Hungerford Town 1 Tonbridge Angels 3

Match 26/21/1891 - Saturday, 28th August 2021 - National League South

Hungerford Town (0) 1 Seager 86 (pen)
Tonbridge Angels (2) 3 Smith-Joseph 7 Turner 45 Modeste 68
Attendance: 353

Admission: £8 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 222/1,561

There is a saying in sport about needing to put in the hard yards to get a reward. Firstly, I needed to put in those yards, miles and miles of them as a standstill on the M25 extended the journey time to three and a half hours and a magical mystery tour to Hungerford and then the team had to go toe-to-toe with a very physical home side, this they did and the reward was a first, valuable three points of the season.

Bulpit Lane is a bits and pieces football ground with a sizeable stand behind the far goal and another five smaller ones dotted around the pitch. It is the pitch that catches your eye on entry as it has what must be the most pronounced slope at this level, at least in the south. It slopes both ways, end to end and side to side and one would guess that you don’t want to lose the toss and being kicking up the slope in the last 20 minutes.

Sonny Miles must have lost that toss and was asked to come down the slope for the first 45 minutes and they took full advantage taking a two goal lead into the break.

Steve McKimm started with Harry Hudson in the number two shirt relegating JJ O’Sullivan to the bench; Adam Lovatt, newly arrived from Sutton United on loan, came into midfield with Aaron Smith-Joseph leading the line and leading it to magnificent effect.

A sixth minute, right-sided free kick for the Angels initially saw a Doug Loft shot blocked but the ball was recycled to Tom Beere whose low cross was met at the near post by Smith-Joseph to get in front of his marker and turn in for his first National South goal.

Smith-Joseph was to prove an almighty handful for the home defence throughout the game but especially in the downhill half.

On 16 minutes, Loft took a powerfully hit pass flush in the face. He initially got to his feet but after 10 minutes was obviously dazed, if not concussed, and could not continue.

A reshuffle ensued with Tommy Wood entering the fray but this did not disturb Tonbridge’s dominance of the half although Jonny Henly was forced to make a smart save just past the half-hour mark.

On the stroke of half-time the ball was won in midfield by Modeste for the Angels and fed to Joe Turner who sized up his options before curling a beauty into the top left for his 50th goal for the club.

Now charged with the equivalent of running up Quarry Hill, it was important that the Angels didn’t offer their hosts a way back into the game early in the second period. This they did with a fair degree of comfort. Around the hour mark Henly made a couple of routine saves and bookings for Smith-Joseph and Modeste were picked up but it was pretty much scare free.

Smith-Joseph capped his fine afternoon in the 68th minute when he wriggled clear of the attention of a couple of defenders on the bye line to fire in a low cross, aimed at the diving-in Modeste, but finding the rear end of Matt Partridge for possibly an own goal and three points for the visitors.

A clearance from the line by Miles and, a minute later, a penalty given and converted for hand ball against the same player brought a little worry to that presumption but in truth the Angels saw out the game comfortably.

The satisfaction of a well deserved win and a far less fraught return journey sped the wheels home. Hard yards, just rewards!