Tonbridge 3 Harrow Borough 2

Match 59/09/811 - Thursday, 15th April 2010 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (1) 3 Cade 38, 72 Kinch 49
Harrow Borough (2) 1 Baptiste 17, Watts 35
Att. 397

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/6,981

Match Report

Tonbridge came from behind to stretch their unbeaten record in the Ryman Premier to 12 games and keep themselves within striking distance of a play-off place with games in hand on those above them. But an arduous schedule that would spark outrage in the Premier League against clubs similarly contesting those top five positions is about to unfold.

First up at Longmead on Saturday, in the host’s last home game, are Borehamwood, presently placed one place above Tonbridge in sixth position. On Tuesday, there is a visit to bogey team, AFC Hornchurch, who are ninth, five points shy of the dotted line. Thursday sees a visit to Wealdstone, in eighth and three points adrift of the Angels and on the last day of the regular season, next Saturday, Tonbridge visit the form side of the Division, Aveley.

Such is the congestion at the top of the table, Tonbridge could afford no slip-ups against a Harrow Borough side with little to play for and a nothing to lose attitude. Minus Lee Minshull serving the last of his three match suspension and Adam Burchill at the beginning of his two week ban, Tonbridge found themselves under pressure early in the game and conceded the first goal after 17 minutes. Scott Kinch failed to clear under pressure and Rocky Baptiste poked it home from close range.

Baptiste will be remembered for his heroics with Havant and Waterlooville in their cup run of 2008 when he scored at Anfield, but his Miss of the Century that brought millions of YouTube hits brought him fame of a more dubious nature.

Tonbridge were quite unsettled and they give themselves a steep hill to climb in the 35 minute, a superb pass from a Japanese lad, Kenta Nakashima, picked out Ryan Watts who finished well, firing across Lee Worgan into the far corner. The Harrow support of about 10 were gathered behind the goal into which they had scored and despite going 2-0 down it was somewhat amusing to hear their songs being sung by a group of blokes dressed in shirts and ties and giving their rendition in rather posh voices!

The home side needed the lift of a goal before half time and in the 38th minute Jamie Cade supplied it. An Anthony Storey free kick was flicked on by Kinch and Cade finished from close range.

Kinch was wearing a heavy strapping to his thigh from the outset and looked to be struggling badly but reappeared for the second half and within eight minutes had equalised for the home side. A free kick from Liam Harwood took the faintest of touches off Kinch’s head to the delight of the majority of the 397 crowd.

This proved to be just about the last act for Scott Kinch, whose valiant effort on one leg had now rendered him virtually immobilised and his substitution was almost an act of mercy.

Tonbridge’s comeback was completed in the 72nd minute when Cade was played in by the persistence of Jay May and finished well from 12 yards. The game, that had been scrappy for the most part anyway, became nervy for the last 20 minutes as Harrow desperately searched for an equaliser and Worgan was called upon to make a couple of decent saves.

It was a lovely touch that tonight's programme cover was dedicated to Brian Cheal. I knew Brian as a young man, he was five years older than me but I knew most of his group of friends of that time, but lost touch when Tonbridge left the Angel Ground. RIP Brian.

Tonbridge 2 Carshalton Athletic 0

Match 52/09/804 - Tuesday, 16th March 2010 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (1) 2 Burchill 28, Long 54
Carshalton Athletic (0) 0
Att. 284

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/6,115

Match Report

Tonbridge suffered through the turnstiles at the hands of Jose Mourinho on Tuesday evening, but those that stayed away to watch, from the comfort of their armchairs, the Special One in Champions League action missed a special goal.

Sam Long will not be featuring on any Champions League highlights this week but his goal was of a quality to grace those auspicious heights. The young winger collected the ball on the half way line, and as defenders backed off, no doubt worried by the pace that had frightened them previously, he let fly from 25 yards with a shot that curled into the top right hand corner for a truly memorable strike.

In recent weeks Tonbridge have moved steadily away for the relegation places and positioned themselves in mid-table, but the congestion around them makes it not unthinkable that a play-off push could still be made.

In this game against Carshalton, the side that ended their play-off hopes last term at Longmead, Tonbridge played football that was pleasing on the eye and deserving of a greater margin of victory. The home side took a first half lead on 28 minutes when Adam Burchill kept his composure, capitalising on a mistake in the centre of the visitors’ defence to run on and slip the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper. Burchill is a young and lively player unable to stake a regular place in the champions-elect Dartford side and Tonbridge are reaping the benefit of a loan spell. Both Long and Burchill were released by Gillingham having been considered “too lightweight”.

Lewes Gonsalves, having survived with a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Kirk Watts in the first half, was no match for the pace of Burchill and when he brought him down on the edge of the box soon after the second goal, the referee had no option but to issue a red card.

Two goals to the good and with a man advantage, Tonbridge were able to stroll through the last 20 minutes playing possession football that must have given much pleasure to manager Tommy Warrilow. Whilst the eye-catching performances came from the flying youngsters, in midfield the steel and aggression of Scott Kinch has allowed Lee Minshull more of a marauding role that better sides than Carshalton will struggle to counter.

Burchill’s loan spell ends imminently, if Warrilow can keep him until the season’s end (and he wins an appeal against a lengthy ban), then Tonbridge may well fly into the play-offs as the form side.

Tonbridge 1 Kingstonian 0

Match 48/09/800 - Saturday, 27th February 2010 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (1) 1 Booth 9
Kingstonian (0) 0
Att. 429

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/5,417

Match Report

Whether there is any fact to the potential investor story at Tonbridge or not, the club is slowly emerging from its relegation threat by its own means within the resources presently available. Second placed Kingstonian were Saturday’s visitors to Longmead and a single goal victory for the hosts was a third win in four games.

A superb 30 yard strike from Paul Booth after nine minutes ultimately won a game in which Tonbridge had more than enough chances to win comfortably but were clinging on at the end despite the Surrey side going down to 10 men with half-an-hour left on the clock.

Perhaps Kingstonian had looked at their relative league positions and felt that this was going to be an easy three points because their whole performance was tetchy with several feuds seemingly going on. Lee Minshull became the target of the away support after a spat in which he had little fault and there was a further altercation between the bench and a Tonbridge supporter following a foul and injury to one of their players.

A bad miss from three yards denied Kingstonian an equaliser and hot on its heels came the dismissal of Lee Hall for a poor challenge on Minshull.

Dartford loanee Adam Burchill was introduced and two good chances fell his way both of which were disappointingly spurned.

The final whistle saw another Kingstonian player shown the red card with the protests continuing as the officials made their way back to the changing rooms. On the strength of this performance a greater discipline, on and off the pitch, is going to be needed should the visitors make the end of season play-offs because they are not going miss out on promotion with any good grace.

Tonbridge 1 Dartford 4

Match 45/09/797 - Saturday, 13th February 2010 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (1) 1 Booth 19
Dartford (0) 4 Johnson 51, Harris 72, Bradbrook 81, Haworth 85
Att. 842

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/5,301

Match Report

In search of a little respite from the relegation battles of Gillingham, it was probably not the wisest move to look towards Longmead Stadium. Last weekend as the Gills slipped in the drop zone, a similar fate was encountered by Tonbridge as they lost at Bognor Regis.

It’s strange that the occasions on which I’ve seen Tonbridge this season they haven’t been that bad. But the financial problems that surround the club have slowly seen players moving away leaving Tommy Warrilow with the bare bones of a squad.

Last Saturday’s visitors were Dartford, the league leaders, so there was the natural thought that this game could only finish one way. But, earlier in the season I saw the reverse fixture at Prince’s Park and it was much closer than the league positions might have suggested.

In front of a very healthy 842 attendance the first half unfolded into a very different story than that envisaged. Tonbridge had by far the best of it and went in at the break a goal to the good and could well have been further in front. They had several half chances before Paul Booth finished for an excellent team goal. Further half chances were created and it would have been no more than the home side deserved had they led by a couple at the half time whistle.

Whatever Tony Burman said during the break should be bottled such was the change in the league leaders from the outset of the second period. It took just six minutes for the Angels’ lead to be erased and with 20 minutes remaining the Darts took the lead for the first time when Danny Harris capitalised on some insecure defending in the centre of the Tonbridge back line. Two goals in the last 10 minutes, the first a 30 yard blast from Elliott Bradbrook and finally, a header from Rob Haworth made it an emphatic victory.

PC problems stopped me from posting this directly after the game and the ensuing week has been one of controversy as a potential take-over has been played out in public on the unofficial forum. An unnamed investor is supposedly ready to plough £500,000 into the club to redevelop the stadium and make available £20,000 immediately for team building. The redevelopment would involve 3G playing surfaces, 5-a-side pitches and associated buildings that would be hired out to generate a revenue stream for the club as well as the investor.

The controversy arose in the manner is which the proposal emerged in public. The board admitted that they had a verbal proposal but were not prepared to commit themselves further until they had seen a full business plan and considering the number of shafters that seem to be in evidence in football these days you would have to say that would be a prudent approach. Nobody wishes to see Longmead go the same way as the Angel Ground and end up aa a Sainsburys.

It emerged that instrumental in the proposal, but not as an investor, was an ex-Tonbridge player Mickey Collins who was approached by the club secretary who allegedly warned of a financial crisis that was beginning to engulf the club and with players leaving the club it was not something that could be easily denied.

The conjecture continued to be played out on the public forum until Tuesday evening when the board of Tonbridge Angels released a statement outlining that they would need to see the business plan and seek further financial guarantees and that they were surprised that the proposal was being negotiated on the forum. The statement also declared that the club was financially stable and debt free.

At the end of the week, the message boards are quieter but still rumbling on. I can now count 30 pages worth of postings at an average of 10 per page and still I am none the wiser whether the proposal is good or a bad thing or whether it is likely to go ahead or not. Who ever said that football is played on grass?

Tonbridge 2 Wealdstone 3

Match 36/09/788 - Saturday, 12th December 2009 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (0) 2 Rook 47, Minshull 85
Wealdstone (2) 3 Ngoyi 30,62 Chappell 32
Att. 439

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/4,398

After recent traffic disasters en-route to Gillingham away games I wasn’t overly disappointed to have to miss their game at Huddersfield due to a Christmas party commitment. It also gave the opportunity of seeing Tonbridge for two successive games, a chance to see exactly why their season is that of a stuttering nature.

A lot has been made of the manager’s budget, so much so that he has put a ban on it being used as an excuse for the inconsistency that has blighted the season. On the face of it, the eleven players starting, with the absence of Paul Booth, are a decent unit capable of better results. Scott Gooding returned after injury, a big plus considering Tonbridge have one of the worst defensive records in the Ryman Premier. Over the season so far, they have had several central defensive pairings, and the full backs have also been subject to change on a regular basis with Lewis Hamilton added to the injury list last Saturday. So excuse number one is made.

In a poor first half from the home side the defensive frailties’ were fully exposed against a good Wealdstone side, falsely positioned in the middle of the table with as many as five games in hand.

After about half an hour of mainly Wealdstone attacking the visitors opened the scoring. The Angels defence failed to deal with a right wing cross and Greg Ngoyi touched the ball home. Two minutes later the hill became a bit of a mountain as a Ngoyi through ball is deflected into the path of Lee Chappell, a youthful looking skipper, who smashed the ball past Lee Worgan in front of the jubilant Wealdstone support.

News had arrived via the text machine that Gillingham had taken an early lead, prompting thoughts that the good gods of Christmas were going to deem that I would also miss their first away win of the season, but by half time normal service had been resumed and Gillingham were trailing.

Tonbridge began the second half in the wake of what you would suspect would have been a half time rocket from Tommy Warrilow for a pretty inept first period display and instant dividends were paid. A slick move ends with a precise header from Carl Rook, converting a Kirk Watts cross. It was an ideal fillip as the weather threatened to turn nasty.

Tonbridge were buoyed by their goal and turned the heat on their visitors but against the run of play after 17 minutes of the second half Wealdstone regained their two goal advantage. A corner was met by Ngoyi, not exactly a towering striker, who steered a header past Worgan to the disappointment of the home support now getting pretty wet.

When Lee Minshull’s header came back off a post, one suspected that this was not to be Tonbridge’s day. It was Minshull himself who swept home five minutes from time to set up a finish but it was not to be.

Wealdstone deserved their win for their first half performance in which they were completely dominant and the home side must look at some poor defending which contributed to the defeat. Meanwhile, at Huddersfield, there was also no miracle.

Tonbridge 2 Hendon 1

Match 31/09/783 - Tuesday, 17th November 2009 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (1) 2 Minshull 40, Booth 65
Hendon (0) 1 Dunn 46
Att. 371

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/3,787

It’s a long way back to 1996, but if you can remember the freak goal that was scored by Stan Collymore against Blackburn Rovers with Tim Flowers the unlucky goalkeeper, then you have the picture of Hendon’s equaliser after two minutes of the second half last night.

Billy Dunn from just outside the box struck a speculative, in truth half-hit shot, that Lee Worgan had covered. As he knelt to collect the ball, it hit a divot and flew up and over his right shoulder to the stunned silence of the home support. Dunn and his strike partner, Peter Dean had first half moments when their luck was not as good, but this was good fortunate of the highest order.

The first half had been a highly entertaining affair with some skilful play from both sides. Hendon started much the better side and Worgan had to be at his very best to keep out an effort from Dean with a close range save.

After Hendon’s early pressure Tonbridge took up the initiative with Jamie Cade excelling in midfield. A good interchange of passes with Paul Booth saw Cade through on goal but was blocked by a last ditch tackle.

A goal line clearance from a corner was the prelude to Tonbridge taking the lead five minutes before half time. Cade released Lee Minshull, who engaged in an exchange of passes with Booth before scoring from 12 yards.

Following the freak equaliser the second half took on an end to end pattern with half chances falling to both sides. Tonbridge regained the lead after 65 minutes with a goal from Paul Booth, who was sent through by Cade. Booth kept his composure under pressure to fire home from the edge of the area.

The home side had to endure some late pressure from their visitors but held out reasonably comfortably for a fifth successive victory that lifted them to fourth in the table.

Refereeing at this level can sometimes leave a bit to be desired so special mention should go to Mr Paul Harris of Maidstone who endeavoured to let the game flow and showed restraint of issuing yellow cards too early in the contest.

Tonbridge 6 Merstham 1

Match 28/09/780 - Saturday, 31st October 2009 - FA Trophy 2QR

Tonbridge (3) 6 Booth 2, 55 Rook 14 (pen),
Cumberbatch 20, Minshull 50, Sigere 85
Merstham (1) 1 McGlash 9
Att. 382

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/3,671

Merstham arrived at Longmead Stadium for a FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying game as something of a mystery side. They are near the top of the Ryman League South and appeared in this round by virtue of an astonishing 6-1 victory against Premier League Hastings United.

After 25 minutes of the first half one of the mysteries had been uncovered. Bright and inventive up front it was easy to see how they managed to score six goals at the Pilot Field, what was less easy to understand was how they didn’t let in six!

Four goals, two penalties (one missed by Merstham), two sendings off, five bookings that was the sum total of 25 minutes of open, too open, football.

Tonbridge were in front within two minutes. A Kirk Watts free kick was headed across the face of the goal by stand-in skipper Lee Minshull and Paul Booth was on hand to net at the far post. After some defensive sloppiness Merstham equalised only for Tonbridge to go back in front from a Carl Rook penalty and extended the lead when Mark Cumberbatch met a cross that Rook had headed on.

When Merstham were given a spot kick, the attacks were so on top of the defenders that any scoreline you wish could have been envisaged. Sadly for Merstham the spot kick was missed.

As the 25 minutes of madness was reached Lewis Hamilton and the chunky Merstham central defender, Craig Vernon were involved in a bit of handbags and as both had already received yellow cards, the reds were brandished to both.

The rest of the first half passed by relatively quietly with the exception of a shocking Rook miss.

Five minutes into the second half and normal service was resumed with Minshull finding the net from 20 yards and when a brilliant run from Steve Ferguson was finished by Booth, the odds were on a cricket score being run up by the home side.

Merstham were still willing to play with an open style (and get punished for it) with their lively forwards causing problems for the Tonbridge back line. But with a couple of minutes remaining Jean-Michal Sigere, substituting Rook, scored a excellent individual goal to equal Merstham’s beating of Hastings in the last round.

Three grand in the kitty and a place in the last qualifying round is due reward for a highly entertaining afternoon.

Tonbridge 2 Bognor Regis Town 0

Match 20/09/772 - Tuesday, 22nd September 2009 - Ryman Premier

Tonbrdge (1) 2 Rook 23, Storey 74
Bognor Regis Town (0) 0
Att. 348

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/2,990

Match Report

Despite taking three points against bottom of the table Bognor Regis Town, Tonbridge’s indifferent home form continued last night. The visitors carved out six very good chances and failed to take a single one whilst the Angels benefited from a wicked deflection for their second goal.

It is really hard to understand the reasons why Tonbridge have under-performed at home, and not just this season, as their record at Longmead last term was similarly inconsistent. Whilst I have not seen a good Tonbridge performance this season, they should employ me as a lucky charm for I’ve been present at each of their three home wins!

Forced into a defensive reshuffle following injuries obtained in the warm-up, Lee Minshull was played in a central defensive position and his absence in midfield was sorely missed. Paul Butler came in as a makeshift full back, so it could be said that there were extenuating circumstances for the defensive uncertainty that created chance after chance for the West Sussex side who went on to spurn them one after the other.

In eight games this season Bognor have only scored six goals and sit at the foot of the table, goals win matches and they will continue in the basement of this league whilst their chance-taking is so profligate.

Tonbridge could have opened the scoring in the first quarter hour when a Jamie Cade effort was hacked off the line. Following on, Lee Worgan did well to save with his legs and the first of Bognor’s shooting chances came soon after when Jason Prior shot hopelessly wide and then Charlie Oatway, son of the ex-Brighton favourite, also blasted wide from a good position.

The home side took an undeserved lead on 23 minutes when Carl Rook turned in from close range following a Anthony Storey free kick that was headed on to the striker. Tonbridge failed to build on the goal and the game made its scrappy way to the half-time whistle.

Early in the second half the signs were posted that the half would progress in a similar manner to the first. Another chance for Bognor goes begging as once again Prior shot well over the bar. Michael Birmingham, a good old pro that rumbled his way around the midfield directing the traffic, had a free kick that was not so far over the top before Tonbridge scored a second to add a little comfort to the scoreline.

Kirk Watts, who had a good second half, crossed into the box from where the Bognor defence only managed to clear to the edge of the penalty area. Storey fired back in and with the help of a massive deflection found the bottom corner. It was the stroke of fortune that had deserted Bognor all night.

Although Tonbridge were now easing towards their second home League victory of the season, Bognor still had time to manage to waste one last opportunity with a header that went wide.

There were much recriminations about an incident involving Tonbridge supporters and the Sutton management on Saturday, happy to report that despite some audible bad language from behind the goal, there was no repetition last night. The hangover from last season’s encounter when the Sutton manager slapped Tonbridge captain Storey was an obvious factor, but the behaviour of a certain element of the Angels’ support has been an ongoing discussion for almost too long. As club secretary Charlie Cole was this time subjected to the abuse, it might well be the time when the perpetrators are banned from the club and hopefully some of its reputation can be restored before it goes beyond recall.

Tonbridge 1 Metropolitan Police 0

Match 18/09/770 - Saturday, 12th September 2009 -
FA Cup 2nd Qualifying

Tonbridge (1) 1 Minshull 38
Metropolitan Police (0) 0
Att. 352

Entrance: Sneaked in late
Programme: None
Mileage: 26/2,473

Match Report

The keyboard warriors and the genuine hooligans of Gillingham, Millwall and West Ham did me a little favour in forcing a 12.30 kick off at Priestfield. The police had enforced the early start on Gillingham in the face of the potential for crowd trouble, especially as the West Ham element became involved.

As it happened, at least as far as I saw, the game went off peacefully but the early finish gave me the opportunity to hot foot it to Tonbridge for their FA Cup game against Metropolitan Police. I missed the opening 15 minutes and sheepishly took my place on the sidelines having not paid for entry, the turnstile operator having retired to watch the game.

Sadly my endeavours were not rewarded with sparkling entertainment but at least Tonbridge progressed to the next round with a single goal victory. A 38th minute Lee Minshull goal ultimately proved the difference in a game that Tonbridge deserved to win, but were less than impressive. Several chances for the home side went begging before a Jamie Cade miscue fell kindly to Minshull whose scuffed shot found the bottom corner.

Fussy refereeing, a hot afternoon and a misfiring Tonbridge strike force combined to make for a frustrating afternoon (and made me feel less guilty about not paying!). After half-an-hour of the second half Paul Booth laid on a sitter for Carl Rook, who somehow sidefooted wide, it was synonymous of the match in general.

The £3,000 prize money will be a welcome entry to Tonbridge’s credit column and a place in Monday’s draw for the Second Qualifying Round offers the opportunity for further riches.

Tonbridge 3 Ashford Town (Middx) 2

Match 14/09/766 - Monday, 31st August 2009 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (0) 3 Minshull 47, Rook 63, 90 (pen)
Asford Town (Middx) (0) 2 Bulley 46, Johnson 61
Att. 440

Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/2,257

Match Report

For 44 minutes of this Ryman Premier clash it appeared that I was at the same game as Saturday’s encounter at Walsall. It was dull, chances were few and far between as the players struggled with the heat of a hot August Bank Holiday and a pitch that was solid as a rock under a carpet of grass that looked great but from all accounts is quite difficult.

After 20 minutes and against the tempo of the game, Lee Worgan was forced into a finger-tip save from a speculative 25 yarder from Ricardo Joseph. Both sides created a couple of half chances that failed to extend either keeper until just before half time when firstly Jamie Cade ran into the box and had a shot that was well saved by Ashford keeper, Craig Ross, his parry fell to Kirk Watts whose shot was also turned away for a corner. From the resultant corner, Paul Booth headed just over to end the half and set the scene for an altogether better second period.

The second half was only seconds old when a looping header from Malachi Bulley crept in off a post. It was just the tonic the game needed as Tonbridge responded immediately. Watts centred a great cross that was met by Lee Minshull with a powerful header into the top corner.

The Angels should have gone into the lead when Booth missed when it seemed easier to score before some awful defending once again handed Ashford the lead. A free kick into the box left Paul Johnson with a shooting chance that he scuffed badly. Rather than capitalising on their good fortune, the Tonbridge defence returned the ball to Johnson who this time scored with another half-hit shot.

Once again Tonbridge managed to respond quickly. Gavin Dayes, a 58th minute substitute, crossed from the right to the back post where Carl Rook headed home. The home side now held the ascendancy and Ross did well to tip away a long range shot from Anthony Storey. Rook saw an acrobatic volley just clear the bar and had another shot that went in the same direction as the time ticked away.

On the 90th minute Tonbridge were awarded a penalty. Minshull, a worthy man of the match, sent Watts free down the left hand side whose cross was clearly handled by Vinnie O’Sullivan. Rook converted from the spot, sending the keeper the wrong way. There was a sense of deja-vu from last season’s exciting encounter with Ashford when Tonbridge came back from two goals down to win by the same scoreline with a goal well into time added.

So alls well that ends well for Tonbridge who would nevertheless have frustrated their manager, Tommy Warrilow, with some sloppy defending. But the win moves them into third place in the Ryman Premier, a good start given the uncertainty surrounding the club as the season commenced.

Tonbridge 2 Tunbridge Wells 1

Match 05/09/757 - Wednesday, 29th July 2009 - Courier Cup

Tonbridge (1) 2 Booth 14, Cade 62
Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Lord 39
Att. 228

Entrance: £6
Programme: 50p
Mileage: 26/291

Match Report

On a wet night and following an announcement from the Met Office stating the bleeding obvious that the forecast that we should expect an “odds-on barbeque summer” was rather wide of the mark, Tonbridge manager Tommy Warrilow chose a half-strength side to contest the Courier Cup against neighbours Tunbridge Wells.

The half that were first team regulars ultimately was the difference between the sides, but there was some eye-catching performances from some of the Angels’ youngsters that made up the side.

Particularly impressive was Charlie Sharman, a fleet-footed winger, whose speed was instrumental in both Tonbridge goals. Not that Tonbridge had the game all their own way during the first half and first choice keeper, Lee Worgan was forced to make acrobatic tip-over saves from Mike Lord and Alex Rich.

Sharman’s speed on 14 minutes set up the opening the goal. A through ball saw Michael Czanner rush from his goal, but his clearance came off Sharman and rebounded to Paul Booth, who composed himself before sliding the ball into the open goal.

Tunbridge Wells profited from a mistake by young full back George Crimmen whose back pass was woefully underhit. Mike Lord showed similar experience to that of Booth when he seized on the opportunity and although his first two attempts was parried by Worgan, he eventually scored at the third attempt.

The home side had much the better of the second period and following a superb pass from Booth, Jamie Cade was able to finish clinically.

It might well have been thought a shade disrespectful on his Kent League opponents that a weakened side was fielded but with another fixture within 24 hours at Thamesmead, Warrilow took the opportunity to look at some of the kids that might well be squad players this term with the reduced budget he has. As well as Sharman, Luke Blewden, son of Tonbridge legend, Colin, showed up well and there was a composed performance in central defence from Jack Parkes.

Tonbridge 3 Ebbsfleet 2

Match 03/09/755 - Saturday, 18th July 2009 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge (2) 3 Gooding 38, 43, Sigere 70
Ebbsfleet (2) 2 Shakes 10, Hickey 37 (pen)
Att. 252

Entrance: £6
Programme: 50p
Mileage: 26/162

It would have come as something of a relief for these two Kent clubs to be playing football again. A summer of turmoil can be put behind them and their respective managers will be tested by reduced budgets brought about by their clubs’ off-field problems.

Both managers have had to lose players as these adjustments are being made and for Liam Daish this resulted in a team almost entirely made up of triallists and youth team players at the time the final whistle sounded. Tommy Warrilow’s situation is not quite as critical, he has lost players but there is still the nucleus of half-a-dozen of last season’s successful side.

Longmead looked in fine order with its new perimeter fencing and a lush green pitch that had needed an extra week bedding in, thus causing the postponement of the Gillingham friendly last Saturday. The grass is being kept a little long and its base showed signs of being a bit dusty but appeared to play well.

In an entertaining game, Tonbridge came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with a second half winner from new signing Jean-Michal Sigere. After an even opening few minutes Ricky Shakes made the most of a excellent left wing cross to head the Fleet into a 10th minute lead. The game continued to be evenly contested until Luke Hickey put the visitors two in front from the penalty spot following a hand ball on 37 minutes.

Rather than being set back by their deficit, Tonbridge produced two Scott Gooding headers from set pieces to go in deservedly all-square at half time.

Tonbridge overall dominated the second half as Daish made wholesale changes. For Tonbridge, Carl Rook, presently trialling at Brighton, was replaced by Paul Booth. Midway through the half, Booth intercepted a poor back pass, rounded the keeper and unselfishly slid a pass for Sigere to tap into a open goal.

Steve Ferguson produced an livewire display down the right wing and should prove a handful for Ryman League defenders in the weeks to come.

It seems strange to say that the loss of a 40 goal striker would be a blessing, but should Brighton firm up their interest in Rook, the money saved on the wage bill, plus a potential fee could free up enough cash for a couple of incoming players. Such is the hard reality of clubs at this level when they lose their principal backers/benefactors.