Mendes heads home Bulls' winner

JERSEY BULLS’ winning streak was extended to 18 league matches courtesy of midfield schemer Ruben Mendes, hours after the club received national coverage on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

However, they had to dig in deep to keep their amazing run of victories going.

On a heavy but well-kept pitch, Tooting were the quickest out of the blocks as they tried to take the game to the Bulls. The opening exchanges were niggly and frantic, Bulls struggling to keep a calm and composed foot on the ball. Usually so assured with their touch and short-passing game at Springfield, the Bulls were forced to adapt against a determined Tooting side, choosing to go longer at times and bypass a dense midfield.

‘We were disappointed [with our performance] at half-time,’ conceded Bulls assistant manager Kevan Nelson.

'But second half we raised it, we battled harder, we worked harder, we created more space, the chances started to come and we were deserved 1-0 winners.'

It was Tooting’s free-roaming No 7 Eddie M’Bango who came closest to opening the score on two occasions with strikes befitting of his name. As early as the fifth minute, M’Bango tried his luck with a 25-yarder that nearly found its way into the top-right corner; 17 minutes later, M’Bango got in behind the Bulls defence and banged in another effort that nearly caught goalkeeper Euan Van Der Vliet out at his near post. It was a testament to Tooting’s early efforts that Bulls had created little to nothing during this time.

Jules Gabbiadini’s father Marco, the former pro striker, had made a four-hour drive down from York to watch his son play, so he was as disappointed as everyone else when Jules was forced out of the game before it even started, having pulled a hamstring in the warm-up. As the game wore on, it was becoming more evident that Bulls missed his marauding runs from right back as they struggled to create space in wide positions and get behind the Tooting full backs. In the end, it took a set-piece for Bulls to create their first good chance in the 28th minute. A short corner was pulled back to Jay Giles who whipped in a pin-point cross, only for Luke Campbell to head straight at the Tooting keeper Zdenek Machacek when he should have done better.

At least that seemed to spur Bulls on and it would generally be one-way traffic from that moment on. Tooting were now happy to defend in numbers, let Bulls’ defence have the ball and frustrate an increasingly narrow attack, but two long kicks from Van Der Vliet nearly led to further openings. First, Daryl Wilson hit the near post following a flick-on from Karl Hinds, then later on Hinds latched on to a loose ball and hastily tried to lob Machacek when he had more time to carry the ball forward. Nevertheless, it was a sign of things to come in the second half.

Only four minutes after the restart, Hinds had another go at embarrassing the keeper, this time from 40 yards out with a terrific effort that just faded away from the right-hand upright. Then, ten minutes later, Bulls got their breakthrough. Harry Curtis sent in a deep cross from the right that picked out an unmarked Ruben Mendes bombing forward from midfield. Mendes’ cushioned header lobbed Machacek, caught in no-man’s land again, to give Bulls the lead.

To give Tooting their due, they continued to scrap and were impressively resolute but as has been a trend all season Bulls superior fitness started to present itself as the game closed in. Bulls should have put the game out of sight in the final ten minutes with point-blank chances for both Fraser Barlow and substitute Kieran Lester, the former following a wonderfully creative one-touch move that showed Bulls at their best. In the end, they didn’t need to be but they showed their willingness to roll their sleeves up when the going gets a little tougher.