Tonbridge Angels (2) 2 Trialist 28,37
Margate (1) 1 Ababio 26 Attendance: 280
Admission: £8
Mileage: 38/158
Tonbridge Angels edged out their visitors, Margate, on a warm sultry afternoon, coming from behind to win 2-1.
Jay Saunders took what probably will be a last look at several trialists before making decisions on them; gave valuable minutes to Ryan Hanson, Tom Clifford and Fumnaya Shomotun and, with goalkeeper Toby Steward unavailable, two more Toby’s, Edwards and Smith had a half each between the sticks.
Given the makeshift nature of the first half team it was hardly surprising that Margate were the more cohesive in the opening 20 minutes. From a fourth minute corner Edwards needed to turn a header over the bar and further corners followed before Brandon Davey fired in a shot straight at Edwards.
After just 14 minutes a trialist was forced to give way through injury for the introduction of Crossley Lema.
After 26 minutes, Margate took a deserved lead when Hanson was robbed on the left touchline by Jordan Ababio, who dribbled into the box before despatching his shot past Edwards.
The lead was only to last three minutes when Shomotun cut in from the right to fire in a pass across the face of goal to the opposite corner of the six yard box from where a trialist scored with a good finish.
The East Kent visitors continued to give a good account of themselves with a Tyrone Sterling effort and a free kick from ex-Angel and Gate manager Ben Greenhalgh cleared the bar but it was the Angels who nudged themselves in front after 37 minutes with the same link up as the first goal but this time the trialist swept a great finish into the top corner.
The half-time break saw the introduction of Hayden Velvick and Liam Vincent and Tonbridge should have added to the scoreline when an exquisite through ball from Hanson sent a trialist through on goal but he placed his shot wide of the post.
Further changes were made on the hour with Jeremy Santos, Mo Dabre and Jamie Fielding entering the fray.
After 70 minutes, Velvick rounded the goalkeeper to run the ball into the net only to be disappointed by a late linesman’s flag and Margate’s goalkeeper, Reece Hobbs denied the goalscoring trialist a hat trick with a save by his feet and moments later pushing away a Tom Clifford effort.
The last act of the game really should have brought an equaliser for Margate when a defensive mistake allowed the ball to land at the feet of Ibrahim Olutade but the ex-Angel fluffed his lines and his weak shot was cleared from the goal line.
Jay Saunders speaking of his squad depth following the game: “I think it’s good, we want competition this year, everyone was saying to me what a good performance it was against Bromley and if you are looking at that we still had Cross (Crossley Lema), Hanson, Fum (Fumnaya Shomotun), we had quite a few out … You only had to look last year at the amount of times we had knocks and niggles and we had to have people playing out of position and this year we can’t have that this year so we’ve tried as best we can with the budget to work it the best we can to give us as much depth as possible and I’m pleased in general with where the squad is at, giving us plenty of competition and that’s what we want.”
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