September ended with two of the best performances of Tooting & Mitcham United for several seasons.

We were up against Bishops Stortford in the FA Cup and put up a tremendous rearguard action to gain a 0-0 draw against a side that are two divisions above us. This earned us a replay at KNK Stadium which saw us go a goal down early on. But the team, including reserve goalkeeper Harvey Cheadle, rallied and ran out 3-1 winners with goals from Howard Newton, Dan Summers and Sol Pinnock. It was a fantastic night for all associated with the club, and great credit must go the players and management.

We were drawn away in the next round to East Thurrock United who are one division above us, but despite another good effort, we were beaten 2-1 to end our hopes of a big game against a league club. This defeat actually formed part of a little run of four straight defeats which also saw us exit the FA Trophy and the League Cup. A testing time for the manager, Craig Tanner, but he managed to stop the rot with two consecutive victories – 5-2 against Guernsey and 2-0 against Sittingbourne.

This was partly due to a couple of new signings. Striker Frankie Sawyer has rejoined us after departing last season, and we also welcome Lewis Gonsalves, a very experienced central defender who has played with Sutton United and Dulwich Hamlet.

This has left us in the top half of the table, very much in touching distance of the playoff positions. A good little run of results would see us get into the top 5, which would have been the main target at the start of the season.

Upcoming home fixtures:

• Chipstead on Tuesday 4th November at 7:45pm
• East Grinstead Town on Saturday 8th November at 3pm
• Hythe Town on Tuesday 11th November at 7:45pm

Come along – the 280 bus stops just outside the ground!