Hemel Hempstead Town (0) 1 Panayiotou 65
Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Korboa 22
Attendance: 546
Admission: £15
Mileage: 180/1,372
JUST A TAD DULL
There are hoodoos and then there are hoodoos that are just not meant to be broken.
Last season saw first-ever wins at Worthing, Torquay and even the Gallagher, but one frontier remained a step too far and that is Hemel Hempstead Town following a single goal February defeat in a lifeless encounter.
And so it remains, but the overriding opinion of Tonbridge Angels supporters leaving Vauxhall Road was that this was an opportunity lost, grateful for another point on the road but most definitely two points shy of its potential.
The Angels games at Hemel are characterised by late goals (always against) and interminably dull affairs, with a 4-3 defeat in 2022 an outrider, but one, nonetheless, settled by a 96th minute winner.
Why are games so poor and lifeless at Vauxhall Road? Firstly, there is no atmosphere generated in the stadium, with little more than 500 people in attendance, who in fairness were given very little to be enthusiastic about. We were told that attendances have suffered this season following a 25% rise in admission prices. But, personally, I lay a lot of the blame on the pitch. Although it is only six years old, it plays like a 3G from the bad old days. I can recall from its early life, players that have complained about its hardness; managers that have rested players whose knees might not be up to it, now six years on it looks very tired.
But, no excuses, pitches are the same for both sides. Despite losing on Tuesday in the derby, was there an element of after the Lord Mayor’s Show as a reason for the flatness of the performance?
After a reasonably good ride through the tunnel, 20 minutes delay is almost considered acceptable and on a warm afternoon, Alan Dunne selected an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive time.
There was an early scare for Tonbridge, not onfield but, concerning, as Ethan Sutcliffe disappeared over an old style perimeter fence, but thankfully, was able to continue.
A missed penalty, following a needless foul from Jordon Thompson, after 12 minutes gave thoughts of a favourable omen. From a distance I thought Nathan Harness had saved Remaye Campbell’s spot kick but evidently it shaved the outside of the post.
Optimism rose further after 22 minutes when Ricky Korboa received a pass from Lamar Reynolds, cut inside and buried his shot into the bottom corner despite a strong hand from goalkeeper Michael Johnson.
Tonbridge mostly dominated the rest of the first half with Jephte Tanga spurning the best chance to add to their lead.
The second half was a case of nothingness, Tonbridge failed to get going and whilst they did little in terms of threat, when Hemel equalised after 65 minutes, it was a goal that had been a while coming. The ball was worked to the right and from Devante Stanley’s cross, substitute Harry Panayiotou got between two defenders to drag the ball home from close range.
The Angels response was immediate with Tanga bringing a save from Johnson at his near post and there were late efforts from Alfie Pavey and Tanga before the referee mercifully brought an end to proceedings.
There are days like this when a game can be frankly described as dull, thankfully a visit to Hemel is just once a season.
Photo: Dave Couldridge
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