Herne Bay 0 Tonbridge Angels 7

Match 14/18/1607 - Saturday, 28th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Herne Bay (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (5) 7 Turner 12,80 Beere 15 (pen),60 King 20,29,45 (pen)
Attendance: 131

Admission: £3 Senior
Team Sheet: Free
Mileage: 84/645

Tonbridge Angels eased to a comprehensive win on the East Kent coast at a blustery Winches Field, home of Herne Bay.

There were two absentees from Tuesday evening’s game at Faversham. Craig Stone’s son has had hospital surgery and Alex Read was unwell.

Steve McKimm replaced Read with Liam King, who has recently departed Walton Casuals, and the striker will have impressed with a first half hat trick.

The Angels opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Tom Beere pulled the ball back from the left side bye-line for Joe Turner to steer the ball home from close range.

Two minutes later, Tonbridge were awarded a penalty when Tommy Whitnall was brought down. Beere stepped up to confidently finish from the spot.

The visitors were now in total control of the game with Beere hitting a post before King opened his account with a goal from a narrow angle that was helped in by the Herne Bay goalkeeper who allowed the ball to creep in under his body.

After half-an-hour, Turner was the provider with a cross from the right that was turned into his own net by Herne Bay’s Nick Reeves, under pressure from King. One for the dubious goals panel to clear up, but as King was to put away a 45th minute penalty, no one is going to deny him his hat-trick!

On the hour, a woeful pass across the face of the Herne Bay penalty area was intercepted by Beere who beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation to add the sixth goal.

Herne Bay had a brief period when they might have salvaged some consolation but Jonny Henly was equal to a Connor Cox effort and Reeves headed wide.

The Angels wrapped up the scoring when substitute Sam Jones, from the Development squad, set up Turner to fire in the seventh of the afternoon.

With five minutes remaining, Jared Small set up Turner but his shot struck the left hand post.

This was a first visit to Herne Bay in the lifetime of this blog and, I believe, a first visit for Tonbridge since 1993. Despite Winches Field looking like it has seen little change from 25 years ago, it is a tidy ground with a sizeable main seating stand and cover at both ends of the ground.

Whyteleafe U18 9 Tonbridge Angels U18 1

Match 13/18/1606 - Wednesday, 25th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Whyteleafe U18 (2) 9 Abegbife 3, Palmer 2, Williams, Penton
Tonbridge Angels U18 (1) 1
Headcount: 23

Admission: Free
Programme: Free
Mileage: 82/561

Faversham Town 0 Tonbridge Angels 1

Match 12/18/1605 - Tuesday, 24th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Faversham Town (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Beere 2
Estimated Attendance: 150

Admission: £3 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 48/479

It was only a preseason friendly, so it was not going to exorcise any of the ghosts of last season’s visit to Salters Lane, but for 45 minutes Tonbridge’s football was good enough to file those memories into the box marked Do Not Open. The passing and movement was crisp and purposeful with an early goal to build on. The only possible complaint would have been that for almost total domination, one goal was a poor first half return.

The management conducted their team talk on the pitch after initially going to the dressing room, but what more could have been said other than, more of the same. Sadly, it didn’t happen.

Tonbridge were ahead within two minutes of the kick-off. A surging run and cross from the left from Jack Parter found Tom Beere, whose somewhat scuffed shot found the bottom corner.

Beere was excellent in the first 45 and his after match interview in which he told of his signing for a year will make for blissful listening for the Angels’ faithful.

The visitors survived a scare after nine minutes when a corner found the head of Ollie Lee but he steered it narrowly wide. From that let off the half was one-way traffic.

Joe Turner, who has been sharp as a tack preseason, tested Mark Overland on a couple of occasions; Alex Reid fired wide and Beere saw an effort deflected onto the crossbar as the Angels carved out chance after chance. The only fly in the first half ointment being a head injury to Callum Adonis-Taylor.

In fairness to Faversham, they made a better fist of the second period which probably contributed to Tonbridge losing their first half momentum.

A rash of substitutions further disrupted the game and apart from a sublime pass from Beere that almost put in Tommy Whitnell who was denied at his feet by Overland, the only occurrence of note was a worrying moment when Sonny Miles needed treatment for concussion and looked very wobbly as he left the field. But he reported that he was okay after the match.

There is not too much left of the phoney war of preseason but the general worry of the Tonbridge support is the isolation of Reid up front and whether support for him can be found, be it by a signing (is anything left in the budget) or from within the squad. For 45 minutes, it looked the last missing piece of the jigsaw.

Tonbridge Angels 3 Tunbridge Wells 0

Match 11/18/1604 - Saturday, 21st July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (1) 3 Turner 41,71 Stone 56
Tunbridge Wells (0) 0
Attendance: 228

Admission: £3 Senior
Team Sheet: 50p
Mileage: 38/431

Tonbridge eased to a comfortable victory over their near neighbours Tunbridge Wells, who remained competitive for much of the match but were rather toothless in the final third.

Both teams, barring an odd player on either side, fielded sides that could conceivably start their respective league seasons.

As should be expected as the senior side, Tonbridge, dominated the early stages. Trialist Adem Ramadan, who after appearing in all the games so far must be exercising Steve McKimm’s mind, stretched Cameron Hall to a fine stop low to his left after just three minutes and the goalkeeper needed to be at his best to deny Joe Turner after a quarter of an hour.

It took the best part of 30 minutes for Tunbridge Wells to mount a serious attack that ended with Josh Biddlecombe shooting over.

But whilst it was largely one-way traffic, a combination of stout defending and wayward finishing kept the game goalless until the 41st minute when Alex Read slid a short pass on the edge of the penalty area to Turner who fired into the bottom corner.

Before the end of the half, Liam Smith saw a shot saved by Hall and had another effort which was deflected narrowly over his own crossbar by Jake Hampson.

Read steered a header wide early in the second half after being set up by Craig Stone and in a rare foray forward Tunbridge Wells substitute Rory Salter fired wide.

The home side doubled their advantage after 56 minutes when Stone followed up to score after Hall had parried Ramadan’s initial shot.

The closest the Wells came to scoring came on 68 minutes when Biddlecombe lobbed the advancing Jonny Henly, but the ball drifted agonisingly wide.

Turner put the game to bed for the Angels when he cut in from the left to bury a shot from around 20 yards.

On another very hot afternoon, both teams contributed to an entertaining afternoon which culminated with the presentation of the Courier Cup, which I don’t think many people knew they were playing for!

Erith & Belvedere 1 Tunbridge Wells 1

Match 10/18/1603 - Thursday, 19th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Erith and Belvedere (1) 1
Tunbridge Wells (0) 1 Jefferies 81
Headcount: 49

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 70/393

Tunbridge Wells supporters would have walked away from this preseason friendly a little underwhelmed by the performance of their first half team made up of senior players but highly encouraged by some bright youngsters in the second period.

Sadly, as I lament game after game preseason, the absence of any information regarding who was who on both sides leaves those kids largely unnamed. One name that did surface was that of Ewan Jefferies, a 17-year-old, who capped a fine display with an equalising goal for the Wells.

The first half was dominated by Erith & Belvedere to the degree that the Wells created just a single chance, a header from a corner by Ollie Cooke that was cleared from the line.

After surviving an early scare when a goalbound header was cleared by Drew Crush, the hosts went in front after eight minutes when a through ball opened up an opportunity that left Cameron Hall diving at the feet of the forward but coming off second best as the Erith man slid the ball into an empty net.

The method in which the goal was scored became a somewhat recurring theme as single passes cut through the Wells back line leading to some desperate defending to stay in the game.

Right from the outset of the second half the Wells’ youngsters attacked the game with a positive mindset with a Jefferies header from a corner bringing a save out of the rotund E&B custodian.

A curious incident on the hour saw an Erith defender sent off for spitting. An Erith official was dispatched to the dressing room for the player’s explanation which was that he had only shouted and not spat.

Jefferies tested the keeper on a couple more occasions before an E&B free kick came back off the crossbar after 76 minutes.

But, five minutes later, a cross from the right was smartly met by Jefferies at the near post to give the Wells something to take from the game.

Young Jefferies made the evening a worthwhile trip and I’m hoping that the Tunbridge Wells management saw enough to have some faith in the lad in the upcoming season.

Sevenoaks Town 1 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 09/18/1602 - Tuesday, 17th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Sevenoaks Town (0) 1 Sawyer 46
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Aristride 23 Smith 90
Attendance: 157

Admission: £5
Programme: £1
Mileage: 46/323

The gentleman stood alongside me said quietly, “Oh, that’s embarrassing”. Far from embarrassing, it was positively magical, Brian Smith, whose son, Liam, had just cut in from the left, cutting a swathe through the centre of the opposition’s defence before unleashing a 25 yard shot into the top corner off the underside of the bar. If you had indulged in a bit of Dad dancing Mr Smith, now that would have been embarrassing!

This was a preseason game that was somewhat strange in its course of events. A first look at the Tonbridge team sheet that started with only Sonny Miles as a senior professional suggested a tough watch for the Tonbridge support who made up a decent proportion of the overall attendance. But it was nothing of the sort as the collection of trialists had a good opening 45 minutes. An old friend, Tom Beere, stepped into central midfield and owned the place. Everyone was making the point that he was the answer to our prayers in the creative midfield role, but with the player seeking full-time football, it seems unlikely those prayers will be answered. Further forward was Baselle Aristride, who was at Margate last season, with a big physical presence and is surely worth another look. Six other trialists made the starting eleven, each of which we have seen before and might, or might not, have caught Steve McKimm’s eye with a view to a further opportunity.

With no team sheet available for the Sevenoaks side, references to them will be a little vague although the well travelled nature of Zak Attwood and Frankie Sawyer’s careers made them instantly recognisable.

After an opening 20 minutes when both sides brought saves out of the respective goalkeepers, it was the visitors that opened the scoring after 23 minutes. A quality through ball from Beere found Aristride shrugging off a challenge before firing in a shot that was parried back to him to tuck home at the second attempt.

With Beere controlling the centre of the park, Miles and Callum Adonis-Taylor easily containing any threat it was a comfortable half for the Angels who only probably regretted not going into the break further in front. So it was unexpected when Sevenoaks equalised in the first minute of the second period. A cross from the right was collected by Sawyer who shifted his feet into a clear shooting position on the edge of the box to clinically finish past Tommy Taylor.

On the hour, there was a rash of substitutions that left the Angels looking more like the first eleven most would expect and given what we had seen you had to believe that to win from here was just a matter of time. But it never really happened with the home side equally as threatening.

But cometh the hour, cometh the 18-year-old and Liam Smith’s magical moment. Don’t be embarrassed Mr Smith, take a bow on behalf of your lad!

Tonbridge Angels 1 Gillingham 5

Match 08/18/1601 - Saturday, 14th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Read 72
Gillingham (1) 5 Hanlon 18,60 Reilly 52 Mbo 78 Moussa 79
Attendance: 224

Admission: £3 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/277

Gillingham paid Tonbridge Angels a huge compliment by bringing a strong team to Longmead on a day when they were simultaneously playing at Margate. Manager Steve Lovell took charge whilst sitting in the stand was chairman Paul Scally who would have enjoyed watching his side win by the convincing margin of 5-1, a scoreline that was a little harsh on their hosts.

On another very hot day, I once again took cover under the main stand to find respite from the sun. The players were also treated to mid-half water breaks.

The first chance of the game fell to Brandon Hanlon who saw his header from a David Nasseri cross go wide, but it was the new signing from Charlton that gave Gillingham the lead after 18 minutes when he shrugged off the challenge of Sonny Miles to get onto a long punt forward and fire into the bottom right hand corner.

Soon after the water break a cross from Luke O’Neill was met with a glancing header from Josh Parker that went narrowly wide.

Tonbridge’s new signing Jared Small took a heavy knock after 40 minutes and needed to be replaced by trialist Adem Ramadam, whose performance caught the eye and is deserving of further opportunities to impress the Tonbridge management.

The home side ended the first half stretching Tomas Holy with a save at his near post from Arthur Lee and after flapping at a cross he needed a defender to make a saving block.

Gillingham opened the second half with Parker heading wide and Nasseri sending successive shots over the bar before they doubled their advantage on 52 minutes. Callum Reilly cut in from the left before shooting from 20 yards to score with a shot that went in off the post.

On the hour the Gills went three clear following a surging run from Hanlon that ended with a thumping shot that left substitute goalkeeper Tom Day’s first touch of the afternoon that of picking the ball out of his net.

Tonbridge pulled a goal back after 70 minutes when Alex Read got on the end of a Liam Smith ball over the top to complete the no mean feat of lobbing the 6’7” Holy.

Two thumping efforts in the last 15 minutes added gloss to the Gills' afternoon but also gave Tonbridge a scoreline they didn’t deserve. A 25 yard drive from Noel Mbo made it 4-1 and, a minute later, a sharp turn and hit from Frank Moussa made it five.