Tunbridge Wells 2 Eastbourne Town 0

Match 1/26/2429 - Saturday, 4th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tunbridge Wells (1) 2 Corke 9,55
Eastbourne Town (0) 0
Headcount: 60
Admission: Free
Mileage: 35/35
Played at Bennett Memorial School
New Ground: 399

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Having recently celebrated my 75th birthday, season 2026/27 is my 67th since my debut at the long demolished Angel Ground, home to Tonbridge Football Club.

Last season saw a series of circumstances that brought my attendance total below 100 for the first time in several years, but with enthusiasm whetted by, albeit from the sofa, the World Cup, hopefully this term will see normal service resumed. Let’s put it this way, one of the circumstances, a house move, is not happening again (ever).

Tonbridge Angels are a week away from opening their pre-season campaign and their prospects for their season can be reviewed in a week’s time, so opening day fell to Tunbridge Wells, not at Culverden Stadium, but next door at Bennet Memorial School which houses a 3G pitch that becomes home for a couple of fixtures whilst pitch preparation continues. One hopes that the preparation resolves some of the issues that has dogged the club for many years.

A reasonable run of form towards the end of the season, especially given their backlog of fixtures, leaves Tunbridge Wells with a sense of optimism, especially as there appears not to be a heavily monied side in the SCEFL Premier Division, although SE Dons and the newly-named Petts Wood and Holmesdale may prove that assertion incorrect.

Eastbourne Town, from the Isthmian League South East Division, provided the opposition on a hot afternoon. The 3G pitch apart, the school obviously lacked the facilities of a stadium, but the tree-lined banking to one side of the pitch at least allowed some welcome shade.

Tunbridge Wells, who have announced that 16 of last season’s squad remain with the club, and looked the more settled side from the outset and although they might have gone behind on eight minutes when an Eastbourne forward placed his shot wide when one-on-one with goalkeeper George Bentley, they opened the scoring a minute later through Regan Corke who seized onto a ball over the top to round the advancing goalkeeper and slot into an unguarded goal.

A mid-half hydration break was greeted with amusing boos to mirror the dissatisfaction of the World Cup audiences, but in 28 degrees of heat, this particular instance was more than justified. A freezing cold Tuesday evening at Culverden though? I don’t think so.

Into the second half, and after 55 minutes, Reece Bartlett broke down the left to cross for Corke to finish for his, and the Wells, second of the game.

A solid start for the Wells, and for me, time to get my eye in and pencil sharpened for the months ahead.

Tunbridge Wells 0 Hollands & Blair 3

Match 83/24/2322 - Saturday, 15th March 2025 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 0
Hollands & Blair (1) 2 Brooker 31 Walmsley 45+5 Draycott 66
Attendance: 221
Admission: £6
Mileage: 38/5,901

Tunbridge Wells 2 Holmesdale 1

Match 15/24/2254 - Tuesday, 13th August 2024 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells Corke 57 (pen) Ward 58
Holmesdale (0) 1 Osel 74
Attendance: 157
Admission: £6
Mileage: 38/574

Tunbridge Wells 2 Corinthian 3

Match 63/23/2186 - Saturday, 23rd December 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 2 McCreadie 9,85
Corinthian (2) 3 Fitzgerald 21 Housego (pen) 40 Salim 62
Attendance: 335
Admission: £5 Senior
Mileage: 38/4,616
Weather: 12degC, dry

A first competitive visit to Culverden Stadium this season served to understand why Tunbridge Wells are marooned in mid-table. After taking an early lead through a Trevor McCreadie header at the back post, they were for the most part, second best to decent Corinthian side.

Corinthian equalised from a near post header from a corner and took the lead before the break when, it appeared a hand ball had stopped a goalbound effort.

A second half goal for the visitors seemed to have sewn up the points but McCreadie pulled one back with five minutes remaining set up the opportunity for a grandstand finish that didn't really materialise.

Tunbridge Wells 4 Eastbourne Town 1

Match 8/23/2131 - Saturday, 22nd July 2023 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tunbridge Wells (2) 4 McCreadie 17,36 Velvick 72 Lewins 81
Eastbourne Town (0) 1
Headcount: 80

Admission: £3
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/293
Weather: 15degC., wet

Pre-season drew to a close for Tunbridge Wells with a comfortable win over Eastbourne Town after a turbulent week that saw the departure of manager, Luke Carpenter.

The ongoing rail dispute saw my trip to Scarborough cancelled which was a great disappointment as these northern games have become the highlight of preseason.

Culverden’s pitch looked superb with the falling rain making it slick. It would be nice to think that I might still be saying the same in November, but we all know its history.

Sadly the club house, burnt out last year, shows no sign of being restored.

With no team sheet or white board and unfamiliar faces, a detailed report is impossible. The Wells played well, but within the context that Eastbourne were pretty poor.

In a difficult preseason, Wells’ fans can take heart that leading goalscorer Trevor McCreadie is still around and his two first half goals gave the home side a deserved first half advantage. After 17 minutes, an exquisite through ball sent him clear to slip his finish past the advancing keeper and on 36 minutes his header from a Rhys Bartlett cross made it two.

On 72 minutes, Angels Academy player, Hayden Velvick converted at the far post from a McCreadie cross after good work from the stand out Billy Lewins, who got his name on the score sheet with a close range goal from a Bartlett cross.

Eastbourne pinched a consolation goal in the last minute.

The SCEFL season starts next Saturday and with the likes of Faversham spending big to gain a quick return to the Isthmian along with others, I don’t think even the most diehard of Wells supporters are expecting their 50-odd year stay at this level to be ended. Whoever takes the reins has a big job on their hands, but where there’s McCreadie there’s hope and if you can’t be blessed with that in July, what’s the point.

Tunbridge Wells 0 Erith & Belvedere 0

Match 104/22/2111 - Monday, 17th April 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 0
Erith & Belvedere (0) 0
Attendance: 251

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/7,234

Erith & Belvedere duly earned the point they needed to take the Southern Counties East Premier League title and promotion into Step Four, Isthmian South-East, but they were made to work hard for their reward by a spirited Tunbridge Wells, who could easily have proved the party-poopers with late scares for the champions.

The scheduled fixture was postponed on Saturday because of a waterlogged pitch at Culverden Stadium and with this the final week of the league season, it had to be quickly rescheduled to fit in with another home fixture on Wednesday and Saturday’s end.

A warm, almost Spring day, had played its part in the drying out process and the pitch was perfectly playable, in fact, played well.

After a start to the season in which Erith & Belvedere (E&B) looked to be cantering towards the title, they have somewhat staggered over the line with Phoenix Sports making up ground, but also faltering in the run in.

Perhaps, it was the knowledge that a point was enough and with two further chances to acquire that point, E&B didn’t particularly look champion-material and were far too dependent on the Rory Delap styled long throws from Lewis Chambers to exert pressure on the home defence which, on the whole, were competently dealt with.

It made for a dull first half with the Wells going reasonably close with a Robbie Bissett effort and E&B brought saves out of Jacob Bennett with shots from Marcus Elliott and Anthony Adesite.

The game was not helped either by an over-fussy referee who punctuated the game with stoppages and yellow cards.

Adesite was denied after 52 minutes with a close range save from Bennett and E&B had the ball in the net a minute later but this was ruled out, presumably for a foul on the goalkeeper, who was left prostrate on his goal line.

The game meandered its dull way until the 80th minute when a shot from Jacob Feasey rattled the bar and then, in the final moments of time added, a 25 yard shot from Connor Pring was goal bound until the E&B goalkeeper produced a spectacular save to preserve his side’s championship-winning point.

Two final games for Tunbridge Wells probably won’t move them too far from the middle of the table where they have been marooned for much of the season. If there is one word that I’ve heard too many times, for too many years, at Culverden it is the description of “underachievers”. Shifting that title, for Luke Carpenter, has to be his mandate for next season.

Tunbridge Wells 3 K Sports 0

Match 100/22/2107 - Saturday, 8th April 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 3 Kamara 29 Lewins 79 McCreadie 90+3
K Sports (0) 0
Attendance: 331

Admission: £5 Senior

Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/7,091

Six months without a visit and back at Culverden Stadium four days later, such is the Easter fixture schedule. This time, Tunbridge Wells produced a performance that probably wasn’t as good as on Tuesday evening, but the gulf between the two visiting sides was massive.

A strange game in which the Wells produced three very good goals with sweeping moves from one end to the other in a match that for the most part was woefully short of quality.

Not unsurprisingly, on a pleasantly warm afternoon in front of an impressive Easter Saturday attendance of 331, the game had an end-of-season feel about it. Tunbridge Wells are marooned in the middle of the table with nothing but pride to play for whilst this result all but ensures that the visitors, K Sports, will be relegated.

A few dry days at least saw the pitch vastly improved from the difficult surface of Tuesday evening.

The biggest talking point of the opening 10 minutes was the colour of the shirt of the Tunbridge Wells goalkeeper, a virtually identical yellow to that of K Sports. How the referee allowed it was mystifying.

K Sports goalkeeper, Sebastian Barford (who went on to have a good game) saved from Festof Kamara after being released by James Nurden and a couple of minutes later was tested by Connor Pring.

Eventually, after half-an-hour of completely one-way traffic the Wells broke the deadlock with a goal that started with a sweeping crossfield pass from Pring, the heartbeat of this Wells side, to the right from where Jordan Sarfo laid the ball into the path of Kamara who scored at the second attempt as the ball came back off Barford.

Something riled the K Sports manager enough to get himself a red card, goodness know what, and he was removed from the technical area to stand beside the dug outs!

K Sports hardly ventured over the half-way line in the first half in which the final opportunity fell to Kamara to see his shot deflected into the side netting.

The direction of play barely changed during the second period but the game dragged itself into the later stages before the Wells put it to bed.

Good chances fell to centre half Dan Tear, who steered a header wide; a shot from Nurden that narrowly cleared the bar and an effort from Sarfo that was wide after he had robbed a dwelling defender.

It was in keeping with the game that from a rare foray forward and a K Sports corner from which Tonbridge Angels Academy leading goalscorer, Ben Hermitage, saw his header cleared from the line by Billy Lewins for the ball to be swept forward and none other than Lewins himself to race clear and score.

In the final moments of time added, Tunbridge Wells scored a third when substitute Jacob Feasey broke down the left to lay the ball on a plate for Trevor McCreadie to score his 26th goal of the season.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Phoenix Sports 4

Match 98/22/2105 - Tuesday, 4th April 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Griffin 52 (pen)
Phoenix Sports (3) 4 Kwayie 4,60 Pugh 28 Babalola 33
Attendance: 276

Admission: £5 Senior
Mileage: 38/7,015

A lot has happened at Tunbridge Wells Football Club since I last passed through its gates in October, not much of which has been good news.

A devastating week in January saw a supporter killed after leaving Culverden Stadium when he was hit by a car and then, on 12th January, the clubhouse was burnt to the ground in a fire thought to be caused by an electrical fault.

On the field, the pitch continues to be a problem that has caused postponements, so it is hardly a surprise that they find themselves marooned in mid-table with form best described as inconsistent.

Their opponents on the evening, Phoenix Sports, were relegated from Isthmian South East at the end of last season, but potentially could make an immediate return either via the automatic route or the inter-league play-offs. In an impressive first half, they certainly looked a cut above their present status.

Despite the convincing nature of the visitors first half performance, from a Tunbridge Wells point of view, it could only be described as a shambles as they found themselves three goals down in the first 33 minutes and it could have been worse.

Phoenix manager Steve O’Boyle has put together an experienced team that had far too much know-how for their hosts whilst making light of a difficult pitch.

Matters unravelled for the Wells from the opening minutes with Phoenix going ahead after just four minutes when ex-Tonbridge Angels’ Tashi Jay Kwayie was on hand to touch home at the far post after some good play down the left. In attempting to halt the attack, the Wells full back Jon O’Shea suffered an injury and needed to be replaced.

Kwayie was a young prospect at Longmead Stadium, but with his career in modelling taking off, football took a back seat, but following a great performance in this game he appears to have a future in both fields.

The visitors created a chance for Mickey Dalton, who brought a good save out of the Wells’ goalkeeper, Jacob Bennett, before they doubled their lead on 28 minutes when Kwayie chased down a long ball before crossing for Andy Pugh to score with a tap-in.

Five minutes later, the game was as good as over as a contest when Francis Babalola vollied home a Pugh cross after more good work from Kwayie.

Tunbridge Wells were at last stung into a response and Phoenix goalkeeper, Andy Walker, was called into action to turn over the bar a Trevor McCreadie header.

There was something of route back into the game offered three minutes before the break when the home side were awarded a penalty after the referee deemed that McCreadie had been brought down. The Wells’ top scorer stepped up for the spot kick but his effort was saved and the follow-up that was put into the net was ruled out by a linesman’s flag for whatever reason. This was the catalyst for a chaotic minute that saw two Tunbridge Wells players sent to the sin bin for dissent.

Luke Carpenter shuffled his pack during the half-time break and the sin-binned players returned after seven minutes without any addition to the scoreline and Tunbridge Wells turned in a much better second half performance.

On 52 minutes, they struck the bar through a Billy Lewins effort and, a couple of minutes later, were awarded a second penalty when Jordan Sarfo was brought down. Frankie Griffin converted from the spot.

Any chance of a comeback was nipped in the bud on the hour when, from a short corner, the ball was played into Kwayie who produced a great finish on the turn.

Kwayie might have added another to complete his hat-trick but was denied by Bennett and, on 71 minutes, by a goal line clearance.

On a night to forget for the Wells, substitute Jacob Feasey was also sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes in the final minute, make sense of that!

Tunbridge Wells 2 Deal Town 2

Match 27/22/2034 - Saturday, 1st October 2022 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 2 McCreadie 4 Abooa 76
Deal Town (1) 2 Chapman 7 Millbank 74

Attendance: 305
Admission: £5
Programme: Not purchased
Mileage: 6/2,310

This was the first time seeing Tunbridge Wells since the opening day of the season at Kennington when they were disappointing to put it mildly.

But, the visit of second placed Deal Town to Culverden showed that Luke Carpenter has made some good progress in the last couple of months.

My first visit to Culverden this season also brought a surprise in the new stand for the Sunshine Club, small but perfectly formed!

The game got off to a bright start with a goal apiece in the opening 10 minutes. Tunbridge Wells opened the scoring after six minutes after Matt Astle pulled the ball back from the byline to Trevor McCreadie, who received with his back to goal but with a nifty turn and shot into the bottom corner for his sixth goal of the season.

But the lead was to last barely two minutes when a cross from the right found Ben Chapman in far too much space allowing him to head past Jason Tibble.

The game was an entertaining end-to-end affair and after 25 minutes, McCreadie once again showed his sharpness in front of goal when an overhead kick struck the top of the bar.

On 36 minutes, Deal required some desperate defending to deny firstly an effort from James Nurden with goalkeeper, Henry Newcombe, saving the follow-up from Jon Shea.

Deal’s chances to go into the break in front came in the final five minutes with Tibble saving low from Connor Coyne and a header, following a corner, from Kane Smith.

The second half was not as fluent as the first and got more than a little scrappy at times with the game stopping and starting all too often. Frankie Griffin struck the bar from outside of the box for the Wells whilst Chapman pulled a shot wide for the visitors.

Deal got their noses in front after 72 minutes when Chapman was brought down in the box for Smith to convert from the spot into the bottom corner.

But, once again, a lead was to last just a few minutes when an inch perfect through ball from Robbie Bissett sent substitute Ezekial Abooa clear to plant a confident finish past Newcombe.

In time added, McCreadie shot wide, but overall the points shared was a fair result.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Lordswood 1

Match 116/21/1980 - Tuesday, 29th March 2022 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Gethin 90
Lordswood (1) 1 Reid 18
Attendance: 172
Admission: £5
Programme: £2
Mileage: 36/6,705

A penalty in time added salvaged a point for Tunbridge Wells, leaving visitors Lordswood still languishing in the relegation spots.

The penalty award was one of many curious decisions made by the referee who, surely, would have had better evenings.

A draw was probably a fair result, Tunbridge Wells certainly held the lion’s share of the game but defeat would have been rough justice on a Lordswood side that pressed well for an hour, giving the Wells not a second on the ball and, in the last half-hour, put a head or a boot on everything that was sent into their box.

Lordswood started the better and were well worth their lead after 18 minutes. Aaron Lee Wharton made a fine save from an initial shot on goal but Josh Reid was on hand to tuck home the rebound from close range.

The Wells recovered from the setback and forced corners aplenty but, apart from one on 22 minutes, that was headed onto the roof of the net by Freeman Rogers, none came to anything.

The home side lost the influential Connor Pring to injury on the half-hour and Wharton needed to be alert to deny Sam Bailey.

Kyron Lightfoot produced a scintillating run after 38 minutes but his final shot flew high into the night sky.

Confusion reigned just before the break when Freeman Rogers was sin binned, for what nobody really knew.

An early second half free kick from Lightfoot that was punched away by Lordswood goalkeeper, George Bentley, sent the tempo for a half that the Wells dominated. But, as with the first half, a multitude of corners brought no reward.

As they searched for an equaliser, Tunbridge Wells left themselves open to the counter attack and Zak Jakubowski twice found himself one-on-one with the last man, narrowly missing the target both times as he got his shot away.

As the clock ticked its way into time added, Tunbridge Wells were awarded a penalty when Lordswood’s Philip Makinde saw red after dragging down Lightfoot. An initial foul happened outside of the area but Lightfoot retained his footing allowing the referee to wave play on before he was finally felled.

Matt Gethin’s penalty was brilliantly turned onto the crossbar by Bentley, but Gethin followed up to head home.

Gethin might well have won the game with a header that went wide but, in fairness, that would have been rough justice on Lordswood.

Tunbridge Wells 3 Tower Hamlets 0

Match 112/21/1976 - Tuesday, 22nd March 2022 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 3 Froggatt 4 Gethin 68 (pen), 80
Tower Hamlets (0) 0
Attendance: 193
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 36/6,421

A first visit to Culverden since October, although not many did visit during a 77 day hiatus without a home game due to pitch problems, saw a comfortable victory over bottom placed Tower Hamlets who provided a spirited resistance for a large part of the game.

At times it was a laboured performance from Tunbridge Wells that was sparked into life on 65 minutes with the introduction of Kyron Lightfoot and Regan Corke who provided pace and excitement with their directness.

The Wells possibly got off to too good a start when they went ahead after just four minutes and, perhaps, a little complacency set in. A cross from the right saw Johnny Phillips knock the ball back across the face of goal to Josh Froggatt who completed the simple task of a close range header.

Given their basement status there could not have been many around the ground that were not expecting Tower Hamlets to fold, but they responded in the best possible way, defending stubbornly and pushing forward, creating chances on occasions.

When the home team broke through they were met with a goalkeeper, Ali Dogan, resplendent in the deepest of pink jersey that was surely at odds with the red shirts of the Wells, that was on the top of his game, saving well from Matt Gethin on 19 minutes.

Aaron Lee Wharton needed to be alert to deny Sezgin Alfhoieu and, on 26 minutes, the visitors should have been level when Daniel Alpanu was sent clear but his shot was blocked and the ball cleared from the ensuing scramble.

Dogan reacted sharply after a free kick from Connor Pring took a wicked deflection and, given the start, it was a bit disappointing from the Wells point of view that they went into the break just a goal to the good.

Tunbridge Wells reasserted themselves from the outset of the second half with James Nurden heading narrowly wide and a shot from Pring was touched onto the bar and over by the goalkeeper.

The attacking intentions of Tower Hamlets were now far more sporadic but, just past the hour, Loseli Annwa was sent clear following a long punt forward but he wastefully dragged his shot well wide.

The introduction of Lightfoot and Corke brought an immediate dividend when the latter was brought down in the box for a spot kick that Gethin duly converted.

Lightfoot struck the bar after 80 minutes and moments later Gethin gave the scoreline a realistic look when he cut in from the left byeline before firing in between the goalkeeper and his near post.

It was a workmanlike performance from Tunbridge Wells rather than spectacular and, one was left to wonder whether Tower Hamlets first-ever visit to Culverden might also be their last as relegation would seem almost inevitable and with that there is the probability that they will be geographically moved out of the SCEFL.

Tunbridge Wells 5 Bearsted 2

Match 39/21/1904 - Tuesday, 5th October 2021 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 5 Gethin 3 Nurden 46 Cheek 51 Corke 72,89
Bearsted (1) 2 Ababio 33 Stace 78 (pen)
Attendance: TBC

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 36/2,187

Tunbridge Wells produced a scintillating second half performance to overwhelm a Bearsted side that had appeared to have gone into the break with the momentum.

On a thankfully dry and mild evening that had followed a day that had started with a deluge that had brought flash floods in areas in the south-east, it was a credit to the ground staff at Culverden that the game was able to go ahead. But the threat of a postponement had obviously affected the attendance that had looked pretty sparse.

Those that came had barely focused their eyes on the far end when Matt Gething drove the ball home from the right side of the box.

The early minutes of the game were surprisingly open and chances came thick and fast. Sam Stace went close for Bearsted after 10 minutes whilst, a minute later, Gething went close.

Jordan Ababio announced that he would be a threat on 14 minutes and on 34 minutes duly delivered with a run that scythed through the Wells defence and ended with a blistering shot from the angle of the six yard box.

Ababio would turned provider three minutes later when his cross really should have produced a goal for Andy Irvine who somehow steered his header wide. The ex-Wells striker was somewhat lucky to stay on the pitch a couple of minutes later when a poor challenge brought him a yellow card.

If the number seven shirt of Ababio had lit up the first period it was the red number seven of Regan Corke that electrified the second.

Just 20 seconds if the half had elapsed when Corke capitalised on an error from Adesima Luqman and crossed for James Nurden to find the bottom corner.

The momentum had completely changed and Gething was denied before a cross from the left was headed home by Ryan Cheek.

The Wells were now in complete command of the game and on 72 minutes wrapped it up with a goal of unlikely similarity to Ababio’s first half effort. Corke’s pace and control saw him carve his way through a Bearsted defence almost frightened to put in a tackle and his finish was a shot that whistled past Illiah Saukh.

Bearsted were offered an unlikely lifeline when a clumsy challenge brought a penalty award from which Stace fairly blasted his spot kick straight down the middle.

But a comeback was not on the cards and in the second minute of time added, Corke’s corner deceived the goalkeeper and went straight in.

Tonbridge’s enforced three week break gives me the opportunity to watch three Wells games on the trot, I hope they are all as entertaining.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Sheppey United 3

Match 12/21/1877 - Saturday, 31st July 2021 - SCEFL Premier League

Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Howlett-Mundle (o.g.) 1
Sheppey United (1) 3 Aikhionbare 40 Tenyue 49 Roberts 76
Attendance: 410

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 34/676

It might have been 274 days since supporters watched competitive football at Culverden Stadium but it only took another 40 seconds for Tunbridge Wells to record the first goal!

Those long days have been well used as the Culverden pitch looked resplendent and better than I have ever seen it.

With over 400 supporters gathered and a good contingent travelling up from the east Kent island, Tunbridge Wells got off to an astonishing start. Regan Corke scorched his opposing full back before sending in a low cross that was turned into his own net by Jahmal Howlett-Mundle under pressure from Matt Gethin.

Corke gave Dan Birch a torrid opening few minutes and after six minutes produced another cross for Gethin who was denied by a last ditch block. But once Sheppey manager Ernie Batten had solved the Corke conundrum and Birch worked him out then the Wells threat diminished and the pre-season favourites for promotion began to show their credentials.

After 23 minutes, from a corner, a clear headed opportunity was put over the bar by Jack Midson. The pressure continued and, after 31 minutes, Aaron Lee-Wharton produced a fantastic double save from Taureen Roberts with a third effort cleared from the line by Harry Hudson.

Lee-Wharton excelled again saving low at his near post after Junior Aikhionbare had fired in from the left of the six yard box but the Sheppey striker was not to be denied for long when he got the wrong side of Freeman Rogers to fire home a powerful strike to give the visitors an equaliser that had been a while coming.

If the first half had been a period of two halves, the second sadly for the majority of the crowd wasn’t as Sheppey took control of the game.

Just four minutes into the half, they took the lead when Roberts set up Renford Tenyue to drive the ball into the bottom corner.

As the skies darkened and thunder started to roll around the ground, the outcome of the match was as good as wrapped up as Birch, his opening torrid minutes banished, waltzed into the box to give Ryan Freeman an opportunity which was parried by Lee-Wharton but only into the path of Roberts who finished from close range.

With the result beyond doubt the main attention turned to the skies and whether a huge amount of rainfall was about to dump itself on a largely coat-less audience. Thankfully the spots never turned into anything significant until a few miles into the journey home when it became torrential.

One game into the SCEFL season and I will make the not-so-bold prediction that Sheppey and Chatham will take the two promotion places.

Tunbridge Wells 2 K Sports 0

Match 26/20/1829 - Wednesday, 14th October 2020 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (2) 1 Cornwell 29 Sahadow 38
K Sports (0) 0
Attendance: 300

Admission: £5
Programme: £2
Mileage: 36/1,450

Tunbridge Wells 1 AFC Croydon 0

Match 17/20/1820 - Tuesday, 29th September 2020 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Hudson 59
AFC Croydon (0) 0
Attendance: 181

Admission: £5
Programme: £2
Mileage: 36/818

Tunbridge Wells 4 Bearsted 0

Match 13/20/1816 - Tuesday, 8th September 2020 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 4 Day 8 Bissett 38 Froggatt 88,90
Bearsted (0) 0
Attendance: 208

Admission: £5
Programme: £2
Mileage: 34/618

Tunbridge Wells supporters are nestling in their own little corner of heaven at present. Two League wins and FA Cup progress, scoring 10 times without reply in the process and heading up the fledgling SCEFL Premier table. With Covid-19 worries growing by the day, it’s no wonder they can joke about ending the season now!

Another decent attendance of 208 had made their way though the Track and Trace and Temperature protocols and they didn’t have to wait long to see the home team take the lead. Euan Sahadow broke down the left but saw his effort saved by the advancing Bearsted goalkeeper’s legs only for the ball to rebound to Matt Day who passed the ball into the vacant net.

Bearsted settled down after the early setback and created chances for Harrison Hatfull (great name for a striker!) and Jon Rogers, whose second effort was saved by the feet of Tunbridge Wells’ keeper Aaron Lee-Wharton.

The Wells increased their lead on 34 minutes when a free kick from Jordan Wells was met by a near post header from Robbie Bissett.

Bearsted worked hard to find their way back into the game with Joran Ababio denied by a superb saving tackle from Bissett and David Baranonski firing wide.

An injury just before half-time to Baranonski led to a lengthy delay before the referee decided to call time on the first half. The break had nearly been concluded before the injured Bearsted man was stretchered away.

The second half was a strange affair as the game drifted rather aimlessly towards its conclusion before substitute Josh Froggatt scored two late goals to add a flattering scoreline. The first converting from close range after some impressive play from Regan Corke and, four minutes into time added, curling a shot into the bottom corner.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Erith Town 0

Match 09/20/1812 - Tuesday, 1st September 2020 - FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Ince (pen) 90+4
Erith Town (0) 0
Attendance: 229

Admission: £5
Programme: None
Mileage: 34/468

In this topsy-turvy world in which we live, competitive football finally returned on a Tuesday evening with an FA Cup tie. The previous Saturday had seen a pre-season friendly with paying spectators safely negotiated and with the calendar turning over into September, the allowable attendance was raised from 150 to 300. People queued patiently, scanned the QR code with their phones and had their temperature taken as the turnstile control display ticked over to 229. The new normal is here, hopefully not to stay, but for some while to come.

Technology might have been at the forefront at the turnstiles but it took a good old-fashioned hand line marker to satisfy the referee who had decided that the white lines were not visible enough to start the game on time. A 15 minute delay ensued as the lines were repainted before the action got underway.

The game was one of two halves with Tunbridge Wells enjoying the best of the first half, rattling the bar on a couple of occasions before Erith Town dominated the second period. It would be unfair to say that the Wells goal led a charmed life because they defended with their lives but Erith really should have put something on the scoreboard during this period.

The winner came with a 94th minute penalty, given for handball, from substitute Brett Ince but the moment that took Tunbridge Wells through to the next round of the FA Cup certainly came 15 or so minutes previously when a shot, bound for the top corner, was clawed away by Aaron Lee-Wharton, with what can justifiably be described as a world class save.

Erith probably went home feeling a little bit cheated by the result but it was the Wells, with captain Ryan Cheek outstanding in the centre of defence, who banked the £1,125 prize money but also gained the doubtful honour of hosting their bitter adversaries of Beckenham Town in the next round.

Tunbridge Wells 5 Welling Town 2

Match 62/19/1784 - Tuesday, 7th January 2020 - SCEFL Challenge Cup 2R

Tunbridge Wells (1) 5 Day 3,46,55 Froggatt 48 Wells 58
Welling Town (1) 2 Round 26 Ademiju 90
Attendance: TBC

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/4,709

With Beckenham 12 points in front, albeit that Tunbridge Wells have three games in hand, it is perhaps unrealistic that a tilt at the SCEFL title might bee unrealistic. A top three finish certainly is not and, perhaps as in the context of this game, a cup success is well within their compass, but with every time I get to see Richard Styles’ team the more I feel that some reward is not too far away.

In this SCEFL Challenge Cup Second Round tie, an early goal for the Wells set the tone; they rode out something of a Welling Town recovery before putting the tie to bed early in the second half with four goals in the first 13 minutes.

Striker Matt Day, recently signed from Canterbury and making his home debut, stole the show with a hat-trick but every one of the Tunbridge Wells side put in an admirable shift on the pitch that the groundsmen had done well to make match fit.

After three minutes, Day opened his account when he converted from close range from a Josh Froggatt surge down the right and pinpoint cross.

Welling rallied well and were deserving of their equaliser on 26 minutes when Chris Round was afforded too much time and space to shoot past Simon Overland, who possibly might feel he could have done better.

The opening salvo of the second period saw Weling blown away. In less than a minute of the half restarting, Day added his second when sent through to coolly chip the advancing goalkeeper and, a couple of minutes later, Froggatt and Jason Thompson opened up the visitor’s defence for the former to add the third goal.

Froggatt provided an excellent assist for Matt Day to complete his hat trick on 55 minutes and Jordan Wells fired home three minutes later to make it five.

Welling’s goalkeeper Jack Moore produced several fine saves and substitute Danny Powell hit the crossbar as the home side threatened to run riot, but it stayed at five and Tobi Ademiju scored in the last minute to add a little respectability to the scoreline.

Tunbridge Wells 3 AFC Croydon 1

Match 39/19/1761 - Tuesday, 22nd October 2019 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (3) 3 Sahadow 14 Thompson 20 Fjord Rogers 24
AFC Croydon (1) 1 Ogun 36
Attendance: 155

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/2,656

A blistering first 25 minutes culminating with a goal that could grace any level of the game gave Tunbridge Wells a three goal lead that, although AFC Croydon improved, was comfortably enough to secure the three points.

The Culverden pitch had taken a hammering from the wet weather over the last few days but although it was visibly soft it was perfectly playable.

Tunbridge Wells started on the front foot and in those opening 25 minutes AFC Croydon barely left their half. Euan Sahadow put two efforts over the bar before supplying a cross that was headed over by Jordan Wells in the 10th minute.

AFC’s goalkeeper, ex-Wells favourite Nic Taylor, made a good save to deny Fjord Rogers but, after 14 minutes to breakthrough finally came when a shot from Josh Froggatt could only be parried by Taylor into the path of Sahadow who made no mistake from close range.

The visitor’s defence were being overrun and, from a Jake Beecroft corner, Jason Thompson had the freedom of the six yard box to bury a header for 2-0.

But the best was yet to come, a sharp three man passing move between Thompson, Wells and a lofted cross from Sahadow ended with a stunning volley from Fjord Rogers that Taylor could only watch on helplessly.

The Wells might have four or five up with some desperate defending seeing a corner to safety and Sahadow testing Taylor before, with their first real attack on goal, a cross from Kazzeem Richards was converted by Dominic Ogun into the bottom corner.

The second half was more even-handed but the Wells never really looked like giving up their advantage. Taylor saved at his near post to deny Froggatt and Thompson should have done better with a header that cleared the bar in the opening 10 minutes.

Simon Overland made his first save of the match after 67 minutes following a header by Nahum Green and it took a fine saving tackle from Chris Lawal with three minutes remaining to deny AFC a grandstand finish.

The pitch had probably sapped the energy out of the legs of both teams in the latter part of the game but Tunbridge Wells had managed to get their work done in that electric first quarter.

Tunbridge Wells 1 Southall 3

Match 36/19/1758 - Tuesday, 15th October 2019 - FA Vase First Round Replay

Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Froggatt 78
Southall (2) 3 Dean 30 McLeish 45 Dosho 80
Attendance: 130

Admission: £4
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/2,548

It’s a good job I’m not a betting man. Despite the disappointment the of the last kick equaliser at Southall on Sunday, I was convinced that Tunbridge Wells would prevail in the replay with relative ease. Just shows what I know!

About the only foot put wrong all night by the Combined Counties side was to misjudge the M25, causing a delayed kick-off of a quarter hour but from the first whistle they bossed the game and were good value to earn not only the prize money of £825 but an eminently winnable game at home to Seaford in the next round.

Just like Sunday’s encounter the game took a while to get going with a shot from Southall’s Darreon Hark to only one to employ a goalkeeper.

So, out of context with the pattern of the game, the visitors went in front after half-an-hour when a Southall corner was only cleared to the edge of the box from where Peter Dean drove a unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Tunbridge Wells failed to bring their wingers Josh Froggatt and Euan Sahadow into the game and chances were few and far between as a consequence.

On the stroke of half-time, an excellent three man move opened up the Wells back line and Aaron McLeish finished well past the advancing Nicholls to make it 2-0.

Andre Da Costa should have put the game beyond the Wells in first half time added when he shot wide of the post after being sent clear.

One was left to think, expect even, that the Wells could only improve in the second half, wrong! If anything it got worse.

After 68 minutes, Southall’s goalkeeper made probably is only mistake of the night when he spilt a shot but Jason Thompson shot wide of the gaping goal.

Similarly, at the other end after 76 minutes, a weak punch from Nicholls landed at the feet of Jack Mills but he also wasted the opportunity.

Tunbridge Wells were given a lifeline when Froggatt seized on a weak back pass to fire home with 12 minutes remaining.

But four minutes later another defensive mistake allowed Emanuel Dosho a run on goal which he finished with a shot that went in off the far post.

Ultimately, Tunbridge Wells will curse those added minutes at Ashford but can have no complaints on this particular night.