Billy Smith reckons he has struck gold with his new strike pairing of Paul Vines and Simon Parker after the pair put Tonbridge Angels to the sword last weekend.

Vines fired a hat-trick and Parker, who arrived last month from Hornchurch, notched a solo strike as the Terrors moved into third in the Ryman Premier with a 5-3 win over the visitors, Aaron Goode adding the other.

The triple-effort took Vines’ Tooting goal tally to an impressive 101 goals in 159 games and Smith is predicting many more goals to come.

He said: “Paul’s record speaks for itself and it is a tremendous one.

“Nobody had heard of him until I brought him here but now sides are always sniffing around him.

“He has been a massive part of our success over recent years and we are lucky that he loves this club so much.

“We have tried a lot of different players up front with him but nothing has ever really worked.

“But Simon is a quality player and at the moment the two of them are picking themselves.

“They complement each other extremely well and their link-up play is a joy to watch.”

Tooting’s impressive start has caught the eye of a number of teams, with Smith revealing that Paul Vines turned down a recent move to Bromley, while skipper Joe Vines snubbed Billericay Town last week.

And now the Terrors can focus on the FA Cup, with Southern League Midlands side Slough Town the visitors in the Third Qualifying Round this weekend.

Smith added: “I went to see Slough at the weekend and they looked a tricky side.

“Their two front players looked useful and we will have to keep an eye on them.

“I know people are saying we should beat them as we are at a higher level but should is a hard word in football and we will take nothing for granted.”

Tooting & Mitcham’s next three matches: Oct 10 Slough Town (FAC, h), 12 Harrow Borough (h), 17 Whitstable/Walton & Hersham (FAT, h)