Tooting & Mitcham U23 - Imperial Fields 3G

Tooting & Mitcham United U23

Imperial Fields 3G 

Bishopsford Road

Morden 

SM4 6BF

Tooting & Mitcham Website

Tooting & Mitcham Twitter

Tooting Bec Twitter

Ground Number: 1445

Tuesday 8th July 2025
Tooting & Mitcham United 1-2 Tooting Bec
Friendly

TOOTING BEC FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2004 and joined the Surrey South-Eastern Combination Junior Division 2. A 4th-place finish in their debut season was good enough for promotion to Junior Division 1. The 2005/06 season saw them finish as runners-up, winning another promotion to Intermediate Division 2. Tooting Bec would consolidate for a season before a 3rd place finish in 2008 was good enough for promotion to Intermediate Division 1. Again, they would spend two seasons here, winning their first-ever league title in 2010. This led to promotion to the Surrey Elite Intermediate League. Tooting Bec would have a lengthy spell here, finishing as runners-up to Virginia Water in 2017 before being crowned champions the following year. With this came promotion to step 6. They finished 3rd in the Combined Counties Division 1 in their debut season. In 2021, they were moved to the SCEFL Division 1, where they remain to this day. A 5th-place finish was achieved in 2022, but Tooting Bec lost to Sutton Athletic in the playoffs. They were at it again in 2023 after finishing as runners-up to Snodland Town. This time they beat Larkfield & New Hythe Wanderers on penalties in the semi-finals but lost on spot kicks to Lydd Town in the final.

Tooting Bec have played a single game in the FA Cup, losing 3-2 at Guildford City in 2019. Seven campaigns have been played in the FA Vase, with two first-round appearances. Local cup honours include the London Senior Cup in 2022 and the Surrey South-Eastern Combination League Shield in 2010. The club has led a nomadic history, starting off in 2004 at Fishponds Playing Fields in Tooting for their first season.  In 2005, they moved to Prince George's Playing Fields in Raynes Park. They would need a groundshare to earn promotion to step 6, and so from 2017, they would groundshare at Tooting & Mitcham. In 2022, Kingstonian moved in with Tooting & Mitcham, so since then, they have lodged at Chipstead.

MY VISIT

When this game came out on Futbology, it was always going to be high on the list. A slightly earlier kickoff and a chance to use the research I had conducted on Tooting Bec. I'd intended to use this last season for a revisit to Chipstead; however, a farcical situation ensued. Tooting Bec forgot to bring their kit, and the referee was unwilling to accept any kind of a compromise. That meant 90 minutes of waiting pitchside, only for the referee to come out, blow the full-time whistle and scuttle off inside. The tie was rightly awarded to Newhaven, but I couldn't be too hard on Tooting Bec. They had been very helpful in letting Colin and me on the team coach for a reasonable fee to tick the isolated Lydd Town for a nice day out. Later, I discovered (or presumed) that the ground would be used for Tooting & Mitcham's U23 side, who had recently entered the Surrey County League at step 7, which made it well worth a visit.

From Portland, Colin and I had a three-hour journey back home. There were apparent delays around Basingstoke, but these disappeared. There was a short delay around Heathrow, but the journey went quickly as we listened to the Wales v Netherlands Women's Euros game. I dropped him off at 7.45 and was home around 8. The blog was typed up, a few ciders were consumed, and I caught up with a few things that needed catching up with. I was in no mood for sleep, a typical Saturday evening. Of course, with only 4.5 hours of sleep, I was knackered the next morning, but it is what it is with a 3.50 alarm on a Sunday morning. It was the standard Sunday, the first 4.5 hours were great as there were no customers, and I was able to listen to my audiobook whilst working. But then, the world and his wife came in and it was three hours of hell, especially when tired. Finally, 1 PM came and I went home and grabbed the hour or so's sleep that I'd missed. One of the things that attracted me to Tooting was the 7 PM kickoff, and I'd planned a day out on the train. However, with work in the morning, I decided to drive. I'm starting to appreciate the early kickoffs in the summer, what with an early start, but I appreciate that the vast majority of jobs work better with the later kickoffs.

Monday was a slightly easier day at work, but I was still looking forward to a day off on Tuesday. In the evening, I looked at potential FA Cup games to go to. The best day out would be Pilkington, with some decent-looking pubs in St Helens. However, even with split fares and some compromises, the fare still came out at £120.80. An outrageous 31p a mile, which is nearly 10p a mile more than driving alone. It's amazing how high the train fares are in this country. The day of the game saw me do my usual walk to town and back, noting some horrendously slow roadworks by O2 as something to avoid later. In the end, I spent the afternoon at home and was expecting to meet Colin nearby. However, he 'forgot to get the bus' and I had to make a five-mile detour to pick him up. It was a horrendous journey over to Tooting and Mitcham, taking two hours for little over 40 miles. It was all about saving time later, though. As soon as we arrived, I headed to the Shak, hoping for Jerk Chicken Pasta. However, I had to settle for the same on Fries as they'd sold out. It was excellent, though slightly pricey at £12.50.

There was slight confusion over what pitch the game was on, as the first 3G had random people playing on it. It turned out it was around the other side of the ground, and so we made our way there and paid £3 to get in. It was a competitive game, but it lacked much serious goal action. Tooting Bec in orange edged it but it was the black and white stripes of Tooting and Mitcham that took the lead on the half hour, following up on the keeper fumbling the high ball. On 51 minutes, it was all square, Tooting Bec attacking down the left and shooting across the keeper. It was not the finest of games, but Tooting Bec were the better side. They went ahead on 88 minutes, an attack down the right and a finish from close range. It must have been a disappointment for the home fans, who were friendly and welcoming. With the ground they have and the potential support, they should be capable of hosting National League South football, but find themselves three steps lower.

THE GROUND

IMPERIAL FIELDS 3G is a decent venue, as long as you don't confuse the two artificial pitches. You can walk the whole way around the pitch, and there is a raised platform on one side. With the addition of a stand, it could host step 5/6 football, but as it is, it's an excellent step 7 ground. Facilities are shared with the main ground, so there is the Caribbean stall Shak and the bar. The former is great, but can get a tad pricey, and the latter offers a basic range of drinks and sports TV.

Portland United - The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Portland United FC

The Camp & Satherley Stadium

Grove Road

Portland

Dorset

DT5 1DP

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1444

Saturday 5th July 2025

Portland United 2-4 Weymouth

Friendly

PORTLAND UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1920, joining the Dorset County & District League upon formation. They were continuously amongst the top clubs in the league but without actually taking the title. Portland United joined the Western League Division 2 in 1925 and saw great success between 1926 & 1932 with two 3rd place finishes, two runners-up spots and two titles. They didn't go up to Division 1 until after the end of the Second World War. Portland remained here until 1970, their best finish coming in 1966 when they finished as runners-up to Welton Rovers.

After leaving the Western League, they embarked upon a 31-year stint in the Dorset Combination. Portland finished as runners-up to Parley Sports in 1984 before winning the title in 1999 & 2000. After finishing as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation in 2001, they were promoted to the Wessex League. Despite finishing 8th in 2003, the club struggled, going back down to the Dorset League in 2006. Four more titles followed before Portland went up to the Wessex League in 2015, once more as runners-up to Hamworthy Recreation. It was a hugely successful time for the club as they won Division 1 and the Premier Division in successive seasons, but did not take up the promotion. They have been here ever since, their lowest finish of 17th coming last season.

Portland United have reached the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round on five occasions. The latest of these was in 1966 when they took Yeovil Town to a replay. They have also reached the FA Vase 2nd Round three times. Local honours include four Dorset Premier League Cups. Their record attendance of 4,129 came against Weymouth in 1949.

The Isle of Portland is a tied island in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies 5 miles south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset. It has a population of around 13,500. Portland is a central part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the Dorset and east Devon coast, important for its geology and landforms. Portland stone, a limestone famous for its use in British and world architecture, including St Paul's Cathedral and the United Nations Headquarters, continues to be quarried here. The most famous person from Portland is Paul Durkin, the former Premier League referee.

The location is probably most well-known for a 1980s kids' TV show. The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British stop motion animated children's television series made in 1983. It is set in a fictional lighthouse on the Guillemot Rock, just off the coast from the fictional village of McGuillycuddy. Norman Rossington provides the voice of all the characters, with Portland Bill the principal keeper acting as the narrator of each episode.

MY VISIT

I had long wanted to go to Portland United. However, at around three hours each way, it was just that bit too far for midweek, what with work at 4 in the morning. A Saturday it would have to be then and it would have made a great day out on public transport. However, even with using Colin's railcard, even with getting the bus to Reading to save money and having a slower journey and even with using split fares, it was still cheaper by around £15 to get in the car and drive if we split the costs between us. Madness if you believe the government's claims about trying to achieve net zero, but then, the same as always, the government is just trying to milk the public to help out mates. It'd be a nice day out an an opportunity to visit the two Wetherspoons in Weymouth. Having not been to Weymouth FC since 2004 and wanting to update my blog, it was a shame that it was so far away. The only situation I can see myself doing a revisit is with Wycombe since Colin has already been.

I conducted research on Portland United on Thursday evening, which took far longer than expected. From our game at Chislehurst, it was a bus to Sidcup station, a train to London Bridge and two tubes home. We were very lucky to only have a three-minute wait for the half-hourly service to Amersham which meant we got back half an hour ahead of schedule. It was then an easy journey home via Colin and I was able to have a couple of drinks and sort my stuff before going to bed at 1. My alarm woke me up at 8:10 after a reasonably good night of sleep. I got up, got freshened up, got dressed and had breakfast before getting ready to leave. I got going at 9, meeting Colin at the end of my road. It was a good journey until we hit the A31 at Ringwood with lots of delays here. There was then a delay getting into Weymouth but we were there at 12.10. The cheap car park I selected near the Quay did the job, though there were few spaces. It was a reasonable £1.70 for two hours.

The Quay looked lovely, even against an overcast sky. Typically, it had been blazing sunshine all week, before a gloomy weekend. A typical dirty trick by the weather. From there, it was a walk to the first Wetherspoons, The William Henry. Very busy but I bagged a table and had a pint of Dorset Nectar Dabinett which was excellent. From there, it was a look around Weymouth. There was a nice-looking cake shop, but they were cash only. Although I'm not as militant as fellow hopper Richard in avoiding card-only places, it wasn't sufficiently tempting for me to avoid inflexible places. From there, it was to the other Wetherspoons, the Swan for lunch. I ordered spicy chicken pizza and a Monster Energy drink. Whereas the other pub had a hen party, this one was full of Coffin Dodgers, as evidenced by the row of mobility scooters parked up outside. Service was less swift here but a tick is a tick. Weymouth looked like a great and popular place to visit, maybe I'll return someday. The pizza was great, though it could have been warmer. Either way, Weymouth had been a great pitstop, even though I felt like I'd only scratched the surface. Colin wanted to have a look around a few shops and inevitably, the fat bastard in me ended up back at that cake shop. However, it was so sparsely stocked, I decided that I'd rather give my money to someone else. From there, it was under 20 minutes to Portland, where we parked on a side road a couple of minutes' walk from the ground.

 

It was £7 in and £1 for a programme. I then went to the bar to see what they did, but it was only Thatchers, so I didn't bother. As I came down the stairs, I could hear a spoiled, entitled brat moaning to a club official about the lack of pin badges. I did a lap of the ground to get some pictures. Weymouth were the better side early on and they took the lead on 14 minutes, a dipping shot from outside of the area by Jake McCarthy. Two minutes later, it was 2-0 when one of five trialists poked home. The lead was halved on 37 minutes when #10 advanced down the right, cut in and planted a beautiful curling shot in the top left corner from just outside the area. However, Weymouth made it 3-1 a couple of minutes later, the same trialist netting again. The second half was quieter but Portland dominated. They pulled it back to 3-2 on the hour, a low shot on the turn from 25 yards by Archie Woolford. They ran out of steam after this, and on 87 minutes, Weymouth made it 4-2, squeezing home from a tight angle.

 

THE GROUND

GROVE CORNER or THE CAMP AND SATHERLEY STADIUM is a fantastic place amongst nice scenery. There is plenty of parking and regular buses link it to Weymouth. Food and drink-wise, a pleasant bar is available, though sadly no local Dorset cider - just Thatchers. There is a snack bar and a burger bar, although I tried neither. There are two seated stands, which hold around 200 people between them under cover. There is also a small standing covered area, officially for wheelchairs, it appears. The rest of the ground is open, but has grass banking, meaning you can get a great view. A superb programme is available for just £1, which would put many higher clubs to shame. It's a friendly club in a lovely part of the world, and I'd recommend a visit.