Match Report
Ryman League: Division One South
 Horsham YMCA 0 |
 Tooting & Mitcham 3M.Ottley (og) 29 Vines 35 Gibbs 72 |
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Source: Patrick Corlett, West Sussex County Times |
A HALLOWEEN horror show was endured by Horsham YMCA on Tuesday evening as they lost 3-0 at home to Tooting & Mitcham United.
The Terrors were not the same side that just missed out on promotion last season but still eased to a comfortable victory over a below par YM.
Former Hornet, Matt Ottley, had a nightmare as he beat his own keeper, Dean Ruddy, with a clinical finish for the opener and was easily done for the third goal as well.
Manager John Suter commented: "It was a disappointing performance.
"We gave goals away and it was a thoroughly inept first half performance.
"At each end of the field we were not very effective - it wasn't a very good day."
The hosts adopted the sweeper system that worked so well at Croydon Athletic on Saturday and it kept Tooting at bay for 25 minutes as the opening period of play didn't see much goalmouth action.
YM got into decent positions on a couple of occasions but crosses were cut out by the keeper or not finding their targets.
The visitors produced very little in the attacking third as well, apart from when the lively and unpredictable Carl Gibbs was on the ball.
He fired a half chance over the bar just after a quarter of an hour.
The deadlock was broken in farcical fashion in the 29th minute when an innocuous cross came in from the left and Ottley buried it in the bottom corner under little pressure.
The subdued Matt Russell -who had little to feed off - did well to retrieve the ball for Scott Kirkwood who sliced his shot wide.
Between them Glen Woodburn and Nick Levett failed to clear their lines and were punished to the full in the 35th minute.
Vernon Francis dinked the ball through to Gibbs who lofted it straight into Paul Vines' path and he had the simple task of heading home.
Suddenly Tooting were 2-0 up and they had only hit the target once.
The visitors wasted a couple of chances to kill YM off before the break when Vines volleyed just past the upright from a half cleared free-kick and then Francis glanced a header wide.
The introduction of Richard Greenfield and Steve Davis breathed life into the game but before they threatened, Ruddy did excellently to keep the hosts in it.
Gibbs jinked past the solid Tom White and teed up Vines but the keeper saved well from point blank range.
Greenfield made an impact when he turned his man on the edge of the box and found Kirkwood whose shot bounced just in front of Dave King but the keeper was able to claim it at the second attempt - YM's first shot on target in the 57th minute.
The striker then skipped past a defender before unleashing a shot down the throat of King with James Grant in space out wide but at least they were having a go.
Matt Ottley fiercely drilled a free-kick wide but Gibbs got the goal his performance deserved to seal it.
The striker beat Matt Ottley all ends up having latched on to a long ball and coolly tucked it past the advancing Ruddy.
Substitute Andy Ottley's diagonal ball was aimed towards Davis and the referee, Carl Brook, adjudged that he was impeded and awarded a penalty.
Dean Garden - normally impeccable from the spot -saw his firm effort pushed over the bar by King as the church bells tolled, ending YM's poor night on a bad note.
"I think the penalty was indicative of our evening, it wasn't a good one - too close to the keeper," said the boss.
"When the subs came on we generally looked brighter, played in their half and had more desire."
Man of the Match: Tom White - a fairly solid display, the best of a bad bunch.
Magic moment: The first time YM troubled the keeper as Richard Greenfield's skill set up Scott Kirkwood.
YM (5-3-2): Ruddy; Garden, Woodburn, White, M Ottley, Levett; Grant (A Ottley 65), Hooper, Kirkwood; Russell (Greenfield 54), Massaro (Davies 54).