing into their own particular roles in the team. The teamwork was marked by unselfish support play and covering and good movement and distribution of the ball. It was great to watch.

Well done!

Squad: Tom, Chin, Ben, Luke Henderson, Bradley, Tommy, Reece, Louis, Charlie, Owen.

Coach: Andy Chute

Report by Kieran Brickley            
 

This game was a superb advert for Surrey Youth football and a draw was a fair reflection of the respective abilities and effort put into the match by the two teams. Tooting started the game the stronger of the two teams, being anxious to put on a good performance following a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of today’s opponents earlier in the season. With James’s running drawing the Kingstonian defence out of position regularly, it was no surprise when good interplay between him and Casey led to a cut back for birthday boy JJ whose sharp angled drive flew into the top corner of the net. Kingstonian responded well and continued to play good passing football which was a feature of the match. However, with Casey working overtime in midfield to provide defensive cover alongside Harry and Michael, chances were few and far between. After 15 minutes, debut boy Ben was replaced by Cameron as the Terrors looked to increase their advantage, and despite having the better of the first half possession, failed to create any clear cut openings. As in recent weeks, we failed to impose ourselves on the game at the start of the second half and put ourselves under immediate pressure with some sloppy passing straight from the kick-off. Our failure to win the second ball challenges in midfield kept us on the back foot where, despite solid performances from Michael and Harry, Bryan was being forced into action more times than was comfortable. We still threatened on the break and Casey was unlucky when his goal bound effort was deflected over the Kingstonian goalkeeper only for a back pedaling defender to calmly head away for a corner. Kingstonian equalised midway through the half, when we again surrendered possession cheaply, this time from our own goal kick, and from the ensuing counter attack Kingstonian found themselves with the extra man and deservedly drew level. As both teams tired due to the furious pace of the game, our opponents raised their game and only an excellent save by Bryan moving backwards prevented a goal. Not to be outdone, James had a marvelous run along the touchline and his clever cross along the face of goal only needed a touch but the support was too late in arriving. As we approached the last five minutes of the game, the Terrors were noticeably nervous as recent games have found us conceding crucial goals that have cost us wins. Despite conceding two dangerous free kicks around our penalty area, a mixture of good fortune and gritty defending ensured a fair result for another good team performance.

Team: Bryan, Michael, Harry, Ben, Casey, James, JJ, Cameron

Man of the Match – James

Colin           
 

The Colts can take heart from their performance on Sunday despite going down 4-1 against AC Fulham. For long periods of the match, the Colts more than matched the league leaders in terms of skill, while the boys also showed a first-class attitude by battling hard until the final whistle. On a blustery day, the Colts were kicking with the wind in the first half and carved out a number of excellent early opportunities. Thornton and Power were solid at the back, making some crunching tackles and always looking to begin moves with precise passes forward. Churchman also looked likely to unlock the Fulham defence until illness forced him off. Kearley came on and immediately turned well inside the box but his well-struck shot was tipped over. Creegan was working hard down the right, while Rondeau was producing some excellent runs. After one jinking move into the box, he set up Bouchez who shot narrowly wide. With the conditions in their favour, it was all Stripes, and Thornton got forward to unleash a long-range shot which the keeper did well to hold. Fulham came out strongly in the second half, and Hogan was happy to see a fierce drive come crashing back off the bar. The home side took the lead from a corner which the Stripes failed to clear, allowing a simple tap-in. And Fulham went 2-0 ahead when a shot was deflected, leaving the unfortunate Hogan wrong-footed. But the Stripes refused to lie down and produced some of their best passages of play. They got what they deserved through Bouchez, who capped a fine performance with goal, firing home from inside the box after Rondeau’s decisive run and pass. Williams and Clark came on during the second half, showing good skill and strength, and they both might have scored as the Colts searched for an equaliser. But it was Fulham who kept their nerve, adding two late goals for a final score-line that flattered them.

Coach: Mick Thornton

Manager: Mike Churchman

Squad: Hogan, Thornton, Abbasi, Bouchez (1), Power, Kearley, Churchman, Creegan, Rondeau, Williams, Clark.           
 

TM started brightly obtaining much of the possession in spite of playing against the wind and uphill. The first ten minutes went well with 2 or 3 shots on goal from Reece and Luke. Fulham started to pass the ball well and looked quick on the break, and against the run of play one breakaway resulted in a goal. This was followed with a similar goal which resulted in TM being 0-2 down. We carried on playing with much of the possession and from a free kick 5 metres outside the box chin stuck a hard ball towards goal which the keeper fumbled into the net. Result 2-1 at halftime. We turned round hoping that we could take advantage of the wind and the hill. Once again in the opening five minutes TM had much possession with shots going close from all the forwards. TM then started to look disjointed and on a very cold day started to look disinterested. This resulted in the team being opened up by Fulham’s quick passing and movement. Sure enough Fulham scored two breakaway goals which gave Tom in goal no chance. The score was now 4-1 and although not a fair reflection of the game as a whole was the result of TM’s ragged second half performance. Credit must be given to Fulham’s performance as all their goals were taken well. All agreed TM could play much better and did not look like the steadily improving team we have been watching since last September. In spite of the general performance Bradley, Luke and Reece played well and the team as a whole should have got a better result against a team we beat easily earlier in the season.

Squad: Tom, Bradley, Chin, Charlie, Luke, Tommy, Owen, Reshaun, Reece.

Coach; Andy Chute

Report by John Highwood          
 

A harsh penalty awarded against The Terrors four minutes from the end of a keenly fought contest deprived Tooting of their first win of 2008. The game had started brightly for us kicking down the slope. The shoot on site policy kept Casuals on the back foot and their goalkeeper soon distinguished himself with some good handling. With five minutes played, Casey’s corner on the left was flicked on at the near post by Harry and JJ was on hand to drill home his first goal for three months. The early goal lifted the boys and some good interplay between James, Casey and Cameron presented JJ with another good opportunity which he just failed to convert. On the rare occasions that Corinthians did counter attack, they found Bryan in commanding form – his calling and positional play settling the defence admirably. After 17 minutes play, JJ picked the ball up around the half way line and sensing time and space moved the ball forward before letting fly from distance and crashing the ball home off the underside of the bar. The goal settled the boys and they were now passing the ball well without producing a third goal that would surely have killed off the opposition. Predictably, the second half was a mirror image of the first, this time with Casuals having the advantage of the slope and enjoying the lion’s share of possession. The Terrors were unable to keep possession for a sustained period of time and Bryan was working overtime to maintain our advantage. Inevitably, the pressure exerted by the Casuals attacking play led to a breakthrough midway through the half. From a corner, Bryan made a superb block at his far post and then followed up to save to rebound only for the ball to balloon up into the air towards Michael who inexplicably handled. Casuals buried the resulting penalty and were right back in the game. To their credit, Tooting rallied and had a good spell of possession creating a one on one for JJ which was lost when his first touch let him down, and good shooting opportunities for Cameron and Casey. Our failure to convert any of these chances left us under pressure and Michael redeemed his earlier error for the penalty with a timely goal-line clearance with Bryan beaten. Casuals were throwing everything at us in the last five minutes of the match and there seemed little danger when a Casuals attack broke down on the edge of our penalty area with a mis-placed pass. However, instead of letting the ball run out of play for our throw, we lost possession and the hard working James found himself in his own penalty area defending the threat. Having got between his opponent and the ball he was fouled and stumbled on top of him leading the referee to mistakenly award a penalty, which was duly converted. On balance of play, and chances created, a draw probably was a fair result. However, having prevented the opposition from scoring in open play, the boys probably felt that they deserved a win and I wouldn’t disagree.

Team: Bryan, Michael, Harry, Cameron, Casey, James, JJ.

Man of the Match – Bryan

Colin