Billy: Tooting need more firepower (From Your Local Guardian)

Billy: Tooting need more firepower

9:58am Tuesday 19th January 2010 in

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Billy Smith admits he is desperate to boost his attacking options as Tooting & Mitcham attempt to keep pace with the Ryman Premier play-off chasers.

Monday night’s 2-0 home defeat to Boreham Wood came hot on the heels of Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with struggling Billericay Town at Imperial Fields.

Paul Vines apart, no Terrors player has yet to break into double figures for the season and Smith reckons that is the major stumbling block to success.

He said: “Apart from Paul I honestly cannot see where our next goal is going to come from.

“Simon Parker is an excellent player but he does most of his work going away from goal.

“He is more creative and is not a goalscorer.

“We have a squad of good players and honest players but they are not going that extra yard to get into the box.

“I need more attacking options.

“If Paul was to get injured or suspended where do we go then?

“I am going to have to try to bring somebody in like a big target man, but I may have to let one or two go to be able to do that.”

It was a depressingly familiar pattern in front of a sparse crowd on Monday, with Tooting missing a catalogue of chances before conceding a comical goal.

Vines (who hit Saturday’s equaliser), Dean Hamlin and Parker all hit the woodwork in an encouraging first 45 minutes, only for keeper Dave King and defender Tom Graves to collide near half-time, allowing Boreham Wood to walk the ball into the unguarded net before adding a late second.

And boss Smith admitted the mistakes were testing his patience.

He added: “It was a crazy goal - absolutely ridiculous.

“What frustrates me is that you never see it happen the other way round.

“If you were to tell me we would get a few of those goals during a season I could live with it but other teams just don’t make those stupid errors.”

Adding insult to injury was the dismissal of skipper Joe Vines for a wild lunge in the dying seconds.

And ahead of the weekend trip to Aveley, Smith had some choice words for his captain.

He added: “It was a crazy tackle - some fans were having a go at him as he came off and I would not disagree with them.

“If it is frustrating for me it must be frustrating for the fans and I have made that clear to the players.”

Tooting & Mitcham’s next three matches: Jan 23 Aveley (a), 26 Hendon (a), 30 Tonbridge Angels (a)