Tonbridge 2 AFC Wimbledon 2

Match 30/07/647 - Tuesday, 13th November 2007 - Ryman Premier

Tonbridge (0) 2 Main 58 Harris 66
AFC Wimbledon (2) 2 Beales (o.g.) 27 De Bolla 33
Att. 985

Entrance: £8
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/2,554

Match Report

If you don’t update these blogs at the earliest opportunity how events overtake you, but firstly to the match in hand.

If is quite amazing the contrasts that football can throw up. Saturday at Barnet had to be the low point of this season with a lack of commitment that left me both exasperated and angry, last night showed the opposite with a Tonbridge side showing determination to haul themselves back from a 2-0 half-time deficit and a first half in which they had been thoroughly outplayed. Also at Old Trafford last Wednesday in front of 75,000 I was lamenting the lack of atmosphere and last night 985 created a special night.

This was the best game I’ve seen this season, great entertainment with a couple of good goals, a classic own goal and as said, the wonderful fight back that didn’t quite end with the ultimate result, but a draw was a fair result. Wimbledon had stormed into a two goal lead that their superiority had deserved. John Beales scored the classic own goal with a diving header and a left wing free kick evaded everybody to find the bottom corner. Even the most biaised of Angels could not deny AFC their worthy lead.

Whatever new manager Tommy Warrilow (rather hazy picture left), said Tonbridge came out and took the game to their high-flying opponents. Jon Main scored his 20th goal of the season and after Wimbledon lost their goalkeeper to injury Richard Harris who had been thrown forward scored their equaliser. Doubtless any Wimbledon fan reading this will point to the fact that their keeper had been injured by a Scott Kinch challenge for which he was booked and subsequently substituted by a non-goalkeeping substitute.

For all this Tonbridge more than deserved their point and I went home not only happy with the result but with a little faith restored after the last week’s disappointments.

As I said in the first paragraph events overtake the writing of a blog and today it has been announced that Jon Main has signed for last night’s opponents. Jon is going to be a big miss a Longmead, hopefully the substantial, but undisclosed fee will go a long way to finding a suitable replacement, but that is going to be very difficult to achieve.

Picture: kentishman

Barnet 2 Gillingham 1

Match 29/07/646 - Saturday, 10th November 2007 - FA Cup 1st Round

Barnet (0) 2 Yakubu 61 Hatch 63
Gillingham (1) 1 Graham 28
Att. 2,843

Entrance: £15
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 152/2,528

Match Report

Gillingham crashed out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle with a woeful second half display at League Two Barnet. What is it about this side that can look half decent at Priestfield and turn into a spineless, gutless rabble as soon as they leave the confines of Medway.

Barnet, no great shakes themselves, simply wanted the game more than Gillingham. They cut short their half-time break, came out and rolled up the sleeves. Nothing more, but their endeavour was more than enough to roll over feeble opposition.

Let’s make excuses because that is the only way we can justify the events. Underhill is a crap ground, with a slope that makes it look like the game is being played on Blue Bell Hill. Barnet get small crowds so there is no big game atmosphere, blah, blah. There are no excuses, today was absolutely pathetic, and if Barnet go on to the third round and draw Manchester United (again), the players can only look themselves in the face and say we missed that opportunity because we had no stomach for a fight. If Mark Stimson thought he had less of a challenge with the two lucky draws so far attained, then today showed the true measure of the job.

Gillingham fans, hardly the most critical in the country, reacted to the players at the final whistle with a torrent of abuse that should not have to be directed at their own players, but these imitators deserved every expletive.

Underhill is this season celebrating 100 years of football and the ground looks as though it has seen little change in that time. Even the Football League label it an embarrassment. Plans are in hand to upgrade but at present they are finding the Town Hall a much tougher opponent than Gillingham Football Club.

Manchester United 4 Dynamo Kiev 0

Match 28/07/645 - Wednesday, 6th November 2007 - Champions League

Manchester United (2) 4 Pique 31 Tevez 31 Rooney 76 Ronaldo 88
Dynamo Kiev (0) 0
Att. 75,013

Entrance: £40
Programme: £3
Mileage: 531/2,376

Match Report

Thirty-one years have passed since I walked through an Old Trafford turnstile to watch Manchester United play. Admittedly in that time we’ve seen England play at the Theatre of Dreams going on 20 times in the intervening time of old Wembley and new Wembley.

As a game of football, unfortunately it was no contest. Whilst Kiev had a couple of second half chances they largely confined their ambition to avoiding embarrassment and once United had opened the scoring through the unlikely figure of Gerald Pique then it became little more than a training exercise for the Reds.

This was probably the most disappointing aspect of the day. Old Trafford on England days had sometimes been a bit of a sterile experience. My memories of many years ago had been of a seething torrent of atmosphere that had been generated on the Stretford End and to re-live those days was what I was looking forward to. A one-sided game, very little support for the visitors (they did have a big flag though!) and for the most part a half-pace United resulted in an atmosphere not very different from those England games.

As usual Wayne Rooney, despite later admitting that he had been bored during the game, showed some enthusiasm and took his goal well. Ronaldo was frustrating, but managed to produce the night’s comedy moment when one of his tricks went hopelessly wrong and produced a “what the flipping (edited) hell was that” from his own supporters. But the star of the show was undoubtedly Carlos Tevez. His goal was the result of his direct running and the blossoming partnership with Rooney. A one-two had Tevez in on goal and he fired home with assurity.

So my return was enjoyable, on another day maybe the atmosphere will live up to the memories, but perhaps football crowds have just changed forever. With the demise of the standing areas crowd motion has disappeared and at times the Theatre of Dreams was like a theatre, with plenty of applause but very little noise. Could it be that Roy Keane’s prawn sandwich contingent and polite theatre-goers are today one and the same person.

Gillingham 1 Doncaster Rovers 1

Match 27/07/644 - Tuesday, 5th November 2007 - League One

Gillingham (1) 1 Dickson 18
Doncaster Rovers (0) 1 Hayter (pen) 65
Att. 5,030

Entrance: Season ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 45/1,845

Match Report

It is said that the first attribute you need from a manager is for him to be a lucky one. Perhaps in Mark Stimson we have gained a man with that very precious gift.

In his first game, on the back of a strike from Delroy Facey, the like of which we have not seen since he joined and opponents Swansea then making life even more difficult for themselves playing for 65 minutes with ten men by hook or by crook Gillngham hold on to secure their first point with the aid of a missed penalty. Lucky, perhaps we’ll call it spirited defending.

Against Doncaster on Tuesday evening, Gillingham once again got off to a great start with a very good goal from Chris Dickson and spurn the chance to go 2-up when Facey smashed a penalty against the bar (why, oh why did he need to hit it so hard?). From that point on, it was backs against the wall as Doncaster carved them apart with comparative ease but contrived to miss chance after chance. Eventually after a period when Simon Royce seemed to be playing the visitors alone, Donny got themselves a penalty and James Hayter showed considerably more composure than Facey.

As Gillingham fell into their old ways and defended ever deeper, Doncaster launched waves of attacks that were repelled with a mixture of attributes shown at Swansea, spirited defending and good old lady luck.

The fine home run continues and as this game reached its final whistle, none of the home support could deny that it was a point gained. Stimson may be able to take credit that a steely determination has become apparent and that for the present, good fortune is looking down on us.

Tommy Warrilow signs in

The favourite for the job and a ex-Angels player Tommy Warrilow has been named as the new manager at Longmead. This will be a popular choice with the Tonbridge faithful as his name was top of the fans wish list from the very outset. He leaves Horsham were he was assistant manager to Johnny Maggs and brings with him Cliff Cant as his assistant.

Meanwhile at Tunbridge Wells, reserve team manager Mike Robbins has been promoted on a permanent basis, but such is the rancour within the Culverden club this story probably still has some mileage.

Tonbridge 2 East Thurrock 0

Match 26/07/643 - Saturday, 3rd November 2007 - FA Trophy 2QR

Tonbridge (0) 2 Kinch 83 Logan 90
East Thurrock (0) 0
Att. 280

Entrance: £8
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/1,800

Tonbridge's penchant for late goals winning cup ties continued at Longmead as two goals in the last eight minutes won an entertaining FA Trophy tie. Under the stewardship of Julian Leigh and Simon Balsdon following Tony Dolby's dismissal, Tonbridge produced a decent performance in front of a very disappointing attendance. I do not understand the apathy towards the Trophy (there were only 20 or so more for the previous round) and I find it hard to believe that 50% of this season's average disappear just because the club are no longer in the FA Cup.

No whispers at the ground as to who the new manager might be. From Nick Sullivan's programme notes he informs that the phone has been ringing constantly with some obvious applicants and some not [so obvious]. So there appears no shortage of interest in the job and the chairman acknowledges that Tony Dolby has taken the club forward to this point. So we will have to wait and see, sometime this coming week has been mentioned.

But for now, another home draw on Monday would do nicely.

Stimson signs in

Just a day after writing that the puffs of smoke probably would not be seen over Priestfield for the distant future, Mark Stimson is announced as the new manager of Gillingham Football Club.

Personally I'll pleased with the choice. Sure he is unproven at Football League level but he has a good track record at Grays and Stevenage and is a manager on the up. He has a reputation for wanting his teams to play attractive football and that will not go amiss given the dross we have been served up in the last 18 months.

The messageboards are thick with positive vibes and that is something in itself, recently they have been a really negative vehichle.

Stimson himself has given a very good first interview and if he can live up to his own billing then better times are ahead for the club.

Stimson interview

Stimson's first match in charge at Swansea on Friday night ended 1-1 earning Gillingham their first away point of the season. Having taken an early lead through Delroy Facey and having a man advantage after the home side had a man sent off on 25, they came within 10 minutes of victory before conceding an equaliser and then a last kick penalty which thankfully Simon Royce saved.