Tonbridge Angels 0 Folkestone Invicta 0

Match 7/25/2350 - Saturday, 26th July 2025 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Folkestone Invicta (0) 0
Attendance: 360
Admission: £10
Mileage: 38/401

Tonbridge Angels and Folkestone Invicta drew a blank at the Yeomans Community Stadium this afternoon after an afternoon of profligate finishing from both sides.

Jay Saunders included Mikey Berry, Jake Hutchinson, Liam Smith in his Invicta side, but the afternoon had a sad ending for Jeremy Santos who was stretchered off after just 14 minutes on the pitch as a 56th minute substitute. Both sets of supporters showed their sympathy for a popular player that has had terrible misfortune with injury in recent times.

Craig Nelson continued to build the minutes into his squad with Jacob Adams, Nazir Bakrin and Scott Wagstaff turning in a full 90 minutes.

On a muggy afternoon that presented a couple of first half showers, it was the visitors that had the opening opportunity after three minutes when Hutchinson latched onto a long ball from the goalkeeper to lob it over the head of the advancing Adams but was unable to convert as he attempted to head home as the angle narrowed.

Brody Peart fired over before the Angels lost Marcus Sablier to a back injury on 24 minutes after being clattered from behind earlier.

Tonbridge were thankful to Bakrin for a superb last ditch challenge just before the half-hour and five minutes before the break a strike from 25 yards from Montel Mackenzie smacked against the Angels crossbar.

The home side’s best chance of the half came in the 43rd minute when Adams sent Peart away down the right with a well placed kick. Peart’s cross found the trialist forward but his shot was deflected to safety.

At the start of the second half, Marcel McIntosh, Bradley Williams, Alfie Allen and Eddie Simon were introduced for Jordan Higgs, Jack Matton, Peart and Matty Warren.

The Angels improved in the second period, chances fell the way of Bunmi Babajide and the trialist whilst Invicta were being limited to little going forward.

A clever free kick routine between Bailey Akehurst and the trialist saw the latter fire narrowly over and another Akehurst free kick saw a clearance rebound off Bakrin but the ball cleared the bar.

Craig Nelson said in his post-match interview: “I don’t think we were good enough today. Second half was much better than the first, the way we want to play is to draw in pressure and they gave us loads of pressure and I don’t think the quality was good enough and not the standard we expect and what the boys have been showing us over the last couple of weeks, so wholly disappointed in the first half performance, we were better in the second half but we didn’t do enough to deserve anything from it and we need to do better than that.”