Tunbridge Wells (1) 5 Gethin 3 Nurden 46 Cheek 51 Corke 72,89
Bearsted (1) 2 Ababio 33 Stace 78 (pen)
Attendance: TBC
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 36/2,187
Tunbridge Wells produced a scintillating second half performance to overwhelm a Bearsted side that had appeared to have gone into the break with the momentum.
On a thankfully dry and mild evening that had followed a day that had started with a deluge that had brought flash floods in areas in the south-east, it was a credit to the ground staff at Culverden that the game was able to go ahead. But the threat of a postponement had obviously affected the attendance that had looked pretty sparse.
Those that came had barely focused their eyes on the far end when Matt Gething drove the ball home from the right side of the box.
The early minutes of the game were surprisingly open and chances came thick and fast. Sam Stace went close for Bearsted after 10 minutes whilst, a minute later, Gething went close.
Jordan Ababio announced that he would be a threat on 14 minutes and on 34 minutes duly delivered with a run that scythed through the Wells defence and ended with a blistering shot from the angle of the six yard box.
Ababio would turned provider three minutes later when his cross really should have produced a goal for Andy Irvine who somehow steered his header wide. The ex-Wells striker was somewhat lucky to stay on the pitch a couple of minutes later when a poor challenge brought him a yellow card.
If the number seven shirt of Ababio had lit up the first period it was the red number seven of Regan Corke that electrified the second.
Just 20 seconds if the half had elapsed when Corke capitalised on an error from Adesima Luqman and crossed for James Nurden to find the bottom corner.
The momentum had completely changed and Gething was denied before a cross from the left was headed home by Ryan Cheek.
The Wells were now in complete command of the game and on 72 minutes wrapped it up with a goal of unlikely similarity to Ababio’s first half effort. Corke’s pace and control saw him carve his way through a Bearsted defence almost frightened to put in a tackle and his finish was a shot that whistled past Illiah Saukh.
Bearsted were offered an unlikely lifeline when a clumsy challenge brought a penalty award from which Stace fairly blasted his spot kick straight down the middle.
But a comeback was not on the cards and in the second minute of time added, Corke’s corner deceived the goalkeeper and went straight in.
Tonbridge’s enforced three week break gives me the opportunity to watch three Wells games on the trot, I hope they are all as entertaining.
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