Tonbridge Angels 0 Oxford City 2

Match 50/21/1914 - Saturday, 30th October 2021 - National League South

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Oxford City (0) 2 Harmon 47 Iacuifano 60
Attendance: 706

Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 38/2,800

I’ve never used this blog to call out referees, it’s a tough job that very few of us would want and at non-league level they have to make decisions without the comfort blanket of another man sitting watching the game on a screen. But it is on these decisions games can be won and lost and I’m afraid Mr Aji Ajibola did Tonbridge Angels no favours.

We have seen a lot of Ajibola over the last few years and we take some history with him into every match he takes and it rarely ends well.

Did Tonbridge deserve to take something out of this game against high-flying opponents Oxford City, probably (possibly). Did Ajibola’s decisions influence the result, almost certainly.

Tonbridge made no changes from last time out at Billericay with new loan signing, Jake Hutchinson from Colchester United, on the bench.

Tonbridge dominated the first half with it taking until the 37th minute for the visitors to register their first attempt on goal.

Doug Loft was controlling the midfield and he set up the opening chance for Joe Turner who struck narrowly over after 15 minutes.

The next chance came on 27 minutes when Ibrahim Olutade headed wide and five minutes later, the same player just failed to get onto a Jamie Fielding cross.

On 40 minutes, Oxford literally laid their bodies on the line as successive efforts from Turner, Olutade and Loft were all blocked but the game entered the break scoreless.

A failure to take chances often comes back to haunt (very apt on Halloween weekend) and so it was within two minutes of the restart. A long ball into the left channel saw Joe Iaciofaro collect the ball, he turned inside Tom Parkinson, and backheeled to defender George Harmon who fired in an unerring shot into the far corner.

The first of the controversial decisions from Mr Ajibola came on 55 minutes when Fielding and Tom Parkinson both needed attention following a clash of heads. Parkinson eventually needed to be substituted but Fielding had to leave the pitch following treatment. Whilst the Angels were a man short, and with the referee not allowing the player to return to the pitch, Elliot Benyon and Iaciofaro combined for the latter to score from inside of the box. Why Fielding wasn’t allowed to return is a mystery, especially as later in the game with an Oxford player having to leave the field following injury, the referee was heard to say, “shout when you are ready to return.”

In fairness, Oxford were a much better side in the second half and Tonbridge didn’t create the clear chances that they had in the first period. Hutchinson came off the bench to have a great opportunity in front of goal but couldn’t sort out his feet and then, with a minute of ordinary time remaining Ricky Modeste had a goal chalked off for offside that, to be frank, nobody could understand.

Referee’s don’t win or lose matches, but they can certainly influence the outcome.