Haringey Borough 4 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 29/23/2152 - Saturday, 16th September 2023 - FA Cup Second Qualifying Round

Haringey Borough (2) 4 Young 37 (pen),45,71 Figuiera 83
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Greenidge 41 Crichlow 75
Attendance: 402

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: Online
Mileage: 112/1,605
Weather: 26degC., last of the summer heat

When I woke up to the dog barking her early morning call, little did I know that the highlight of the day was to be getting the flu jab.

To be fair, with Tottenham playing just down the Lane, the sensible decision was made to let the train take the strain along with the W3 bus and this worked as admirably as the NHS. Who said we live in broken Britain?

Something that is broken, one would guess irrevocably, is Tonbridge Angels' relationship with the FA Cup, once more being dumped by a lower league club, with barely a whimper.

But, I mean was I really surprised?

I see our entry into the FA Cup as a sort of Care in the Community Day. We pitch up at a club that hasn't moved a step forward since we last visited. We add about 100 or more to the usual gate and then donate a cheque for £3,375 with a guarantee of another £1,125 to come. Such is the appreciation of our kindness, I would suggest that we make it an annual event.

At least the W3 was waiting outside to beat a hasty retreat.

Following last Saturday’s debacle and the tirade that followed, spirits were lifted with the return of Jeremy Santos only to be trodden into the threadbare carpet of Coles Park.

Ten minutes of early promise were swept aside as Haringey Borough were allowed to grow in confidence probably on the back of their realisation that of a thousand Tonbridge passes, 990 were going to be completely pointless. Jonny Henly was brought into the game making decent saves from Michael O’Donoghue and Matt Young.

The late summer heat continued with another day of 26degC temperatures that brought about a water break. Haringey were invigorated by their intake of H2O and, on 34 minutes, struck a post before three minutes later they were awarded a penalty following a foul by Greenidge that was duly converted by Young.

A quick equaliser dispelled initial thoughts that this was to be another FA Cup nightmare. Santos crossed from the right; Joe Turner poked the ball goalwards for Jordan Greenidge to touch the ball home at the right hand post.

But the nightmare thoughts returned before the break when Young cut in from left to curl a shot beyond Henly into the far corner.

A half-time substitution saw Ruben Soares-Junior withdrawn for Gianni Crichlow and the winger had an immediate opportunity when the goalkeeper, Dillon Barnes, parried a shot into his path but his shot sailed into the gardens behind the goal.

The Angels threatened but their efforts only provided further footballs for the gardens.

On 70 minutes, Young completed his hat-trick with a decent strike from 20 yards that might have taken a deflection. Three minutes later the Angels were back in the game when the ball dropped for Crichlow to this time rifle a controlled shot into the bottom corner.

But the hopes of a comeback were quickly dispelled as Walter Figueira struck with another long range effort that flew beyond Henly into the top corner.

In the closing moments the home side hit the bar and Joe Boachie for the Angels steered a close range effort into the goalkeeper’s hands.

It was a day in which Tonbridge might have conceded six and equally might have scored six. It was an FA Cup day and those days only ever end in tears.

Haringey Borough 1 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 125/18/1718 - Thursday, 2nd May 2019 - Bostik Premier Play-off Semi Final

Haringey Borough (0) 1 Oyenuga 52 (pen)
Tonbridge Angels (2) 2 Ramadan 35 McKenzie 43
Attendance: 810

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 112/7,348

These are the nights for which you live in hope in the freezing cold of January; or when form is at its lowest ebb and the next positive result seems as far away as the summer sunshine. The despair of the massed ranks of Tonbridge supporters that had seen, at Potters Bar, their hopes of a home play-off tie replaced by a daunting midweek journey to Haringey Borough was transformed into ecstasy as two first half goals and a magnificent second half rearguard action brought home a Play-off Final appearance.

I’ve never been one that lays much stock at the door of superstition, I don’t have lucky underpants (although I think I might have now) but a new superstition was born on the journey to Haringey Borough. The approach to the Dartford Tunnel, the bottleneck that always means an extra half-hour is allowed in the journey time, had been plain sailing and as the carriageway began to widen to send the traffic to its East and West bores, I remembered that on Saturday en-route to Potters Bar I had unusually taken the eastern bore. The little voice in my head said change lanes and go west, this I did. As we reached about the half-way point in the tunnel, the traffic slowed and there was a broken down vehicle just a few cars in front and navigating around it was relatively easy. Another five minutes and that would have been a serious delay, I was already thanking my lucky stars.

The traffic to White Hart Lane was not light but always moving and you can ask little more of the North Circular than that. So arrival at Coles Park was made in good time, well over an hour before kick-off, and there was already a fair complement of Tonbridge supporters in evidence.

Memories of the last visit and the infamous 26 attempts on goal from Tonbridge and a 4-0 defeat was at the route of the apprehension, but also was the fitness of Joe Turner and Craig Stone, but both were warming up and looked ready to take their places in the starting eleven which thankfully they did.

First goalkeeper to make a save of any note was Jonny Henly who dived low to his left to comfortably field a shot from Kudus Oyenuga after four minutes. Two minutes later, D’Sean Theobalds won a midfield tussle and strode on a couple of paces before firing in a shot that brought a decent save out of Valery Pajetat, turning the ball away for a corner.

Michael O’Donoghue flashed a cross across the face of goal and ex-Haringey striker Chinedu McKenzie tested Pajetat with a low shot as both sides started to open up the game.

After 15 minutes Tonbridge saw their opening goal disallowed, when a Hollywood cross field pass from Jack Parter send Adem Ramadan away down the right. The winger cut inside his marker before firing in a shot that rebounded off the far post to the waiting Tom Derry who had his tap-in at the right hand post chalked off for a very tight offside decision.

Haringey’s Lyle Della-Verde’s shot was saved by Henly with his feet at this near post and Joel Nouble fired over before, in the 34th minute, Tonbridge opened the scoring with a spectacular goal from Adem Ramadan.

A Tonbridge corner from the left was quickly taken by Theobalds short to Ramadan, who from the angle of the 18 yard box curled an exquisite shot into the far top corner, over the head of a defender on the post. If Ramadan had walked up and placed the ball into position he could not have done it with more precision.

As the break approached, it got even better for Tonbridge as Tom Derry broke clear down the right, his intended cross was half-cleared into the path of McKenzie, who, from 20 yards lashed a shot past Pajetat and into the bottom corner.

Any misguided hopes of a quiet run-down of the second half clock were quickly dispelled as Haringey raced out of the blocks with an early shot over from Joe Staunton and a free kick from Della-Verde that sailed in the same direction. But, on 55 minutes, Lionel Stone was brought down just inside the right side of the box by Joe Turner and, after a convoluted run-up, Oyenuga sent Henly the wrong way to set up was to become Custer’s Last Stand for the visitors.

After 62 minutes, Oyenuga missed the chance of the match firing high over the bar from around eight yards after being set by Nouble.

The pressure was relentless with Tonbridge unable to offer much of a threat on the counter but Ramadan did force Pajetat into a comfortable save at his near post.

Thirteen minutes remained when Nouble was one-on-one with Henly but the goalkeeper got something on the shot and took the pace off the ball as it looped behind him with Jack Parter able to clear.

Hearts were now beating outside of the chests as Haringey seemingly had an endless succession of corners that were admirably dealt with. Then, as the clock entered into added time, I think most Tonbridge supporters decided this was to be our night. A cross into the box from Karl Akinwande was met with a shot on the turn from Coby Rowe with ball cannoning down from the underside of the crossbar before being heaved to safety. The time-added lasted a lifetime, but was safely negotiated to spark scenes of celebration among the travelling support that has not been seen for several years.

Better news was to follow on the final whistle with the news that Merstham had won at Carshalton and that the Isthmian League Play-off Final would be at Longmead. A night to live long, in fact forever, in the memory.

Haringey Borough 4 Tonbridge Angels 0

Match 58/18/1651 - Monday, 13th November 2018 - Bostik Premier

Haringey Borough (1) 4 Richards 22 Rowe 59,84 Aresti 90+2
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 260
New Ground: 331

Admission: £6 Senior
Programme: £1
Mileage: 124/3,774

In a month or so we might just look back on this first ever trip to Coles Park as “one of those games”. The scoreline gives no reflection of the game, but however you dress it up, 4-0 (the worst league defeat for two years) is a pasting in anyone’s language.

A statistician among the Angels’ following cited that Tonbridge had 28 attempts on goal and no less than 10 corners, all of which amounted to nothing as the hosts, Haringey Borough netted from four of their five shots on target.

The Dartford Tunnel, and possibly even worse, the North Circular didn’t make for an appealing prospect on a Monday evening but, if anything went well on the night, travel to White Hart Lane was trouble free.

Haringey Borough came into the game off a magnificent FA Cup run that took them to a televised First Round tie against AFC Wimbledon and although they lost to a heartbreaking 90th minute goal from ex-Angel Mitchell Pinnock, they had the compensation of £120,000-plus to ease the pain. One would hope that a fair proportion of this windfall will be spent on the infrastructure because Coles Park certainly needs some upgrading.

The main stand is a lovely old-fashioned structure but as far as cover and seating goes that is it, unless you count an area of standing, laid back from the pitch perimeter that would not offer much of a view with people on the fence in front, as there would have been when 2,700 packed the ground for the FA Cup tie.

Tonbridge are in the midst of a grand tour of the Isthmian’s 3G surfaces and, so far, it is not going well. Manager Steve McKimm preferred Tommy Whitnell to Craig Stone and, with Liam King’s ankle feeling the strain of Saturday’s plastic surface, Alex Read was recalled. James Folkes, also carrying an injury, made way for Liam Smith.

Tonbridge dominated possession from the outset and a flap at a cross by goalkeeper, Valery Pajetat was far from a sign of things to come.

The goalkeeper made a good save, low to his left, from Joe Turner after 19 minutes and, a minute later, the same man crashed a shot against the bar.

Thoughts of, it has to come, were quickly dispelled as Haringey took the lead after 22 minutes. A headed clearance found Rakim Richards on the edge of the box and his shot took a deflection to carry it past Jonny Henly.

The momentum of the game did not change as Tonbridge pressed forward from the restart. Jared Small had an effort that Pajetat gathered at the second attempt and a fine low stop to deny Tom Beere.

After 32 minutes, an inviting cross to the far post brought a head-in-hands moment for Read as he managed to turn the cross wide from a matter of a yard. On the stroke of half-time, a recycled corner from Turner was met with a strong, goal bound header from Sonny Miles that was acrobatically turned over bye Pajetat. On these two moments, I’m convinced the game hinged. Had one been converted and the teams went into the break on level terms, I’ve no doubt in my mind that the scoreline would have read a lot different.

The adulation that the Cameroonian goalkeeper took from supporters and fellow players suggests that their thoughts were not a lot different to mine.

And so the story went on, same old same old. Small shot narrowly wide, Pajetat saved well from Tom Parkinson before, apart from picking the ball out of his net, Henly made his first serious save of the game at his near post to turn away for a corner an effort from Michael Ademiluyi. But, from the resultant corner driven to the far post, Coby Rowe converted with a downward header to double the hosts advantage.

In an instant, the dynamics of the game changed and as Tonbridge gambled, gaps appeared that Haringey were able to exploit but the chances continued to fall the visitor's way with Turner heading over and substitute Adem Ramadan seeing his effort cleared from the line by David Olufemi.

The game was settled after 84 minutes when Joel Nouble laid the ball back from the edge of the box into the path of Rowe who let go an absolute exocet of a shot from 30 yards that no goalkeeper in the world was keeping out.

As the game ticked into five minutes of time-added, which at least brought some gallows humour following Saturday’s time piece debacle, insult was added to injury as a near post cross was converted by substitute Georgios Aresti.

No UEFA coaching badge is needed to know that goals win games and, if from the volume of chances had, no goals are scored, games are not going to be won.