Pre Pre Season

So COVID 19 is going to change a lot about football. For starters, the upcoming season is going to begin later than we are used to in the Non League. It looks like the first teams earliest fixture will be on September 12th, nearly a whole month later than the start date of last year’s campaign.

Preseason schedules usually revolve a six week timetable. With the opening fixtures date still not 100% confirmed, it has been a challenge for our management team to know when to start the process for preparing our sides for their respective campaigns. With the announcement of a potential FA qualifier likely to take place in mid September, Tooting & Mitcham United’s Preseason proper started this week just passed.

What to call the holding pattern that our players have been operating in for the last few weeks? Well I am going to suggest the rather clunky moniker Pre Preseason. A period of time that has encompassed a number of trials, a plethora of ‘signings’ and some socially distanced training sessions.

At the end of June, the club hosted its first trial aimed at local players interested in playing in the First Team. After three socially distanced trials, all based around technical practices, the management invited a select few back for a final round, before a handful of players got the invitation to attend the side’s first training session. Rinse and repeat for the players interested in trying out for the Under 23s.

Some might find it hard to understand why a club of Tooting & Mitcham’s stature would need to host trials. Surely a club with the fanbase, facilities and the track record of producing players could rely on its extensive network to recruit new players rather than hosting weeks of open trials? Well, the answer to this question is that yes, of course, the management does rely on its reputation within Non League to attract players to pull on the sacred Black and White. What differentiates the club and management from others at our level, however, is the desire to find the players that exist outside of the Non League echo chamber and off the radar of even the most keen-eyed football fan.

First Team joint managers Ashley Bosah and Cornelius Nwadialor take pride in hosting trials every season, with both coaches committed to unearthing hidden gems. The club’s track record speaks for itself when it comes to finding players at these open trials. Lexus Beeden and Abraham Odoh both came into contact with Ashley and Cornelius via a trial session. Both players progressed through Tooting & Mitcham’s development structure before signing for professional academies, Lex at Reading FC and Abraham at Charlton Athletic. Ahkeem Belford, who made a very positive impact in his first season in first team football last year, made himself known to the club’s coaching staff at a trial. Ahkeem followed in Lex and Abraham’s footsteps through the development squad, winning the Isthmian Under 23s league and breaking into the First Team. 

Of the new signings that have recently been announced by the club, one player stands out as another who could demonstrate the value of hosting trials at our level. Mark Waters impressed the coaching and management team in the trial dates he attended and has been rewarded with the opportunity to sign registration papers for the club and participate in the clubs pre-season schedule. Mark was playing for Edinburgh University last season, as well as representing Scotland in the University Home Nation competitions. 

Mark arrived at the trials and impressed immediately. He took the information given to him by the coaches, kept everything simple. As soon as the coaches saw him receive the ball from a wide position, take three sharp touches to turn 180 degrees, and put the ball in front of his teammate on the opposite wing, a buzz went around the coaches watching. This is a player who would give us exactly what we need in the central midfield position. Mark has been passing the tests put in front of him, keeping his calm and composed stature when chucked into a contact game once distancing restrictions where relaxed. I can also add that in the 30 minutes Mark played away at Chessington this weekend, he further endeared himself to his fellow players and the management.   



Social distancing has been challenging at times and the players welcomed the return of contact once the restrictions were relaxed by the FA. The club has gone above and beyond to show that the players and coaches’ safety is their top priority and have introduced changes that will probably remain for a long time tocome. Players do not have access changing rooms, they are no longer able to use the showers on site, they must have theirtemperature checked on arrival and an industrial quantities of antibacterial hand gel has been purchased and used since we started back. Credit must go to Jackie, Caroline and Emily who have been working tirelessly to understand the rules around reopening and recommencing football activity. 

I’m sure that many things that will feel different once we do get it back in to watch our beloved Stripes, but ensuring the safety of players, coaches and fans for the coming season must be at the front of all of our minds. I will take this opportunity to say that the FA and government’s lack of clarity over when fans will be back on the stands is typical of a ruling body who have demonstrated time and time again that they do not give a fuck about football unless it’s making their mates a ton of cash. That the Crucible Theatre welcomed 300 maskless snooker fans when Tooting’s first friendly was watched by zero of the Bog End faithful is illogical and clearly nonsensical. #LetFansIn. It is not the same without the fans. It just isn’t.

Contact training resumed about three weeks ago, with the First Team squad and various attending trialists compete in a series of rotating 11 v 11s and saw a whole host of players sign papers with the club. The club has announced the returns of a number of players from the tail-end of last season. Duncan Culley has re-signed, after a limited opportunity to show what he can bring the Terrors last season- apart from a very effective turn out in the last competitive match against Hanwell. Danny Williams has also returned, an excellent addition to the side who looked lethal in front of goal. Daryl Coleman stays home, and will lead the side out as the newly-appointed club captain. Nathan Daly hassigned papers, after rightfully picking up players player of the season- a clear sign of how he is respected by his peers. His Greek centre back partner Ermis Mezini is also confirmed for next season squad. 

A number of the club’s exciting young prospects have also put pen to registration papers. Kyrique Garvey-Williams, Ahkeem Belford and the Sahnoun twins are all ready to pull on the black and white for next season, all hoping to follow of former team mate Hady Ghandour’s footsteps. The Bog End faithful will finally get an opportunity to see the potential of Billy Brown. Billy joined the side last season after impressing when playing against the Terrors for Fisher FC in one of the many cups the team played in. Signed on dual registration, Billy played his final game for Fischer and sustained a serious, long-term injury,meaning he never got the chance to make his debut. Now fully fit and firing on full cylinders, Billy is sure to become a fan favourite.

Fan favourites Dean Hamlin and James Shaw also rejoin the side, ready to fight for their spots in the new campaign. Gary Ross arrives from Westfield, a goalkeeper of high regard. Gary played against Tooting in our penultimate game of the season and impressed both the club’s fans and management. Another new arrival is Sinn’kaye Christie, a young centre back who has arrived from Whitehawk, a ball playing defender who also can snap into a tackle. 

Mark Waters signed papers with the club after his impressive turn out in trials and the subsequent training and in-house matches. As has Jamarie Brissett, a true fan favourite from last season. Jamarie played most of the second half of the season with a recurring injury that meant he missed a number of games and was not at his most effective when he featured. A fully-fit Brissett could do real damage this season up front or on the wing. “Magic” by name...

Kelvin Adeji attended the first team trials and impressed. Adeji played for Ashford Town last season, having previously been coached by Ashley Bosah through the St Matthew’s Project football teams as a young man. Another trialist, this time through the Under 23s dates, that has impressed and been registered is Pharrell Mensah. Another exciting prospect.

Dominic Odunsanya rounds out the players now registered with the club’s first team. Many will be pleased to see Dominic return. An incredibly tidy midfielder who has the capacity to make magic happen, something demonstrated many times when he arrived at Imperial Fields late into last season. It’s an exciting-looking squad, one that I’m sure all fans are desperate to see them play. Let’s hope that someone somewhere in the FA sees some sense soon and Lets Fans In.

This week has seen the beginning of the Pre Season proper. Pre Pre Season is done. Strange times we live in. But South London remains Black and White.

📸 by @southlondonphotos