VCD Athletic 2-2 Tooting & Mitcham United - Smith pleased with his attacking options

The Terrors, who crushed Cray Wanderers’ promotion dream in the Ryman League Division One South play-off final last season, should have came away from Crayford with a comfortable victory.

They completely dominated the first half, but after missing an early penalty, and finding Vickers’ goalkeeper Michael Holder in fine form, they finally found the target through the striker that broke the Wands’ hearts in May, Paul Vines.

But VCD Athletic bounced back during the second half and levelled through defender Gary Cook but they fell behind when Dave Stevens found the net but Richard Sinden quickly levelled proceedings for the Kent League hosts.

Holder made his first save when he prevented Darren Annon’s long-range shot from finding the top near corner, and he denied the same player from similar range later in the half.

And the former Greenwich Borough goalkeeper made a comfortable low save at the second attempt after 12 minutes, preventing Terrors’ skipper Allan McLeod from scoring from a right-footed penalty that slid straight down the middle.

Midfield playmaker McLeod delivered two crosses that gave Paul Vines a sight at goal, but on each occasion Holder was equal to his efforts.

But Holder was finally beaten by Vines in the 38^th minute when McLeod looped in another cross, which was met by a downward header, which beat Holder at his near post.

Vickers’ only chance of note arrived just before half-time when Simon Austin, a summer arrival from Ryman Premier League side Horsham, rolled a shot just past the post.

Tooting & Mitcham United made five changes at the break and reverted back to a 4-4-2 formation from the 3-5-2 that kept Vickers at bay during a one-sided opening 45 minutes.

This freed up more space and Leroy Huggins’ sent a shot from an acute angle onto the roof of the net as Kevin Spriggs was ghosting in towards the goal-line at the far-post.

The visitors created three more openings before VCD Athletic levelled proceedings after 58 minutes.

Kevin Winchcombe cut a corner back to Chris Hubbard and the substitute drilled an angled shot which agonisingly bounced off the foot of the near post.

Tooting were punished as Cook, who had earlier given away the penalty, rifled the ball past goalkeeper Dave King, who had just pulled off his first save of the game.

The equaliser was against the run of play and Tooting should have regained the lead after 68 minutes but substitute Daniel Nwanze turned over Craig Peterson’s free-kick - and Vernon Francis later cracked a right-footed 35-yarder past the far post.

Tooting & Mitcham took the lead, however, with seventeen minutes remaining, courtesy of a much slimmer, Dave Stevens.

The striker finished off a move, which involved a far-post cross from Peterson and a knock down from Paul Vines.

But VCD Athletic, a side that have finished as Kent League runners-up for the past two seasons, immediately hit back, courtesy of a clinical strike from Sinden.

Sinden latched onto Sprrigs‘ defensive splitting pass down the middle and the striker clinically drilled the shot past King into the bottom left-hand corner.

There was concern for Vickers’ summer signing Nick Hegley, when the former Maidstone United left-winger was carried off by Holder and goalkeeping coach Lee Haywood with an ankle injury.

And a diving Holder was relieved to see a well-struck Stevens effort drift past the near post late on.

But Tooting & Mitcham United’s joint-manager Billy Smith was pleased with the performance from his side and admits he faces some tough decisions ahead.

“The results don’t really matter to me but first half we were doing really well,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“We played a different formation, which we did Saturday as well. We played with three at the back and five in midfield and I thought we looked a lot better.

“In the second half we went to four at the back and that and I thought we left too many holes so I’ve made up my mind. From the season I’m going to start playing three at the back and five in midfield.

“I’ve still got Frenchman Roumald Bouadji to come back in. Looking at what I’ve seen, it won’t be that different.

“Maybe my starting eleven will be near enough how we started today but I’ve got two other forwards, Jon Henry-Haden, who was our leading scorer last year, he’s in Canada, and I’ve got Ben Abbey, whose a prolific goalscorer, so I’m ok there.

“I’ve got a central midfield player, who played for me last year, another Frenchman, came from Barnet, Guy Lopex-Dacruz, he’s a good player.

“I’ve got a lot of trialists as well. I mean, the boy who came on down the wing second half, Craig Peterson, he can play. He’s come on trial, from Chipstead.”

Smith admits he doesn’t fear any of the sides that he will be coming across in the Ryman Premier League this term.

“Personally you want to go and win every game,” he said. “Whether we will or not, I don’t know!

“It don’t scare me, the Ryman Premier. I’ve managed higher than that but they’re not a bad lot of lads.

“When I get my first 12,13,14 decent players, we’ll give anybody a game.

“We’ve got Boreham Wood (as) our first game and then Billericay away. They’re all hard games but I’d rather play those games to be honest.

“Games like today, as much as we had a lot of the play, in the end we started doing things we shouldn’t have been doing in proper games, sodding about at the back like that, with the goals we gave away.

So a midtable finish then? “Hopefully yes,” replied Smith. “Hopefully we will and if we do that I think that’s been a good season for us because it’s not a big budget club.”

Smith, meanwhile, is pleased with the attitude of striker Dave Stevens, who scored tonight.

He said: “Dave’s played for me before and he’s looking a lot fitter now. Last year he had put a bit of weight on but he’s put it off now - he’s a goalscorer.”

And he’s pleased with the four-man strike force that he has at his disposal this season.

“I’ve got Paul Vines, Ben Abbey and I’ve got Jon-Henry Haden and they can all score goals,” he boasted.

“Last year we were leading goalscorer in our division. We scored more than (champions) Dover and we had the second lowest goals against after Dover, so we can score goals.

“I’d rather be boring and win games but I’m trying to get them playing and we’ve got some good young players here but I’ve got too many, that’s the thing.

“We’ve only got a budget, I can carry 18 players so I’ve got 24 so six have got to go at the end of this week.

“It’s very hard because they all want to do well. They’ve trained with us all pre-season but I want to give them enough time. I don’t want to go to the last friendly and say I’m sorry and they have to go looking (for another club).

“I’m trying to be fair. I’d rather let them know early so they can get themselves fixed up.”

VCD Athletic: Michael Holder, Chris Whitehouse (Darren Thomson 55), Kevin Winchcombe (Harry Gibb 85), Stephen Hogg, Gary Cook, David Hunt (Casey Scotter 50), Kevin Spriggs, Simon Austin (Chris Hubbard 55), Leroy Huggins (Dave Hassett 88), Richard Sinden, Nick Hegley (Warren Carter 81).

Goals: Gary Cook 58, Richard Sinden 74

Tooting & Mitcham United: Dave King, Dean Hamlin, Darren Annon (Michael Cullen 45), Carl Hutchings (Vernon Francis 45), Joe Vines, Aaron Goode (Carl Hutchings 75), Allan McCleod (Ronnie Green 45), Jason Pinnock (Daniel Nwanzie 45), Paul Vines, Dave Stevens, Kunle Olusesi (Craig Peterson 45).

Goals: Paul Vines 38, Dave Stevens 73

Attendance: 71
Referee: Mr Ian Fissenden (Rochester)
Assistants: Mr Tom Preston (Rochester) & Mr Luke Challinger