Enfield Too Strong For Sub-Par Tooting
- Official TMUFC
- Aug 27, 2017
- 2 min read
Tooting paid the price on Saturday afternoon for costly errors and their inability to complete simple passes.
The home side started in a positive manner and looked to take the game to their opponents through the brand of passing football they have become known for. However it was Kyle Merson who was the busier of the two ‘keepers in the first half because too often Tooting found themselves back peddling after giving up possession through individual errors and inability to execute simple passes.
Tooting’s only real effort on goal in the opening 45 minutes came just before the half hour mark when Sandy Cunningham found himself completely unmarked on the edge of the six yard box but was only able to direct his headed effort from a Mike Dixon cross, skyward, and sailing over the top of the cross bar. Enfield took the lead on 37 minutes after Tooting gave away a free kick out wide, two thirds of the way inside their own half. The ball was floated in towards the far post where it was met by the head of Rob Hylton-Barry who guided it past Kyle Merson to put the visitors one up.
The Terrors uphill task became even harder just three minutes into the second half. Peter Wedgeworth went up for a header in what looked like a fairly innocuous challenge but to most people’s surprise, he was adjudged by the referee to have put his elbow into the face of his opponent and immediately received his marching orders.
As has often been the case in the past, once reduced to ten men, Tooting began to rally and appeared to enjoy the extra space that had inadvertently been created. For the next 10 minutes, Tooting enjoyed their best spell of the game and it was now Joe Wright who was the busier of the two ‘keepers. However Tooting’s fate was finally sealed on 68 minutes when a kick from Kyle Merson went directly to Ryan Blake midway inside the Terrors half. He ran with the ball back towards Merson before rounding him on the edge of the six yard box and sliding the ball home to put Enfield two up. From this point, Enfield Town were never going to let the game slip and two further goals, from Drew Roberts on 72 minutes and Simon Thomas on 76, consigned the Terrors to their second defeat of the season.
Photo credit: Sam Conquest