Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Santos 14
Chelmsford City (0) 0
Attendance: 930
Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 38/2,634
A thrilling game in which Tonbridge had a first half of attractive football and a second in which they had to dig deep and defend as if their lives depended on it. Both aspects of the game were loudly appreciated by a fully engaged attendance of 930, which we think is a record League attendance for a Tuesday night at Longmead.
Chelmsford arrived sitting fourth in the table, 10 games unbeaten including five wins on the spin which includes progress to the First Round of the FA Cup.
Jaydon Crowhurst’s loan spell from Southend has ended and into his position came Tariq Hinds, a new signing whose last club was Billericay, having spent time as a youngster at Tottenham. Up front Dylan Gavin was preferred to Louis Collins, who dropped to the bench.
The first half was very open with chances for both sides before Jeremy Santos opened the scoring after 14 minutes which left me to muse that there was no way this game was ending 1-0 (wrong!).
A cross from the right from Ruben Soares-Junior found Joe Turner at the far post, diving in low to connect with a header that struck the post and, at the other end, Simeon Jackson was denied when one-on-one with Jonny Henly.
The Angels took the lead after Santos won the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and surged beyond the centre circle before releasing Soares-Junior down the right who made it to the byline before pulling the ball back to the penalty area to where Santos had continued his run to crash the ball home.
Santos was at this point revelling in the atmosphere and his shot on 23 minutes was only marginally wide.
Chelmsford came right back into the game and had a credible penalty shout turned away on 34 minutes followed, five minutes later, by a header from Charlie Ruff that cleared the bar.
Into the second half and Tonbridge’s rearguard action was underway almost from the outset. A cross from the left just eluded Jackson right in front of goal, whilst Joe Tyrie and Sonny Miles won countless headers.
But the moment of the match, what might have been for the season, for the Angels fans came on 78 minutes when, from inside the centre circle, Santos spotting the keeper off his line tried his luck and executed a near perfect lob over Ejeheri, but sadly the ball drifted inches wide.
Chelmsford threw everything forward to rescue their unbeaten record but the Angels back line stood firm and, in time added, it took a fine, low save from Ejeheri to deny Joe Turner adding a second.
One final chance from the edge of the box fell to Barnum-Bobb who shanked his shot about 20 yards wide and about 20 feet high to bring down the curtains with a rousing cheer that was mainly borne of relief.
I could still have been scrapped off the ceiling by the time I got home, what a buzz!
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