Tonbridge Angels 1 Slough Town 2

Match 84/23/2207 - Saturday, 24th February 2024 - National League South

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Odokonyero 22
Slough Town (1) 2 Lench 1 Ogbonna 90+1
Attendance: 1,070
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/6,114

Both Tonbridge Angels and Slough Town have flirted with the play-off places in National League South so the importance of the game was apparent. A hard fought encounter ensued, but it was the visitors that enhanced their chances with an added time winner of some controversy.

Jay Saunders, perhaps sensing from Slough’s score a lot, concede a lot season, opted to go with two up top, pairing Jordan Greenidge and Nathan Odokonyero with Mo Dabre making way; the other change being a straight swap of Lewis Gard returning for Ryan Hanson.

Slough Town, coming into the game on the better run of form, flew out of the traps and, after just 35 seconds, David Ogbonna laid the ball back into the path of Matt Lench, whose strike from 30 yards found the top corner.

Slough, with Ogbonna giving the Angels a real problem down the left created further chances for Lench and Slavi Spasov before the Angels gained a foothold in the game.

Sean Shields put in a great cross from the left which Odokonyero headed narrowly wide before, after 22 minutes, a quick throw saw Greenidge pass to Odokonyero who drove the ball under Dan Lincoln.

The Angels finished the first half the stronger with Odokonyero having efforts saved and Jordan Higgs driving a free kick narrowly wide.

The second half was far more of a dogged affair with little in the way of clear cut chances for either side until late on when Shields saw his effort saved before, in the 91st minute, after conceding possession, a cross into the Tonbridge box from the left found its way to Nathan Minhas who saw his shot hit the post with the rebound falling to Ogbonna whose shot was cleared but a linesman’s flag deemed that the ball had crossed the line.

Jay Saunders said following the game: “With regards to the goal, whether it was or it wasn’t, that’s papering over a few cracks, I don’t think we were good today, perhaps the worst we’ve been in a while. The goal is a tough one to take, we’ve seen it back and it wasn’t a goal. The linesman has said that he gave it for the first effort but that has hit the post and come back out. I’m not blaming the officials for the defeat, I’m going to say that we were not good enough in all aspects.”