Harefield United 2 Tooting and Mitcham United 2 (6-5 on penalties) – 25 November 2025 Report

Match Report

The Terrors were hit by two sucker-punches to exit the League Cup on a chilly night in north-west London, after a stoppage-time equaliser was compounded by shootout defeat in our first ever competitive meeting with Harefield United. Our hosts were lower-mid table in the Combined Counties Premier (north), but in good heart coming into this one after a 9-1 away win at Amersham Town three days prior to this cup-tie.

But it was the visitors who settled the quicker, dominating the first-half to depart for the interval two goals to the good, and seemingly heading for a comfortable passage into round 4. It didn’t take long for Tooting to edge in front, Ash Sheppard’s third minute corner was met well at the far post by skipper Antonio Simeone whose low shot was calmly threaded through a mass of bodies, only to be cleared off the line by Austen Edwards. The reprieve was short-lived for the home side though, as the ball fell kindly for Habeeb Adepoju who pounced on it and rifled home.

Tooting continued to dominate possession, the only chance of any note for the Hares in the first period was a glancing header from Edwards, who met an inswinging corner well, but could only guide the ball wide of the far post.
Chances for the visitors were more plentiful, a firm shot from Darral Wopara was deflected over the crossbar, and Ash tried his luck from distance with a looping volley which dropped just over as well. A typical surge down the left by Taz Mahmoud was climaxed with a dangerous cross which was met superbly on the volley by Freddie Jones; the severity of the shot took home keeper Jacob Ballheimer by surprise, but he just about managed to beat it away.

The home side did finally threaten as the half wound down, a cross-shot from the right flank might have dropped in, but bounced off the top of the bar – Toby McKimm back-pedalling furiously probably had it covered in any case, and the Tooting stopper then managed to get his fingertips to a low shot from Sam Wood after a lovely through ball. It rebounded back to Wood whose second effort was repelled from the goal-line by Habeeb, proving his effectiveness at both ends.
But it was deservedly 2-0 at the break; another Tooting attack was only half-repelled by the hosts, with Edwards failing to fully clear, and Geovanni Johnson was on it in a flash, threading the ball through nicely for Sean-Michel Anderson to slot home his first goal at senior level, rubber-stamping control of a dominant first period for the Terrors.

The final score suggested the second half was in complete contrast to the first, but it wasn’t really the case. Tooting continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession, and created the better chances – perhaps the only thing that was blunted from the first period was the Terrors’ cutting-edge.

However, we looked in little danger of letting things slip, until a dubious penalty award just before the hour. A scramble for a loose ball in the box ended with Matias Bojanov being adjudged to have up-ended Steven Green. I am compiling this match report from Harefield’s YouTube channel, so have had the benefit of several viewings, and I can confidently state there was little or no contact at all. I’m not in favour of VAR, but if it were in use here, I have no doubt the penalty decision would have been rescinded; however, the referee didn’t have the benefit of a second look, and we have to accept he saw what he saw. Louis Bircham sent Toby the wrong way, and the Hares were back in a tie that had hitherto looked beyond them.

Still, we seemed to have ridden the storm as the game entered injury-time, but a dangerous free-kick from substitute Jason Evans was touched on by Bircham, and bundled home by another sub, Montel Brown, to set up some shootout drama. The Hares were the first to miss, but we couldn’t take advantage as Habeeb and Toby both failed with their kicks, and we were out.

Team Lineup