Farnborough (2) 4 Pendlebury 29,85 Folivi 45 Hall 53
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Meade 71
Attendance: 607
Admission: £10 Senior
Mileage: 180/2,736
Weather: 11degC., chilly
Oh dear. Oh dearie, dearie me! One of those nights when you throw your hands to the air in exasperation and just question what you have just done with the last seven hours.
Perhaps there can be some consolation in that it cannot get any worse than this, surely. But, the little voice nagging away in the back of my head, is saying it most certainly can.
It was the same little voice that had been telling me: “Do yourself a favour, pay the National League £9.50 and if it turns to crap you can join the wife for another episode from 2000 of Dalziel and Pascoe”, but no, the bit of the brain that controls sentimentality shouts the loudest and off I trek to face the trials of the M25 and M3 at rush hour.
Before we pick the bones out of an excruciatingly poor performance from the Angels, let’s not forget that there were two teams on the pitch and one of them was actually pretty good. Farnborough, unbeaten at home, just one defeat in their last nine, were a good enough side not to need any help.
As for Tonbridge, it was another match, another enforced reshuffle, another game of fitting square pegs into round holes, another match where they are robbing Peter to pay Paul in terms getting the best out of the players we have got.
As one comes back, in this case Jernade Meade, another goes missing as in Tariq Hinds through illness. Jordan Higgs returned but is still carrying an injury; Jordan Greenidge, dropped to the bench not being fit enough for a full ninety. With Ben Swift serving the second of his three match suspension, Tommy Parkinson continued whilst there was another new addition, Ansu Janneh from Havant, in midfield with a further signing, Ethan Sutcliffe, from AFC Wimbledon, on the bench.
The square peg in a round hole is never more apparent than the sight of Scott Wagstaff filling in at right back and as one long time Angels supporter said as we disconsolately left Cherrytree Road, we will not see any improvement in performances or results while we have to utilise him there.
I haven’t the heart to recall each kick. Farnborough took the lead on 31 minutes with a free kick from Olly Pendlebury that was fired low past the wall to nestle into the corner. Sonny Fish brought a decent save from Jack Turner as Tonbridge endeavoured to respond but hopes that they would get to the break with just the single goal deficit perished when Michael Folivi turned and shot past Jonny Henly.
The game was as good as over seven minutes into the second half as Taylor Maloney played in Connor Hall to add Farnborough’s third. Meade gave the sizeable Tonbridge support (given the distance on a Tuesday night) some hope when a 25 yard shot took a deflection but with five minutes to go, many of those supporters headed for the exit as Pendlebury added a fourth.
The usual overnight motorway roadworks saw the M3 slip road closed and plenty of average speed zones adding another 30 minutes of misery to the journey home.
Why, oh why and on Saturday, there is the little matter of the 500 mile plus journey to Plymouth for the visit to groundsharing Truro City.
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