Hythe Town (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Hythe Town won on penalties 3-1
Attendance: 387
Admission: £7 Senior
Mileage: 72/3,746
Weather: 15degC, dry after a lot of rain
Tonbridge Angels bowed out of the FA Trophy at Isthmian South East side Hythe Town and with it ended all interest in cup competitions for another season.
Three cup competitions, all exited at the first point of entry and each one at the hands of a lower division club. Sadly, Jay Saunders, who enjoyed good cup fortune with previous clubs, has suffered six defeats in his tenure, everyone against lower league opposition with the only success coming in the Kent Senior Cup against a second string Gillingham team on penalties.
Not unexpectedly, this penalties defeat after a goalless 90 minutes brought its fair share of criticism most of which was justified but some of which being, in my humble opinion, a bit extreme.
I’m not seeking to make excuses for Saunders or the club but the pitch was a great leveller. True, the argument will always be that both sides play on the same pitch but it is easier for the side that strings six across the back than the opposition attempting to play through them.
But that is where the excuses have to stop. Tonbridge were woeful in the final third and Hythe’s steadfast defence limited them to very few chances.
The day had begun with an expectation of a postponement, but a morning pitch inspection gave the go ahead.
First half chances fell firstly to Hythe’s Johan Caney-Brian who saw his effort come back from the underside of the bar after 27 minutes whilst Francis Mampolo also struck the bar for the Angels, three minutes before the break. In between was a lot of huff and puff with no end result.
As the pitch got heavier in the second half, the prospect of the game going all the way to penalties became clearer by the minute. Jordan Greenidge had the ball in the net after 67 minutes but this was disallowed for pushing without any argument.
Right at the death, Sam Flisher wasted the best chance of the half for Hythe before the dreaded shoot-out ensued. Both sides, almost appropriately, missed their opening spot kicks before Caney-Brian and Greenidge converted. That was the end of the Angels success from the spot and it was left to a former Angels legend, Frannie Collin, to wrap up the tie.
A favourite question: Dodgy pitch, lower division opposition, what possibly could go wrong. Unfortunately about 100 Tonbridge supporters knew the answer.
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