Braintree Town (1) 1 Clements 20
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 309
Admission: £10 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 160/3,051
Some days are just not meant to be …
Before leaving home I got news that the Dartford Tunnel was at a standstill and a friend had been stationary for 30 minutes. However, by the time we reached there we relatively sailed through as we had spent our time sitting on the A21 before being diverted off.
An expected arrival time of 13:45 turned into 14:45, just in time, but harassed! I like to have an hour at a ground before the start of a match. I can talk to fellow supporters, even if it is moaning about the journey and I can find a viewing position that suits me. But when everything is rushed I find it takes a while to get the journey out of my head and full concentration on the game.
Tonbridge’s first half performance seemed to suffer similarly as they never got going and went into the break a goal down to bottom of the table Braintree Town.
Steve McKimm rested Doug Loft, who was carrying a slight injury and Tommy Wood to the bench with Tom Beere and Aaron Smith-Joseph returning to the starting eleven. Braintree fielded ex-Angels Tom Derry and Khale Da Costa who had arrived on loan from Dover on Friday.
To be fair, a howling wind made it difficult for the players but the first half was particularly low on quality.
Braintree went ahead after 20 minutes when a ball into the penalty area was knocked on for Kyran Clement to score at the second attempt after Jonny Henly had parried an initial shot.
Both sides huffed and puffed their way through the rest of the half with both goalkeeper’s making mostly routine saves but with Henly being slightly the busier.
A change in viewing in this rather run-down stadium brought some relief from the wind but I’m afraid didn’t bring a change in fortune or any great upsurge in the quality on show. A little later in the season would have seen this described as a relegation battle involving two poor teams.
There was more goalmouth action as the Angels desperately searched for an equaliser and Braintree responding with the odd counter attack but, in general, it was a lot more huff and puff.
On 66 minutes, one of those goalmouth scrambles should have brought an equaliser with the ball bobbing about just a yard from goal but nobody could get the vital touch to see it over the line.
On 84 minutes, Adam Lovatt had a shot that needed to be saved, albeit comfortably, but this constituted the Angels first shot on target.
The five minutes added time were the most exciting of the game but it was Braintree that went closest and held out for a vital three points that lifted them off the foot of the table.
It was a sense of relief to eventually pull out of the car park in the knowledge that, FA Trophy draw barring, we don’t have to make a return visit this season and the journey home being indicated as being a lot less fraught, which it was. In truth, I’ve had better Saturday’s!
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