Knaphill defied strong winds and heavy rain to end their run of five straight defeats with a goalless draw away to a tough Tooting & Mitcham side in the Combined Counties Premier Division South.

The game’s first real opportunity fell to Knaphill in the 12th minute. Jason Vincent did well in laying off a pass to Jack Watts, who made an impressive run from deep. Watts struck the ball cleanly from the right but his effort flew wide of the left post.

Tooting nearly took the lead in the 41st minute through Conor Melody. Breaking down the left, he unleashed a powerful strike from the corner of the box which rattled the stanchion.

Knaphill’s defence, led by Michak Stanic Stewart and James Glover, ensured that goalkeeper Sam Gray remained largely untroubled for the rest of the half.

In front of a crowd of 134, the visitors continued to handle the testing conditions admirably, maintaining their structure while looking for openings on the counter.

In the 56th minute Jack Watts was cautioned after a 50-50 challenge that the referee deemed worthy of a booking.

The first Knaphill substitution came in the 65th minute as debutant Justin Thompson replaced Kingsley Anokye and slotted in on the left wing.

Knaphill came close again in the 75th minute when a free kick from deep by Matt Copland fell perfectly to Jason Vincent in the box. Vincent struck the ball well but his effort went just over the bar.

A minute later Knaphill had their best chance. A misplaced pass from Tooting goalkeeper Toby McKimm went straight to Vincent, who charged towards the goal. McKimm came rushing out to smother the ball, but it spilled to Zak Jakubowski. Jakubowski struck it towards the open net, only for Antonio Simeone to clear it off the line with McKimm stranded in no man’s land.

In the 82nd minute Knaphill introduced Rahman Ajibola for Jakubowski to add more attacking energy, but in the 84th minute Michak Stanic Stewart was booked for halting a dangerous Tooting break as the hosts looked to counter.

In the 87th minute Ben Mitchell came on for Jason Vincent as the Knappers pushed for a late winner. Seconds later Justin Thompson, who had been lively down the left wing after coming on, was cautioned for a late challenge as Tooting pushed forward in the final stages.

Jack Baisden replaced David Orisatoki in the 90th minute to help see out the game. Knaphill’s back four stood firm in the latter stages, denying Tooting any real opportunities to test Sam Gray.

The disciplined defensive performance ensured that the Knappers secured a well-deserved clean sheet after a resilient and hard-working display.

Jack Watts, back in his regular position of central midfield, produced a man of the match performance for Knaphill. Leading by example throughout the game, he was constantly encouraging his team-mates and always looking to get on the ball and find a forward pass to set the tone.

On December 7 Knaphill host Cobham. Kick-off is at 3pm.