Tonbridge Angels 1 Beckenham Town 0

Match 3/25/2346 - Saturday, 12th July 2025 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Sablier 71
Beckenham Town (0) 0
Attendance: 258
Admission: £10
Mileage: 38/186

Heat proved the ultimate winner as both sides laboured in the conditions in which the Angels recorded their third successive pre-season win with a 71st minute strike from Marcus Sablier.

Beckenham Town provided a resilient opposition and, on another day, might have had a goal to reward them for their effort.

Craig Nelson acknowledged in his post-match interview that the heat had played its part in the afternoon’s proceedings: “The conditions were tough, easy to say from the sidelines, my feet were burning, I had to kick my boots off, so I can only imagine what it was like to play in! But this is what pre-season is for, about putting them at a point where they feel uncomfortable and seeing how they cope.”

As with the previous pre-season games, Craig fielded virtually a different side each half, with Arthur Penney playing a full 90 minutes.

After a quiet opening, it was the visitors that sprang to life with Kenny O’Banaya having three opportunities, a strike from distance that cleared the bar on 17 minutes; he brought a save from Alexander Dubov on 22 minutes and had another effort over the bar on 31 minutes.

Meanwhile, the only Angels effort of note came from Trialist15 who saw his shot saved by James Batt.

The Angels second half side brought a greater intensity with Brody Peart, who has signed on loan from Wycombe Wanderers, to the fore.

Peart had an effort deflected wide and, from the resultant corner, Penney’s header was cleared from the line.

Trialist6 brought a good save from Batt as the home side dominated. On 65 minutes, a Penney header across the face of goal found Eddie Simon, but his snap shot was wide.

The breakthrough came, on 71 minutes, when Trialist15’s run and cross from the left was only partially cleared into the path of Sablier, who drove his shot into the roof of the net.

Beckenham rallied in the closing stages with a header that brushed a post and a late effort that was saved by Jacob Adams.

Craig summed up the performance: “A little bit displeased, if I’m honest. From a result perspective, job done but I think the boys will know that they need to move the ball better, be a bit more clinical and have that cutting edge to goal. But all-in-all, job done, minutes in the legs and we move on and move forward.”

Picture: Wes Filtness