Tooting 0 Three Bridges 2: Bridges win at Tooting

Both sides could have scored in the first couple of minutes of a game that turned feisty as Tooting became frustrated with the referee's decisions and their own weaknesses in the final third of the pitch.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Nov 2015, 13:30 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 05:58 BST
Three Bridges FC 28-7-14 (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-140729-104034002Three Bridges FC 28-7-14 (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-140729-104034002
Three Bridges FC 28-7-14 (Pic by Jon Rigby) SUS-140729-104034002

A good head down by Callum Donaghey fell to Sammy MacVicar, but he couldn’t quite swivel enough to get a telling touch, and a swift counter-attack by the hosts ended with Colm McAdden making a good block and Drew Cooney then clearing the follow up off the line.

Bridges took a 12th minute lead when a long ball found MacVicar wide on the left, and he shuffled inside before unleashing a tremendous shot that beat keeper Matt Pierson all ends up.

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McAdden, on loan from Crystal Palace while Kieran Thorp serves a three-match ban, then made a good save from Gareth Chendlik.

But he was grateful to see Chace O’Neill’s free-kick spin off a post before the 17-year-old keeper blocked the follow up and then MacVicar hooked the ball clear.

For the second match in succession, Donaghey pulled up with a hamstring problem, but in added time of the first half Matt Whitehead fired only just over from all of 30 yards following a poor clearance by Pierson.

Within four minutes of the restart Bridges doubled their lead when MacVicar threaded the ball through to Dan Mobsby, who took advantage of slack marking to steady himself before firing past Pierson.

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It was now that the game became at times fraught and Bridges had to survive a strong penalty appeal as the crowd became restless, a feeling that soon spread to the home players and management team.

They were furious at a perceived touch of retaliation by Whitehead, but Tooting manager Frank Wilson was then lectured by the referee for running out of his technical area to remonstrate with the assistant referee, who either hadn’t seen the incident or decided that it wasn’t worthy of attention.

With just one minute remaining, Sol Pinnock’s free-kick looked goalbound until McAdden made an excellent low save to push the ball away for a corner, and three welcome points were in the bag.

Bridges: C.McAdden; D.Cooney; M.Daniel; D.Mobsby; C.Donaghey (N.Brake 31); J.Crellin; M.Pulling; S.Sargent; S.Otosu (B.Godfrey 46); M.Whitehead; S.MacVicar (O.Barry 76)

Unused subs: T.Garrod; A.Jones

Attendance: 167

Aerotron Man of the Match: Jamie Crellin

Related topics:Three Bridges