Tower Hamlets co-manager Ade Abayomi praised his team’s performance despite defeat to Tooting & Mitcham in the London Senior Cup on Monday.

Hamlets lost 2-0 at Mile End Stadium to the south London club, who compete two divisions above them in the Bostik Premier Division.

But Abayomi was pleased with his team’s display against higher-tier opposition and said: “In the Tooting game the boys played well against the kind of team they were playing against.

“That’s why I don’t put it down to a bad performance that they lost the game.”

Tooting took the lead midway through the first half with a strike from outside the box.

But Tower Hamlets kept themselves in with a chance of a leveller until the final minute when the visitors converted a penalty to advance to the next round.

Abayomi was less then impressed with his side’s 4-1 Essex Senior League defeat to Waltham Forest on Saturday.

It was their third league defeat in four games and Abayomi added: “The game we lost against Waltham Forest, we didn’t deserve to win the game as we had a very poor performance and that reflected in the result.

“If you don’t take your chances in games and the other team take their chances. That’s when the missed chances come back to bite you.”

Tower Hamlets will hope to return to winning ways when they face fierce rivals Sporting Bengal at Mile End Stadium on Saturday, having won their earlier derby meeting by a 3-2 margin.