Tonbridge 2 Phoenix Sports 0

Match 39/15/1244 - Tuesday, 4th November 2015 - FA Trophy 1QR Replay

Tonbridge (1) 2 Blewden 34, 68
Phoenix Sports (0) 0
Attendance: 339

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/2,667

Match Report

Let’s deal with the positives. £2,700 in the bank; a home draw in the next round against a team with a woeful away record; an attendance of 339 on a night when fog shrouded Longmead was probably a 100 more than would have attended a similar cup replay last season and with Redhill in mind, this was a performance against a lower division team that almost certainly would have ended in embarrassment in recent years.

From reports of the first game, Tonbridge didn’t deserve a second chance and had a perennial goalscorer in Ricky Freeman not fluffed his lines in the closing minutes, then we would have been recounting another knock-out competition disaster for the Angels.

Injury and sickness left Steve McKimm with a team selection headache in the lead-up to the replay. Nathan Elder was ruled out as was midfielder Tom Parkinson and defender Sonny Miles. Lee Carey and Luke Blewden literally climbed from their sickbeds to take their place in the side.

Phoenix Sports have continued their success story from last season’s Southern Counties East champions climbing to a respectable position in their first-ever season in Ryman North. Their game is built on a tireless work ethic with the added threat of pace on both wings in the shape of Harrison Carnegie, the eye-catcher from last season and Adem Ramadam, who, ironically, trialed at Longmead pre-season. Their undoing, at least on this occasion, was their failure to convert good approach work into chances. Anthony Di Barnardo was only seriously tested with a 94th minute shot from Ramadam that was comfortably gathered.

Tonbridge far too often resorted to the long ball in search of the hold-up play of Elder, who, of course, was missing but Blewden was proving a handful for the Phoenix defence with a header over the bar after 23 minutes and a shot that came back off a post after half-an-hour.

A moment of real quality, on an evening devoid of such, came in the 33rd minute. Anthony Riviere and Ellis Brown combined to send James Folkes on a run to the right hand bye-line. His cross found Nick Wheeler, whose shot was destined to sail well wide before Blewden hooked the ball into the net from the angle of the six yard box.

Blewden should have doubled his tally prior to the break but his shot flew some distance over the bar.

As the fog descended on Longmead, the second half took on a similar shape to the first with Tonbridge’s ball retention leaving a lot to be desired. Laurence Ball was needed to clear the ball from in front of his goal line as Carnegie stabbed an effort goalwards after an hour before Tonbridge effectively put the tie to bed eight minutes later. The Phoenix skipper, Chris Hill, was shown the yellow card for a cynical challenge on Wheeler and punished from the ensuing free kick. Wheeler delivered the ball to the right hand angle of the six yard box to the head of Blewden, who scored with a firmly planted header.

Tonbridge progressed to the next round where they will entertain Southern League Premier side Cirencester, whose away record this season reads only one win in eight attempts although the Angels cup pedigree ensures nothing should ever be taken for granted.