Tooting and Mitcham United 2 Abbey Rangers 2 – 17 February 2026 Report

Match Report

Tooting & Mitcham got out of jail somewhat against our fellow play-off hopefuls, as two goals from Jordy Ndozid secured us a point when it looked as if our visitors were going to bag all three.

Had they managed to hold out for a revenge win (we edged them out 2-1 at their place, back in October), Abbey Rangers would have leapfrogged us to second in the table, so this was definitely a point gained rather than two lost, as if we can take four points from most of the teams around us, it should be enough to see us over the line come early April.

Away form is holding up well at the moment for the Terrors, with the reverse at Champions-elect Cobham being the only defeat on our travels, from fourteen outings (fingers crossed we’ve made that one from fifteen at Tadley Calleva last Tuesday…)  Thats just as well, because the nerves are starting to fray on our own Imperial Fields turf.

This was our third consecutive home league match without a win – but as with Chipstead last time out, it felt like something rescued out of the fire as a second-half Terrors onslaught salvaged something.

Early on, it was all Abbey, as the confident visitors out-thought, out-fought and out-played their tentative hosts. After a cagey opening, the visitors stepped up the pace, and just fifteen minutes in Jordan Sarfo tapped in from Danilo Cadete’s cross to put them in front.

When the same player netted his second twenty minutes later, following an impressive passing move that left the Tooting defence looking like statues, it seemed another home defeat was on the cards – and it showed on the players’ faces as they trooped off dejectedly at the half-time whistle.

But manager Jamie Byatt is really earning his money with his half-time team-talks at the moment, and he managed to send his troops out with a spring in their step in the second period.

The hesitancy was gone, replaced by a sense of purpose, and the hosts pushed their visitors back consistently for the first time on the night.

Ten minutes in, the deficit was halved. Jordy Ndozid had only scored once for the Terrors befors tonight, back at Thatcham in October. On that occasion Tooting had turned a 0-2 scoreline into a 3-2 win – was that an omen as Jordy glanced home a near-post header to bring us back into things?

It might well have been – and looked even more so sixteen minutes later when the same player fired home his second to bring us back on level terms.

We had the better of the closing stages, but couldn’t find a winning goal; however, we’d have settled for a point at half-time I’m sure, and every point counts now as the run-in begins to intensify…

Team Lineup