Chatham Town (2) 5 Bradshaw 34,57,71 Evans 37 (pen) Pugh 80
Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Gething 55
Attendance: 647
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 34/2,299
A trip to the Bauvill with Chatham Town’s array of expensively-procured talent was always going to be a tough ask but from 2-0 down and a man light the mountain becomes insurmountable.
For the first 30 minutes, 11 against 11, Chatham could possibly have made the argument that they were the better side, but it wasn’t overwhelming and Tunbridge Wells were well and truly in the game. But, in the space of three minutes, a defensive error and a rush of blood left them 2-0 down and reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Ryan Cheek.
Sheppey, and possibly Glebe, will make their case as contenders but with the likes of Jack Evans and Dan Bradshaw, along with the older hands of Matt Bodkin and Ryan Hayes, all players that could and should be playing at a higher level you get the feeling that they should win the league at a canter.
Hayes had shown the threat in the opening 20 minutes forcing Aaron Lee Wharton (ALW) in a good, low save with the rebound hacked away and then setting up Bradshaw with a chance that he should have done better than pull wide.
But the Wells were not without their own chances with James Nurden having a shot blocked and Josh Froggatt striking the top of the bar.
But after 34 minutes the home side got their noses in front when Nurden failed to take the opportunity to clear and Hayes crossed, low and hard across the face of the goal for the arch poacher Bradshaw to touch home from close range.
Three minutes later the game changer came when Hayes curled a shot towards the top corner and beyond the clutches of ALW, Cheek was positioned on the post and successfully turned the ball away but with the use of his hand. The referee had no alternative but to show the red card and the punishment was doubled as Evans scored from the spot.
Chatham continued to dominate after the break with Evans starting to revel in the extra space afforded by the man advantage. A wonderful link with Charlie Dickens ended with the full back volleying the ball out of the ground before setting up Hayes with a great chance that he wasted.
Then out of nothing but a punt forward, Matt Gething was clear and with the Chats goalkeeper Andy Walker hesitating, the Wells striker finished well and the visitors were back in the game.
But those hopes lasted a mere two minutes when, after 57 minutes, Hayes crossed to the near post for Bradshaw to glance a header into the far corner.
The Wells goal was now under siege and the only surprise was that it took another 15 minutes for Chatham to score again, due to brave defending and some wasteful finishing. A cross from the right was met by the head of Bradshaw, ALW saved well but the ball broke to the striker who completed his hat-trick and his afternoon’s work, being immediately substituted.
Bodkin and Evans were now showcasing their skills, as the Tunbridge Wells defenders were frightened to put in tackles inside the box and eventually the ball fell to substitute Andy Pugh, whose close range shot could only be palmed into the net by ALW.
ALW singled handedly kept the scoreline at five making three saves in the final minutes.
Chatham are a club ready for Step 4. The stadium has improved beyond recognition in the last three years; they have the 3G surface generating revenue; they have a massive (in terms of Step 5) fan-base that enjoys the facilities in terms of bar usage and, most importantly, they have a squad that could sustain themselves at the higher level.
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