Tooting and Mitcham United 1 Sutton Common Rovers 4 – 13 September 2025 Report

Match Report

Optimism was high as Tooting & Mitcham entertained Sutton Common Rovers in a top-of-the-table clash in midSeptember, yet – proving once again that it’s the hope that kills you – the Terrors fell to a chastening defeat against our local rivals, who ascended to the top of the table (if only briefly) after a convincing win at Imperial Fields on a bright, sunny afternoon.

The damage was done early in this one, as two goals inside the first ten minutes gave the visitors the sort of start they’d no doubt dreamt of; with just six minutes on the clock, a corner swung in was initially dealt well with by Toby McKimm, but he was unable to prevent the rebound falling to the hovering Joshua Rodrigues, and the Rovers man gleefully finished from close-range.

Two minutes later, with Tooting looking ragged and unable to regroup, Zachary Jakubowski played a lovely through ball to Courtney Swaby, thundering down the left-hand side of the pitch, and the latter seamlessly took the ball in his stride before rifling his shot into the top left corner, with Toby helpless to do anything about it due to the power and accuracy of the shot. At this stage, a hammering looked potentially on the cards.

It didn’t quite come to that – in fact, Tooting managed to sort themselves out somewhat, and finally got some cohesion into their football, pushing the visitors back at times. But the damage had been done, and SCR were content to soak up the pressure knowing they had the comfort of a two-goal lead, and wait for openings on the break. We were unable to fashion any meaningful chances in the remainder of the half, and SCR departed for the half-time break with their two-goal lead intact.

Skipper Antonio Simeone’s ongoing injury troubles had flared up again, meaning he’d been replaced (positionally, and as captain) by Andy O’Brien just before the break, but manager Jamie Byatt resisted the urge to make wholesale changes during the interval, sticking with the same eleven who had finished the first forty-five minutes. This patience provided dividends just past the hour, when a ball into the Sutton penalty area was innefectively dealt with, and Nathan Mampono seized on the opportunity to wrap his foot around it and pull the Terrors back into the contest with a well-taken finish past the helpless Emmanuel Olajide.

Perhaps we should have been a little more circumspect, with half an hour still to play, and taken the time to regroup, but our attempts to capitalise on the momentum were thwarted almost immediately when some intricate passing from the visitors saw substitute Stuart Mortimer clear of the back-line of defence; his initial shot was well saved by Toby, but the rebound fell perfectly for the SCR man to stoop a little and head home to restore the visitor’s two-goal cushion.

It was really game-over from that point; Sutton were comfortable with their advantage and looked unlikely to capitulate in the time that remained. The Terrors kept plugging away, but with eight minutes to go, another sub – Isaac Kamin – was put through on goal, and he rounded the stranded Toby McKimm before slotting home number four. Our misery was well and truly complete.

Team Lineup