Cubo’s winning run came to a halt at Tooting Bec where they were held to a two all draw, despite taking an early two goal lead. The away side got off to a great start when a kick from Arnie was flicked on by Harry Tulip leaving Rufus with a clear run on goal and his mishit finish megged the keeper to make it 1-0. A second came soon after when a Sam Graves free kick from within the Cubo half sailed all the way through the Tooting defence and Harry Tulip fired a left foot finish into the bottom corner. 2-0. Despite the lead Cubo were not looking particularly sharp, the goals having come from defensive lapses as much as any attacking verve and Tooting were definitely looking the more up for it of the two sides. The pace of the Tooting frontman was clearly going to be the home sides biggest threat, who were looking for the long ball over the top at every opportunity. When one of these long balls carried through to Arnie in the Cubo goal the referee decided that Sam had obstructed the striker whilst protecting the ball and gave Tooting a free kick on the edge of the box. The Tooting right back duly converted with a well-placed strike to bring the home side right back into the game. With their tails up and Cubo getting sucked into the kind of frantic game which suited Tooting, they pressed on and looked to have equalised with a shot that Arnie got finger-tips to before it struck the underside of the bar and bounced down on the line. The man with the gloves then showed great awareness to spring back to his feet and clear the rebound for a corner with the Tooting striker bearing down on him. Cubo were looking dangerous whenever they attempted to get the ball further up the field and should have had a penalty when Goughy was barged in the back as he went up for a free header in the box but the referee failed to award the foul. The second half continued much as the first had ended with Tooting looking the more energetic side but Cubo looking dangerous whenever they moved the ball with any kind of precision. The sloppiness for the away side was still on show in the second however and they were lucky to maintain their lead when a poor backpass gifted the Tooting striker with a one on one but his effort came back off the post and was cleared. A let off for Cubo that they would not enjoy again when another poor backpass gifted the striker a second chance which he tucked away to level the scores. With the scores level Cubo began to look after the ball more effectively and were looking the better team without creating any clear cut chances, Oli Perkins coming closest with an effort from the edge of the box that the keeper palmed wide. Tooting had a late chance to nick the win but they failed to make the most of a 3 on 1 situation that they really should have made more of.
A frustrating game for Cubo who really should have made more of the two goal lead they were gifted, but this was a below-par performance from the boys in baby blue and a draw was probably a fair result in the end. Credit to Tooting for showing the determination to get back into the game after the early set-backs, showing that they have recovered from their poor early-season form.
Goals – Rufus Shedwick, Harry Tulip
MOTM – Harry Tulip
AFC Cubo 