Tonbridge Angels 1 Chelmsford City 1

Match 60/21/1924 - Saturday, 21st November 2021 - National League South

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Turner 23
Chelmsford City (0) 1 Jackson 61
Attendance: 686

Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 38/3,408

It finally happened! A long cross from the right by Jamie Fielding, in the side for the suspended Craig Braham-Barrett, found the head of Joe Turner. We’ve waited a long time and the ball took an eternity to cross the line at the far post, but cross the line it did. Let’s put the numbers to rest, 27th minute at Billericay to the 23rd minute, five games later minus four minutes, 446 in total. It’s done, we can move on.

I don’t like labelling games in November with clubs in a similar lowly position as six pointers but from a general confidence point of view it wasn’t a game to lose and with the drought 1-1 was better than a 0-0.

Added to Braham-Barrett’s absence, Adam Lovatt and Tom Parkinson were both out injured so the bench was depleted with two forwards and the two kids.

Both teams had their spells in the game of ascendancy and, ultimately a draw was a fair result. Perhaps if it was a boxing match the judges might just have given it to Tonbridge, although the Chelmsford manager, Robbie Simpson, in his very fair appraisal of the game, might choose to differ.

Chelmsford’s goalkeeper, James Dillon, looked under pressure in the early minutes, firstly almost punching the ball into his own net after 18 minutes and then needing the goal line intervention of Michael Spillane from the resultant corner.

The opening goal for the Angels illustrated the end-to-end nature of the game with Chelmsford’s Cameron James rattled the crossbar before the Angels countered and took the lead with Turner’s goal.

The game went into a period of nothingness with Chelmsford having some degree of pressure but without testing Jonny Henly to any great degree.

Chelmsford dominated the early part of the second half but continuing to fail to exercise Henly but, just past the hour, they equalised. Freddie Hockey saw his shot blocked, likewise the follow-up attempt from Charlie Sheringham but the ball fell to ex-Gillingham hitman Simeon Jackson whose shot found the net via the inside of the left hand post.

After a difficult period following the goal, Tonbridge finished the match the stronger and forced six corners in the remaining time but, what has been a recent failing, none of them produced a moment of high anxiety for the City defence.

A point is a point and, even at this stage of the season, positives are taken from Billericay and Braintree defeats. Perhaps the tide has turned and we won’t need to be looking over our shoulders at such results.