Match 02/11/889 - Saturday, 16 July 2011 - Pre-Season Friendly
Tonbridge (0) 0
Brentford (4) 10 McDonald 20, 29, 31, 44, Alexander 52 55, 80 (pen), Hacker 81, 90, Spillane 88
Att. 420
Entrance: Senior Citizen £5
Programme: £0.50
Mileage: 26/82
Match Report
Continuing our summer catch-up we move on to Tonbridge where the main news of the summer was the Main news, that of the return of Jon Main to the club. There had been whispers that it might happen but personally I thought this was no more than wishful thinking by a few fantasists. But on Thursday, 9th June, a daily visit to the Tonbridge Forum left me open-mouthed . . . a post indicating that a trip to the official site might be worthwhile, the Legend had returned.
Two further ex-Angels have returned to the club for their debutant season in Conference South, Anthony Storey and Tim Olorunda with Ben Andrews also arriving from Horsham.
The visit of Brentford for the first of Tonbridge’s pre-season friendlies became greatly anticipated, but ended with sheer bewilderment as the home side was crushed by a virtual cricket score.
Brentford were quality, even though they were playing a side three divisions lower than themselves, I will be surprised if they are not in the shake-up for promotion from League One in the coming season. They had strikers clinical in the execution of their trade in Charlie McDonald and Gary Alexander and they had a new signing, Clayton Donaldson, who scored 28 goals for Crewe last term, who failed to get onto the score sheet. Mind you, he was instrumental in just about everything else.
Tonbridge just about held their own for the opening 20 minutes before McDonald tucked home the first from close range and then with goals in the 29th, 31st and 44th minute added to his total to leave the half time score at Tonbridge 0 McDonald 4. Thankfully, new Brentford manager Uwe Rosler had seen enough of the ex-Ebbsfleet striker and withdrew him at half time.
Not that it gave the Angels any respite. On came Gary Alexander and he helped himself to a hat trick with goals five, six and seven. Brentford showed no mercy and the goals continued to flow and even when they had reached double figures they were still looking for more.
Sadly for Tonbridge it was a friendly that had came far too early. Their visitors had been away for a training camp in Norway and were three weeks into pre-season training. It was at least a compliment to the club that Brentford brought their full-strength squad to Longmead.
So a rude awakening for Tonbridge and their supporters who might have thought that all they needed was the Main news.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Dartford 2 Gillingham 5
Match 01/11/888 - Friday, 15 July 2011 - Pre-Season Friendly
Dartford (2) 2 Pallen 20, 26
Gillingham (2) 5 Oli 34, Whelpdale 44, Montrose 60, Rooney 74, 89
Att. 1,010
Entrance: Senior Citizen £6
Programme: £2
Mileage: 56/56
Match Report
Time constraints have left an end of season and pre-season reviews hard to do, so some of the column inches in the pre-season fixtures will be devoted to where we find our clubs following the summer sojourn.
For long periods during the close season we were left wondering and worrying what sort of Gillingham team we would be watching come 6th August. Eight players had been shown the door in May and precious little was arriving. There were plenty of rumours, of which some turned out to be fact, but we had to wait until 1st July when it was announced that six signings had already been made. In from Dover came goalkeeper Ross Flitney and full back Matt Fish, Andy Frampton, a defender late of Millwall, midfielder Lewis Montrose arrived from Wycombe, former loanee Chris Whelpdale from Peterborough and striker Danny Kedwell from AFC Wimbledon. There were further reports that the partnership that had kick-started last season would be reinstated with Charlie Lee also arriving from Peterborough and it had been persistently rumoured that 45-goal Dover striker Adam Birchall would eventually become Gillingham’s man; in the coming days both were signed.
Credit has to go to the Chairman for the investment. Lee, Whelpdale, Kedwell and Birchall all commanded undisclosed fees and in the case of the two strikers, no small amounts of money were supposedly involved.
The match at Dartford was Gillingham’s fifth in a somewhat bloated pre-season schedule of 13 matches. My own belated entry into pre-season came a fortnight after the initial friendly at newly-reformed Ashford United that had been postponed from a Saturday to an unhelpful Wednesday.
Most of the new signings had been given run-outs at Ashford, Bromley, Erith and Ramsgate. At Dartford there were first appearances for Frampton and Birchall.
Dartford had little respect for their neighbour’s League status and raced to a two goal lead within the first 25 minutes. Jack Pallen converted a close range header from an unmarked position to open the scoring on 20 minutes and doubled the advantage five minutes later after Flitney’s attempted clearance had been charged down by Lee Burns, leaving Pallen an open net to score from the edge of the box. It was poor keeping from Flitney but he partially atoned himself with an outstretched leg to stop Pallen from completely a hat-trick within half-an-hour. Sadly for Dartford supporters, Pallen then limped out of the game on 33 minutes and Gillingham immediately responded with a headed goal from Dennis Oli to reduce the arrears.
Gillingham levelled the score before half-time when Whelpdale chipped Darts’ keeper Andrew Young who got his hands to the ball but could not prevent it from crossing the line.
Gillingham dominated the second half with Luke Rooney stealing the show. Adam Birchall came on for his first 45 minutes in a Gills shirt and on the hour his superb pass sent Montrose through on goal, who converted with a precise finish.
Rooney cut in from the left to drive a low shot into the bottom left corner on 74 minutes and with a couple of minutes remaining crashed in the best goal of the game, blasting past Young into the top corner following a lay-off from Stefan Payne.
First half defensive frailties would have been noted and Rooney’s fifth pre-season goal marked up as a positive in the build up to the season’s opener at Priestfield against Cheltenham Town.
For my own records last season's figures end up as:
Lifetime matches total: 2,136
Number of grounds: 240
Dartford (2) 2 Pallen 20, 26
Gillingham (2) 5 Oli 34, Whelpdale 44, Montrose 60, Rooney 74, 89
Att. 1,010
Entrance: Senior Citizen £6
Programme: £2
Mileage: 56/56
Match Report
Time constraints have left an end of season and pre-season reviews hard to do, so some of the column inches in the pre-season fixtures will be devoted to where we find our clubs following the summer sojourn.For long periods during the close season we were left wondering and worrying what sort of Gillingham team we would be watching come 6th August. Eight players had been shown the door in May and precious little was arriving. There were plenty of rumours, of which some turned out to be fact, but we had to wait until 1st July when it was announced that six signings had already been made. In from Dover came goalkeeper Ross Flitney and full back Matt Fish, Andy Frampton, a defender late of Millwall, midfielder Lewis Montrose arrived from Wycombe, former loanee Chris Whelpdale from Peterborough and striker Danny Kedwell from AFC Wimbledon. There were further reports that the partnership that had kick-started last season would be reinstated with Charlie Lee also arriving from Peterborough and it had been persistently rumoured that 45-goal Dover striker Adam Birchall would eventually become Gillingham’s man; in the coming days both were signed.
Credit has to go to the Chairman for the investment. Lee, Whelpdale, Kedwell and Birchall all commanded undisclosed fees and in the case of the two strikers, no small amounts of money were supposedly involved.
The match at Dartford was Gillingham’s fifth in a somewhat bloated pre-season schedule of 13 matches. My own belated entry into pre-season came a fortnight after the initial friendly at newly-reformed Ashford United that had been postponed from a Saturday to an unhelpful Wednesday.
Most of the new signings had been given run-outs at Ashford, Bromley, Erith and Ramsgate. At Dartford there were first appearances for Frampton and Birchall.
Dartford had little respect for their neighbour’s League status and raced to a two goal lead within the first 25 minutes. Jack Pallen converted a close range header from an unmarked position to open the scoring on 20 minutes and doubled the advantage five minutes later after Flitney’s attempted clearance had been charged down by Lee Burns, leaving Pallen an open net to score from the edge of the box. It was poor keeping from Flitney but he partially atoned himself with an outstretched leg to stop Pallen from completely a hat-trick within half-an-hour. Sadly for Dartford supporters, Pallen then limped out of the game on 33 minutes and Gillingham immediately responded with a headed goal from Dennis Oli to reduce the arrears.
Gillingham levelled the score before half-time when Whelpdale chipped Darts’ keeper Andrew Young who got his hands to the ball but could not prevent it from crossing the line.
Gillingham dominated the second half with Luke Rooney stealing the show. Adam Birchall came on for his first 45 minutes in a Gills shirt and on the hour his superb pass sent Montrose through on goal, who converted with a precise finish.
Rooney cut in from the left to drive a low shot into the bottom left corner on 74 minutes and with a couple of minutes remaining crashed in the best goal of the game, blasting past Young into the top corner following a lay-off from Stefan Payne.
First half defensive frailties would have been noted and Rooney’s fifth pre-season goal marked up as a positive in the build up to the season’s opener at Priestfield against Cheltenham Town.
For my own records last season's figures end up as:
Lifetime matches total: 2,136
Number of grounds: 240
Sunday, 12 June 2011
England 2 Switzerland 2
Match 69/10/887 - Saturday, 4 June 2011 - European Qualifier
England (1) 2 Lampard 37 (pen), Young 51
Switzerland (2) 2 Bernetta 32, 35
Att. 84,459
Entrance: £50
Programme: £6
Mileage: 100/9,796
Match Report
It was a month ago that Tonbridge sealed their elevation to Blue Square South and Gillingham’s season ended in defeat at Chesterfield and perhaps that is why this important European Championship qualifier seemed lost in the middle of Summer.
Jack Wilshere’s claim of being too tired to play for the Under-21s in European Finals tournament in Denmark was scoffed at, but I similarly was suffering from a lack of interest at the end of a long season. This match sort of crept up on us, so much so that, on the way to Wembley, I had no idea whether Matt Jarvis was in the squad or not . . . he wasn’t.
It was a little over four years ago that Wembley opened its doors for the first time with a visit from Brazil and still the new stadium factor sells out games. It cannot be anything other than that because England as a football team continues to frustrate and annoy. Following the game there was chaos on the Tube as the Jubilee Line was partially suspended so an uncomfortable journey back to Charing Cross added to the disappointment of the result and the performance of the national side, certainly leaving questions about the worthiness of a £50 ticket and all the associated costs that go with a Wembley visit.
Taking a positive from the match, England managed to retrieve a two goal deficit and really should have won the match had it not been for a woeful miss from Darren Bent, but that is where it stopped. After a tedious first half-hour, in which Joe Hart was forced into a couple of saves, the game sprang to life in the wrong fashion for the hosts. Tranquillo Barnetta scored twice in the space of three minutes with Hart at fault for both of the goals. An inswinging free kick from the left, 20 yards out, evaded everybody in the six yard box and Hart was unable to react as the ball cleared Rio Ferdinand’s head. Three minutes later from a more acute angle, Barnetta drove the ball towards the near post, James Milner broke from his position in the wall and the surprised Hart could only claw at the ball when it was already over the line. They were calamitous errors for which the likes of Robert Green and Scott Carson have been hounded out of the England team in the past.
The prospect of the loss of vital points awoke the England support, although it was mainly in a negative fashion and directed at Fabio Capello. Fortunately a Frank Lampard penalty within five minutes got the fans back behind the side. Jack Wilshere, belying his tiredness, showed nimble feet as he skipped past a couple of Swiss defenders before being brought down to earn the penalty.
Ashley Young was brought into the action at the start of the second half and his livewire display was to eventually earn him the man of the match award (for 45 minutes?). After six minutes of the half, Milner chipped a cross into the box; Leighton Baines used his chest to direct the ball back to Young, who scored with a well placed volley.
With most of the second half remaining it could be forgiven to make the assumption that England would go on to find a winner and so they should have done, but Bent produced a couple of misses that endorsed the opinion of many that, despite his good scoring record in the Premiership, he is not an international striker. Sent through on goal by a sublime Wilshire pass, Bent was one-on-one with the keeper who was able to smother his shot.
Worse was to follow, an Ashley Young shot from the corner of the penalty area was only parried into the path of Bent by Benaglio but with the goal at his mercy the wayward striker sent the ball skywards clearing the bar by some distance. As Harry Redknapp would say, it was a chance his missus would have put away.
The Swiss could have won it in the final minute with a shot the edged past the post and similarly with virtually the final kick, Stewart Downing shot into the side netting.
So, the curtain comes down on season 2010-11, in five weeks time Pre-Season begins and the long trudge through to Euro 2012, almost a year to the day, starts at Ashford United.
England (1) 2 Lampard 37 (pen), Young 51
Switzerland (2) 2 Bernetta 32, 35
Att. 84,459
Entrance: £50
Programme: £6
Mileage: 100/9,796
Match Report
It was a month ago that Tonbridge sealed their elevation to Blue Square South and Gillingham’s season ended in defeat at Chesterfield and perhaps that is why this important European Championship qualifier seemed lost in the middle of Summer.Jack Wilshere’s claim of being too tired to play for the Under-21s in European Finals tournament in Denmark was scoffed at, but I similarly was suffering from a lack of interest at the end of a long season. This match sort of crept up on us, so much so that, on the way to Wembley, I had no idea whether Matt Jarvis was in the squad or not . . . he wasn’t.
It was a little over four years ago that Wembley opened its doors for the first time with a visit from Brazil and still the new stadium factor sells out games. It cannot be anything other than that because England as a football team continues to frustrate and annoy. Following the game there was chaos on the Tube as the Jubilee Line was partially suspended so an uncomfortable journey back to Charing Cross added to the disappointment of the result and the performance of the national side, certainly leaving questions about the worthiness of a £50 ticket and all the associated costs that go with a Wembley visit.
Taking a positive from the match, England managed to retrieve a two goal deficit and really should have won the match had it not been for a woeful miss from Darren Bent, but that is where it stopped. After a tedious first half-hour, in which Joe Hart was forced into a couple of saves, the game sprang to life in the wrong fashion for the hosts. Tranquillo Barnetta scored twice in the space of three minutes with Hart at fault for both of the goals. An inswinging free kick from the left, 20 yards out, evaded everybody in the six yard box and Hart was unable to react as the ball cleared Rio Ferdinand’s head. Three minutes later from a more acute angle, Barnetta drove the ball towards the near post, James Milner broke from his position in the wall and the surprised Hart could only claw at the ball when it was already over the line. They were calamitous errors for which the likes of Robert Green and Scott Carson have been hounded out of the England team in the past.
The prospect of the loss of vital points awoke the England support, although it was mainly in a negative fashion and directed at Fabio Capello. Fortunately a Frank Lampard penalty within five minutes got the fans back behind the side. Jack Wilshere, belying his tiredness, showed nimble feet as he skipped past a couple of Swiss defenders before being brought down to earn the penalty.
Ashley Young was brought into the action at the start of the second half and his livewire display was to eventually earn him the man of the match award (for 45 minutes?). After six minutes of the half, Milner chipped a cross into the box; Leighton Baines used his chest to direct the ball back to Young, who scored with a well placed volley.
With most of the second half remaining it could be forgiven to make the assumption that England would go on to find a winner and so they should have done, but Bent produced a couple of misses that endorsed the opinion of many that, despite his good scoring record in the Premiership, he is not an international striker. Sent through on goal by a sublime Wilshire pass, Bent was one-on-one with the keeper who was able to smother his shot.
Worse was to follow, an Ashley Young shot from the corner of the penalty area was only parried into the path of Bent by Benaglio but with the goal at his mercy the wayward striker sent the ball skywards clearing the bar by some distance. As Harry Redknapp would say, it was a chance his missus would have put away.
The Swiss could have won it in the final minute with a shot the edged past the post and similarly with virtually the final kick, Stewart Downing shot into the side netting.
So, the curtain comes down on season 2010-11, in five weeks time Pre-Season begins and the long trudge through to Euro 2012, almost a year to the day, starts at Ashford United.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Tonbridge 4 Lowestoft Town 3
Match 68/10/886 - Saturday, 7 May 2011 - Ryman Premier Play-Off Final
Tonbridge (3) 4 Olorunda 12, Walder 22, 44 (pen)
Lowestoft Town (1) 3 Mitchell 31, Cave-Brown 48, Guentchev 77
Att. 2,411
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,696
Match Report
It maybe Old Trafford that is labelled the Theatre of Dreams, but for myself and the majority of the record-breaking 2,411 attendance, humble Longmead Stadium took on the title as Tonbridge edged their way to history following a match that will live long in the memory.
Gillingham still harboured play-off dreams of their own and the week had begun with a ticket in hand for their final encounter of the season at champions-elect Chesterfield’s new B2net Stadium, but following Tuesday night’s epic victory over Harrow Borough there was only ever going to be once place for me to spend my Saturday afternoon.
Any normal Saturday at Longmead would have seen me parking my car ten minutes before kick off leaving ample of time to take up my usual position, but on this occasion an hour earlier arrival time left me searching for a place in the car park.
Inside the ground there were plenty of Lowestoft fans that had made the three hour journey down from the Suffolk coast and a friendly bunch they were. Nerves were already quite taut and it was going to be an afternoon where the mobile phone was going to play its part to keep in touch with Gillingham’s fate.
Nothing was more incredible than carbon copy of Tuesday’s first 20 minutes. Tonbridge raced into a two goal lead with goals from Ade Olorunda and Danny Walder, both benefitting from the fortune of deflections. After 12 minutes, following a corner from Lee Browning, a shot from Scott Kinch was deflected into the path of Olorunda who scored from close range. On 22 minutes, exactly the same time as Tuesday, a free kick from Walder was hideously deflected giving the Trawlerboys’ keeper very little chance.
Meanwhile, no goals from Chesterfield, but a goal against Torquay has lifted Gillingham into a play-off position, could it be double delight.
Two goals adrift, Lowestoft were not going to go down without a fight. Lee Worgan was forced to push a shot onto the bar and Jon Heath blocked the rebound. But the Suffolk side were not to be denied when they reduced the deficit in the 31st minute with a close range header.
Torquay equalise at Rotherham and Gills slip back out of the play-off places.
Three minutes remained in the first half at Longmead when Tonbridge are awarded a penalty. Olorunda was allowed to travel across the face of the box before being brought down and Walder kept his cool to score from the spot to give the Angels a 3-1 advantage at the half-time whistle.
The half time scores from League Two are in Gillingham’s favour and their goalless half at Chesterfield continues to reward them with a play-off spot.
The nerves are twisted again at the beginning of the second half at Longmead when Lowestoft once again reduced the deficit to one when Cave-Brown scores from the edge of the six yard box.
The Trawlerboys sensed that at comeback akin to their November exploits when they recovered a three goal deficit to earn a draw when all seemed lost and pile the pressure on their hosts.
Ping goes the mobile; Gillingham have conceded at Chesterfield and are now out of the top seven.
That mobile call seems to signal that this afternoon could go very pear-shaped and the initiative at Longmead has very firmly swung Lowestoft’s way.
Cody McDonald has scored at Chesterfield and with Bury taking the lead at Stevenage, Gillingham move up to the lofty heights of sixth.
In the space of a minute, the apprehension that this afternoon could go wrong becomes very real. Tonbridge, who had been conceding free kicks in dangerous positions for the previous ten minutes, cleared another only as far as Lubo Guentchev, whose shot whistled into the top corner from around 25 yards. Guentchev is the son of the ex-Ipswich player Boncho and a cousin of the British tennis player, Elena Baltacha (just for information!). Whilst the Lowestoft fans and staff were celebrating the mobile buzzes and Chesterfield have retaken the lead and Gillingham are back out of the play-offs, its double despair!
That despair turned to delight in this corner of Kent within three minutes. Lewis Taylor collected a pass from Kinch and waltzed into the Lowestoft box and buried a shot into the bottom corner of the net to the absolute delight of the massed Tonbridge support behind the goal. At this point it almost seems irrelevant to receive a text from the sister-in-law that Gillingham have conceded a third and they are now on their way home.
Five minutes of extra-time added to the drama, Frannie Collin struck a post and at the other end, Lee Worgan comfortably fielded a last gasp effort before the referee signalled the historic ascent of Tonbridge to the Blue Square South.
It was hardly a surprise that pleas for the pitch to be kept clear were not heeded and a mass invasion allowed only an obscured view of the presentation of the trophy. No matter, on the day my heart wept for Gillingham, but I had the massive consolation of having made the right choice and being at Longmead for this momentous occasion.
To my friend that doesn’t get the play-offs . . .
Tonbridge (3) 4 Olorunda 12, Walder 22, 44 (pen)
Lowestoft Town (1) 3 Mitchell 31, Cave-Brown 48, Guentchev 77
Att. 2,411
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,696
Match Report
It maybe Old Trafford that is labelled the Theatre of Dreams, but for myself and the majority of the record-breaking 2,411 attendance, humble Longmead Stadium took on the title as Tonbridge edged their way to history following a match that will live long in the memory.Gillingham still harboured play-off dreams of their own and the week had begun with a ticket in hand for their final encounter of the season at champions-elect Chesterfield’s new B2net Stadium, but following Tuesday night’s epic victory over Harrow Borough there was only ever going to be once place for me to spend my Saturday afternoon.
Any normal Saturday at Longmead would have seen me parking my car ten minutes before kick off leaving ample of time to take up my usual position, but on this occasion an hour earlier arrival time left me searching for a place in the car park.
Inside the ground there were plenty of Lowestoft fans that had made the three hour journey down from the Suffolk coast and a friendly bunch they were. Nerves were already quite taut and it was going to be an afternoon where the mobile phone was going to play its part to keep in touch with Gillingham’s fate.
Nothing was more incredible than carbon copy of Tuesday’s first 20 minutes. Tonbridge raced into a two goal lead with goals from Ade Olorunda and Danny Walder, both benefitting from the fortune of deflections. After 12 minutes, following a corner from Lee Browning, a shot from Scott Kinch was deflected into the path of Olorunda who scored from close range. On 22 minutes, exactly the same time as Tuesday, a free kick from Walder was hideously deflected giving the Trawlerboys’ keeper very little chance.
Meanwhile, no goals from Chesterfield, but a goal against Torquay has lifted Gillingham into a play-off position, could it be double delight.
Two goals adrift, Lowestoft were not going to go down without a fight. Lee Worgan was forced to push a shot onto the bar and Jon Heath blocked the rebound. But the Suffolk side were not to be denied when they reduced the deficit in the 31st minute with a close range header.
Torquay equalise at Rotherham and Gills slip back out of the play-off places.
Three minutes remained in the first half at Longmead when Tonbridge are awarded a penalty. Olorunda was allowed to travel across the face of the box before being brought down and Walder kept his cool to score from the spot to give the Angels a 3-1 advantage at the half-time whistle.
The half time scores from League Two are in Gillingham’s favour and their goalless half at Chesterfield continues to reward them with a play-off spot.
The nerves are twisted again at the beginning of the second half at Longmead when Lowestoft once again reduced the deficit to one when Cave-Brown scores from the edge of the six yard box.
The Trawlerboys sensed that at comeback akin to their November exploits when they recovered a three goal deficit to earn a draw when all seemed lost and pile the pressure on their hosts.
Ping goes the mobile; Gillingham have conceded at Chesterfield and are now out of the top seven.
That mobile call seems to signal that this afternoon could go very pear-shaped and the initiative at Longmead has very firmly swung Lowestoft’s way.
Cody McDonald has scored at Chesterfield and with Bury taking the lead at Stevenage, Gillingham move up to the lofty heights of sixth.
In the space of a minute, the apprehension that this afternoon could go wrong becomes very real. Tonbridge, who had been conceding free kicks in dangerous positions for the previous ten minutes, cleared another only as far as Lubo Guentchev, whose shot whistled into the top corner from around 25 yards. Guentchev is the son of the ex-Ipswich player Boncho and a cousin of the British tennis player, Elena Baltacha (just for information!). Whilst the Lowestoft fans and staff were celebrating the mobile buzzes and Chesterfield have retaken the lead and Gillingham are back out of the play-offs, its double despair!
That despair turned to delight in this corner of Kent within three minutes. Lewis Taylor collected a pass from Kinch and waltzed into the Lowestoft box and buried a shot into the bottom corner of the net to the absolute delight of the massed Tonbridge support behind the goal. At this point it almost seems irrelevant to receive a text from the sister-in-law that Gillingham have conceded a third and they are now on their way home.
Five minutes of extra-time added to the drama, Frannie Collin struck a post and at the other end, Lee Worgan comfortably fielded a last gasp effort before the referee signalled the historic ascent of Tonbridge to the Blue Square South.
It was hardly a surprise that pleas for the pitch to be kept clear were not heeded and a mass invasion allowed only an obscured view of the presentation of the trophy. No matter, on the day my heart wept for Gillingham, but I had the massive consolation of having made the right choice and being at Longmead for this momentous occasion.
To my friend that doesn’t get the play-offs . . .
Tonbridge 3 Harrow Borough 2
Match 67/10/885 - Tuesday, 3 May 2011 - Ryman Premier Play-Off SF
Tonbridge (2) 3 Piper 6, Kinch 22, Olorunda 109
Harrow Borough (0) 2 Baptiste 25, 70
(After extra time, 2-2 at 90 minutes)
Att. 1,124
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,670
Match Report
I’ve a friend who just doesn’t get the play-offs. He has the opinion that a league is a league and that whoever finishes in the top two or three are promoted and that is that. The fact that he supports a top Premiership club that is never likely to have to endure a play-off match from the comfort of his armchair says it all, but if he could ever be tempted into a season with one of the lesser lights I’m convinced his misguided opinion would change.
Whether it be Gillingham or Tonbridge, joy or despair, the play-offs never cease to thrill, and such was the case on Tuesday night at Longmead Stadium when the play-off for a place in the Ryman Premier League final went the full distance of 120 minutes and was settled with a goal nine minutes from time.
Tonbridge enjoyed home advantage by virtue of their second place finish, but their opponents Harrow Borough had beaten the Angels in both encounters during the league season. A warm day had turned into a slightly chilly evening and the scene was set with 1,124 in attendance to witness the proceedings.
The lack of any meaningful rain over a long period left a pitch that was hard and uneven and not conducive to football that is pleasing on the eye, not that the intense nature of the play-offs lends itself to such anyway.
The home crowd craved an early goal and that is what they got. Chris Piper’s crisp finish from inside the box following an Adrian Stone header gave Tonbridge a sixth minute lead. Better was to follow. Captain Kinch hooked a shot over his shoulder and to the surprise of Harrow keeper, Nicky Jupp, the ball nestled into the far corner of the net, 22 minutes played and two goals to the good, the home crowd were ecstatic.
But their joy was short-lived as within three minutes, Rocky Baptiste, of YouTube fame for the worst miss of all time, touched in a goal following a rare Lee Worgan error.
The second half began with Harrow pressing hard for an equaliser which they finally got with 20 minutes remaining, once again Baptiste getting the final touch with a header from close range. Now memories of last season’s play-off disappointment against Carshalton, when Tonbridge had been two up only to lose 3-2 came flooding back.
A chance each for both sides went begging before the match entered extra time. The first period drifted by as both sets of players were running on very tired legs. One last ounce of energy was found by Ade Olorunda after six minutes of the second period. A through ball from Fraser Logan was chipped goalwards by the striker, the keeper got his fingertips to the shot but the ball looped into the air and behind him. It was now a three yard foot race between Olorunda and the Harrow defenders, with the Tonbridge player winning the chase to stab the ball over the line. It was as if time stood still for a couple of seconds before the noise erupted around Longmead in joyous acclaim.
A last minute booking for Harrow’s John Constable for a dive in the penalty area was the last scare of the night before the referee brought the epic proceedings to a close. Tonbridge are one match from the Blue Square South and Lowestoft stand in their way. Remember back in October, Tonbridge 3-0 up and are pegged back to 3-3, doing it the hard way is going to be the Angels’ review of 2010-11.
Tonbridge (2) 3 Piper 6, Kinch 22, Olorunda 109
Harrow Borough (0) 2 Baptiste 25, 70
(After extra time, 2-2 at 90 minutes)
Att. 1,124
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,670
Match Report
I’ve a friend who just doesn’t get the play-offs. He has the opinion that a league is a league and that whoever finishes in the top two or three are promoted and that is that. The fact that he supports a top Premiership club that is never likely to have to endure a play-off match from the comfort of his armchair says it all, but if he could ever be tempted into a season with one of the lesser lights I’m convinced his misguided opinion would change.Whether it be Gillingham or Tonbridge, joy or despair, the play-offs never cease to thrill, and such was the case on Tuesday night at Longmead Stadium when the play-off for a place in the Ryman Premier League final went the full distance of 120 minutes and was settled with a goal nine minutes from time.
Tonbridge enjoyed home advantage by virtue of their second place finish, but their opponents Harrow Borough had beaten the Angels in both encounters during the league season. A warm day had turned into a slightly chilly evening and the scene was set with 1,124 in attendance to witness the proceedings.
The lack of any meaningful rain over a long period left a pitch that was hard and uneven and not conducive to football that is pleasing on the eye, not that the intense nature of the play-offs lends itself to such anyway.
The home crowd craved an early goal and that is what they got. Chris Piper’s crisp finish from inside the box following an Adrian Stone header gave Tonbridge a sixth minute lead. Better was to follow. Captain Kinch hooked a shot over his shoulder and to the surprise of Harrow keeper, Nicky Jupp, the ball nestled into the far corner of the net, 22 minutes played and two goals to the good, the home crowd were ecstatic.
But their joy was short-lived as within three minutes, Rocky Baptiste, of YouTube fame for the worst miss of all time, touched in a goal following a rare Lee Worgan error.
The second half began with Harrow pressing hard for an equaliser which they finally got with 20 minutes remaining, once again Baptiste getting the final touch with a header from close range. Now memories of last season’s play-off disappointment against Carshalton, when Tonbridge had been two up only to lose 3-2 came flooding back.
A chance each for both sides went begging before the match entered extra time. The first period drifted by as both sets of players were running on very tired legs. One last ounce of energy was found by Ade Olorunda after six minutes of the second period. A through ball from Fraser Logan was chipped goalwards by the striker, the keeper got his fingertips to the shot but the ball looped into the air and behind him. It was now a three yard foot race between Olorunda and the Harrow defenders, with the Tonbridge player winning the chase to stab the ball over the line. It was as if time stood still for a couple of seconds before the noise erupted around Longmead in joyous acclaim.
A last minute booking for Harrow’s John Constable for a dive in the penalty area was the last scare of the night before the referee brought the epic proceedings to a close. Tonbridge are one match from the Blue Square South and Lowestoft stand in their way. Remember back in October, Tonbridge 3-0 up and are pegged back to 3-3, doing it the hard way is going to be the Angels’ review of 2010-11.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Gillingham 2 Macclesfield Town 4
Match 66/10/884 - Saturday, 30 April 2011 - League Two
Gillingham (1) 2 Jackman 43, Martin 71
Macclesfield Town (3) 4 Draper 3, Daniel 7, 17, Sinclair 48
Att. 6,841
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: Sold Out
Mileage: 45/9,644
Match Report
Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong on Saturday. Entering April with four home games remaining against clubs from the lower half of the Division augured well for the promotion aspiration that was still of the automatic variety. But those four games have yielded just two points and three successive away wins have been the means by which the campaign has remained just about on track.
Earlier in the month, Hereford and Morecambe came, parked a bus, and Gillingham lacked the guile to break down their resolute defending. Firstly, Barnet and on Saturday, Macclesfield, came with freedom to seek a win and the home side’s defence frailties were exposed for all to see.
Cheap tickets filled half of the Brian Moore Stand and, must to my annoyance, sold the programmes out prior to my arrival, leaving Priestfield’s biggest crowd of the season ready and willing to roar their favourites into the play-offs. Following Easter Monday’s success at Rotherham, Andy Hessenthaler opted to remain unchanged after making seven changes to the side that was comprehensively beaten by Barnet.
Rather than the Barnet performance being a bump in the road, Saturday became a recurring nightmare. Initially, there was nothing to suggest the way the afternoon was about to unfold. Gillingham started brightly and Cody McDonald had an opportunity but pulled his shot wide. It was misfortune that set in motion the afternoon’s events. Garry Richards looked to send a back pass to Alan Julian but the ball rebounded of fellow central defender Simon King into the path of Ross Draper who kept his composure to strike firmly past the keeper for a third minute lead.
The game was set to go from bad to worse as the Cheshire side doubled their lead within three minutes. Emile Sinclair showed a turn of pace to which Richards had no answer, his cross might not have been meant for Colin Daniel, but once it found its way to him of the right hand side of the box, he likewise carefully picked his shot to stun the Gillingham faithful.
The game was virtually over as a contest after just seventeen minutes when Macclesfield added a third goal. Daniel was allowed to cut in from the right unchallenged and fired home via the right hand upright. Reality was that the day was in tatters, optimism allowed 73 minutes to rescue the situation.
Andy Barcham limped out of the match after half-an-hour to be replaced by Luke Rooney, who injected enthusiasm as much as anything else. Gillingham endeavoured to respond and had chances but it was Macclesfield that went closest again when Sinclair forced Julian into a good save with the keeper needing to make a double save as Tyrone Bennett headed the rebound goalwards.
Gillingham needed a goal back before half time and it duly arrived with a couple of minutes remaining. Joe Martin crossed from the left, Mark Bentley headed back across the face of the goal for Danny Jackman to volley past Jose Veiga in the Macclesfield goal. Hopes had been raised within Priestfield.
These were hopes that were quickly dashed at the beginning on the second half. From a Gillingham attack, Adebayo Akinfenwa delayed a pass and from the interception a long ball out of defence allowed Sinclair to race between the Gills central defensive pairing and lob Julian from the edge of the penalty area.
Simon King, who looked a long way from full fitness, had been replaced at the break by Barry Fuller and it was to be a short stay on the pitch for the Gillingham skipper. A reckless challenge from Tony Diagne ended with Fuller being stretchered from the pitch with what appeared to be a serious injury.
If it wasn’t to be Gillingham’s day, it also applied to leading goalscorer McDonald. He looked certain to score on the hour but his shot didn’t carry enough force and Draper cleared from the line. Gillingham eventually reduced the arrears in the 71st minute when Martin scored with a shot from outside of the box.
The crowd did their best to urge the great escape but, in truth, the home side huffed and puffed their way to the finish and on the break it looked more likely that the visitors were going to inflict more damage.
Results elsewhere dumped Gillingham outside of the play-off places, but at least a defeat for Stevenage and a draw the previous evening for Torquay left a top seven place still a possibility. Stranger things that Gillingham winning at already promoted Chesterfield have happened, but it is a big ask.
Gillingham (1) 2 Jackman 43, Martin 71
Macclesfield Town (3) 4 Draper 3, Daniel 7, 17, Sinclair 48
Att. 6,841
Entrance: Season Ticket
Programme: Sold Out
Mileage: 45/9,644
Match Report
Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong on Saturday. Entering April with four home games remaining against clubs from the lower half of the Division augured well for the promotion aspiration that was still of the automatic variety. But those four games have yielded just two points and three successive away wins have been the means by which the campaign has remained just about on track.Earlier in the month, Hereford and Morecambe came, parked a bus, and Gillingham lacked the guile to break down their resolute defending. Firstly, Barnet and on Saturday, Macclesfield, came with freedom to seek a win and the home side’s defence frailties were exposed for all to see.
Cheap tickets filled half of the Brian Moore Stand and, must to my annoyance, sold the programmes out prior to my arrival, leaving Priestfield’s biggest crowd of the season ready and willing to roar their favourites into the play-offs. Following Easter Monday’s success at Rotherham, Andy Hessenthaler opted to remain unchanged after making seven changes to the side that was comprehensively beaten by Barnet.
Rather than the Barnet performance being a bump in the road, Saturday became a recurring nightmare. Initially, there was nothing to suggest the way the afternoon was about to unfold. Gillingham started brightly and Cody McDonald had an opportunity but pulled his shot wide. It was misfortune that set in motion the afternoon’s events. Garry Richards looked to send a back pass to Alan Julian but the ball rebounded of fellow central defender Simon King into the path of Ross Draper who kept his composure to strike firmly past the keeper for a third minute lead.
The game was set to go from bad to worse as the Cheshire side doubled their lead within three minutes. Emile Sinclair showed a turn of pace to which Richards had no answer, his cross might not have been meant for Colin Daniel, but once it found its way to him of the right hand side of the box, he likewise carefully picked his shot to stun the Gillingham faithful.
The game was virtually over as a contest after just seventeen minutes when Macclesfield added a third goal. Daniel was allowed to cut in from the right unchallenged and fired home via the right hand upright. Reality was that the day was in tatters, optimism allowed 73 minutes to rescue the situation.
Andy Barcham limped out of the match after half-an-hour to be replaced by Luke Rooney, who injected enthusiasm as much as anything else. Gillingham endeavoured to respond and had chances but it was Macclesfield that went closest again when Sinclair forced Julian into a good save with the keeper needing to make a double save as Tyrone Bennett headed the rebound goalwards.
Gillingham needed a goal back before half time and it duly arrived with a couple of minutes remaining. Joe Martin crossed from the left, Mark Bentley headed back across the face of the goal for Danny Jackman to volley past Jose Veiga in the Macclesfield goal. Hopes had been raised within Priestfield.
These were hopes that were quickly dashed at the beginning on the second half. From a Gillingham attack, Adebayo Akinfenwa delayed a pass and from the interception a long ball out of defence allowed Sinclair to race between the Gills central defensive pairing and lob Julian from the edge of the penalty area.
Simon King, who looked a long way from full fitness, had been replaced at the break by Barry Fuller and it was to be a short stay on the pitch for the Gillingham skipper. A reckless challenge from Tony Diagne ended with Fuller being stretchered from the pitch with what appeared to be a serious injury.
If it wasn’t to be Gillingham’s day, it also applied to leading goalscorer McDonald. He looked certain to score on the hour but his shot didn’t carry enough force and Draper cleared from the line. Gillingham eventually reduced the arrears in the 71st minute when Martin scored with a shot from outside of the box.
The crowd did their best to urge the great escape but, in truth, the home side huffed and puffed their way to the finish and on the break it looked more likely that the visitors were going to inflict more damage.
Results elsewhere dumped Gillingham outside of the play-off places, but at least a defeat for Stevenage and a draw the previous evening for Torquay left a top seven place still a possibility. Stranger things that Gillingham winning at already promoted Chesterfield have happened, but it is a big ask.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Tonbridge 2 Hastings United 0
Match 65/10/883 - Monday, 25 April 2011 - Ryman Premier
Tonbridge (1) 2 Walder 14 (pen), Jones 74
Hastings United (0) 0
Att. 817
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,599
Match Report
Over the Easter period, both Tonbridge and Gillingham have had similarly varying fortunes and on this I will focus later in the post. Tonbridge’s Easter Monday encounter with their old foes Hastings United was a game that was spoilt by a rock hard pitch that neither side completely came to terms with.
The home side was given the benefit of a soft penalty award after 14 minutes. Sonny Miles was pushed to the ground by a Hastings defender and Danny Walder stepped up to opening the scoring despite the Hastings’ keeper, Seb Barton, getting a hand to the ball.
Although Tonbridge dominated the proceedings, neither goalkeeper was seriously called upon until the 74th minutes when Sam Jones scored from 25 yards with a cracker that found the bottom left hand corner of the net.
The home side turned up the heat and substitute Carl Rook came on to set up a great chance for Adrian Stone which was wastefully sliced wide.
An excellent Bank Holiday turnout of 817 might not have been treated to greatest of games, but apart from the travelling support of relegation-threatened Hastings, they would have been happy to see the Angels sitting pretty in second position going into the last match of the season.
It has been strange the way the Easter period has been a mirror image for both Tonbridge and Gillingham. On Saturday evening there was despair as Tonbridge had lost a vital six-point encounter with Harrow Borough and Gillingham fans had endured a woeful defeat at the hands of Barnet. Tonbridge’s position within the play-off places had only been maintained by virtue of Maidstone’s shock win at Bury Town, whilst Gillingham fell below the dotted line.
What a difference 48 hours can make in this period. At Rotherham, Andy Hessenthaler rang the changes, ditching seven of Saturday’s starting XI and came up trumps as an Andy Barcham goal with a quarter of an hour remaining won the points and moved Gillingham back into the play-off places. Similarly, Tonbridge’s three points leaves everything in their own hands going into their final fixture at Horsham, with home advantage to play for in the one-off semi-finals.
Tonbridge (1) 2 Walder 14 (pen), Jones 74
Hastings United (0) 0
Att. 817
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/9,599
Match Report
Over the Easter period, both Tonbridge and Gillingham have had similarly varying fortunes and on this I will focus later in the post. Tonbridge’s Easter Monday encounter with their old foes Hastings United was a game that was spoilt by a rock hard pitch that neither side completely came to terms with.The home side was given the benefit of a soft penalty award after 14 minutes. Sonny Miles was pushed to the ground by a Hastings defender and Danny Walder stepped up to opening the scoring despite the Hastings’ keeper, Seb Barton, getting a hand to the ball.
Although Tonbridge dominated the proceedings, neither goalkeeper was seriously called upon until the 74th minutes when Sam Jones scored from 25 yards with a cracker that found the bottom left hand corner of the net.
The home side turned up the heat and substitute Carl Rook came on to set up a great chance for Adrian Stone which was wastefully sliced wide.
An excellent Bank Holiday turnout of 817 might not have been treated to greatest of games, but apart from the travelling support of relegation-threatened Hastings, they would have been happy to see the Angels sitting pretty in second position going into the last match of the season.
It has been strange the way the Easter period has been a mirror image for both Tonbridge and Gillingham. On Saturday evening there was despair as Tonbridge had lost a vital six-point encounter with Harrow Borough and Gillingham fans had endured a woeful defeat at the hands of Barnet. Tonbridge’s position within the play-off places had only been maintained by virtue of Maidstone’s shock win at Bury Town, whilst Gillingham fell below the dotted line.
What a difference 48 hours can make in this period. At Rotherham, Andy Hessenthaler rang the changes, ditching seven of Saturday’s starting XI and came up trumps as an Andy Barcham goal with a quarter of an hour remaining won the points and moved Gillingham back into the play-off places. Similarly, Tonbridge’s three points leaves everything in their own hands going into their final fixture at Horsham, with home advantage to play for in the one-off semi-finals.
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