Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Gavin 74
Hampton & Richmond Borough (3) 4 Shokunbi 5,34 Wood 38 Barzey 90
Attendance: 1,053
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 40/1,357
Off the pitch the day was going to plan. Over 1,000 people had filed through the turnstiles; there were pies to the newly rebranded Pie Shack; the bars, three of them. were doing brisk business; even the weather was playing ball with a pleasant, warm but not overly hot afternoon. At 2.45 pm, Michael Canham declared the pitch open as Poppy Bass, the daughter of his friend, the late Richard Bass, cut the ribbon between the new dugouts bearing his name.
A moment of respectful applause was held for three long-standing supporters, Allan Watson, Tracey Fry and David Arrowsmith who have passed away since the last time a National League South game was held in the stadium and then, with a blast of referee George Laflin’s whistle the game was underway and, unfortunately, it proceeded to earn the title of After The Lord Mayor’s Show.
Who knows why. Nobody who would have seen any, let alone all, of the three performances on the road that had yielded seven points, would have seen this coming. Did the occasion get to them, possibly. A more likely reason is that the fitting of square pegs in round holes due to injuries finally caught up with them.
After three minutes the visitors, Hampton and Richmond Borough, forced the first corner of the game which resulted in the ball falling invitingly to Shokunbi with time and space to poke the ball home.
A half-hour of misplaced passes; very little goal action as the Angels, in particular, seemed to perform as a group of strangers on an alien surface. So it came as no surprise when, after 34 minutes, a ball lost in midfield by Manny Maja was played into the path of Shokunbi who was left with a straightforward finish past a bemused Jonny Henly.
Two very quickly became three when a misplaced header saw Shokunbi send Wood clear to slot home with ease before respectfully refusing to celebrate.
Maja was withdrawn during the half-time break to be replaced by Ben Swift, thus allowing Tommy Fagg to move into midfield, two round pegs back in round holes.
Tonbridge made a much better fist of the second period but Hampton had done enough and did not need to do anything other than contain their hosts.
Fagg was central to much of the action although his two efforts cleared the bar.
TQ Addy replaced Tushaun Walters and he added some impetus to the attack but the visiting goalkeeper, Alan Julian failed to be seriously tested until the 74th minute when a surging channel run from Louis Collins ended with a cross that was converted by Dylan Gavin, who was signed on Thursday on loan from Charlton Athletic.
Could it be that a stirring comeback to mark this momentous day was on cards, sadly the answer was to be in the negative. As bodies were thrown forward, the Angels were getting caught on the break and the second of these, in the final minute of regular time ended with a tap-in for substitute Brandon Barzey.
It was disappointing to hear the final whistle greeted with a few boos. Any one of those supporters would have taken seven points from four games, it was just a shame that one of those away wins couldn’t be swapped for a home win.
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