Tonbridge Angels 1 Torquay United 2

Match 13/26/2440 - Saturday, 15th August 2026 - National League South

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Sutcliffe 67
Torquay United (1) 2 Jenkins 17, Jay 83
Attendance: 1,453
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/640

TAKE THE POSITIVES!

Ultimately, a defeat is a defeat however you dress it up, one team goes home with the points leaving the other empty-handed, whether it’s 5-0 or 1-0.

But there are occasions when you can take the positives and a 2-1 loss for Tonbridge Angels against the National League South pre-season favourites Torquay United offered plenty of encouragement, if a little disappointment at the goals conceded.

The visit of the Devon side is highly anticipated, always a good attendance with a healthy, friendly away following. I spent a little while in conversation with a Gulls fan, who actually lived in Borough Green, just a mere eight miles from Tonbridge. His expectations were not unreasonably high, but also very aware that each season has started with the same outlook but now Torquay enter their fifth season at this level and they find themselves in that situation for a myriad of reasons, that he hoped had finally been resolved.

There was a level of expectation from the home support as well, borne of last Saturday’s impressive opening day win at Braintree Town.

Alan Dunne lost two of his squad from last week with strikers Lamar Reynolds and Bunmi Babajide unavailable. Frankie Baker came into the starting XI and two of the pre-season trialists were added to the squad.

The visitors edged a competitive first half with a goal after 17 minutes from Kian Jenkins, who saw his right-sided corner evade everybody at the near post to inswing straight into the net.

Two hefty challenges, first from the Angels’ Bailey Akehurst and a second from Torquay’s Munashe Sundire brought an already hot afternoon to boiling point with referee Daniel Baines brandishing yellow cards to both offenders.

After the hydration break, the home side came back into the game and a great chance was spurned on 35 minutes when Ethan Sutcliffe rose to meet Akehurst’s corner but his header cleared the bar.

A superb save from Nathan Harness, who touched a shot from Callum Morton onto the post, stopped the Gulls from doubling their advantage soon after the break, but from that point it was the Angels who were taking the game to their opponents with Baker being denied by a saving block and, on 55 minutes, Akehurst rattled the post.

The Angels endeavours were rewarded on 67 minutes, when from a corner, substitute Alfie Pavey had an instant impact as he headed on a Kai Martin cross to be finished by Sutcliffe.

With seven minutes remaining, Torquay broke away after a Tonbridge attack ending with Sean Robertson rolling the ball across the box for Matt Jay to finish from close range.

Tonbridge's task was made harder with five minutes remaining as Jepthe Tanga received a second yellow card and, therefore, his marching orders.

In the fourth minute of added time, Torquay’s points were preserved with a magnificent save from Toby Savin to deny Pavey. I think we are going to be hard pushed to see a better save this season.

So, taking the positives, using one of Dunne’s favourite sayings, we have gone toe-to-toe with one of the division’s heavyweight and come away with plenty of plaudits, if not any points.

My passing words with the Angels chair on the way out might be fatalistic, but I’ll stand by them. If we play like that all season, we will win more than we lose.

Picture: David Couldridge

Braintree Town 0 Tonbridge Angels 4

Match 12/26/2439 - Saturday, 8th August 2026 - National League South

Braintree Town (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (2) 4 Reynolds 14 Tanga 34,51 Baker 90+6
Attendance: 543
Admission: £14
Mileage: 188/602

WHAT A START!

I, or any other Tonbridge Angels supporter I guess, didn’t see this coming! Or, perhaps we might have. Braintree Town, relegated from the National League, have spent the summer under a transfer embargo that was only lifted in the week prior to the fixture and, subsequently, much of their business has been done with signings from the steps below, albeit that some came with a good CV.

After a somewhat difficult journey with Doris the satnav that hasn’t been updated for some years, leading us into roadworks and diversions that could have been avoided if we had just taken the M11 as we did on a trouble-free ride home, Cressing Road had seen little or no improvement during their time in non-league’s top tier. Toilet facilities, in particular, are just not fit for purpose.

But, the real shock came with the state of the pitch. I have never seen a first day pitch in such a state in all my years following the game. It was barren, rock hard and it was hard to disagree with Alan Dunne’s assertion that the game should have been called off as it posed a danger to the players.

All of us with gardens know how difficult it has been to keep a little bit of green in the lawns as the drought continues and my garden has seen about a pint of rainwater fall on it in the last two months, but I’ve managed to keep it looking reasonable without breaking the hosepipe ban. I get it that a football pitch is a much larger scale but there are people spending far more time on it than I am my lawn and it was somewhat ironic that one of the pitch side sponsors were the Lawn Doctor.

Historically there was also nothing to suggest the outcome. Tonbridge have failed to score in any of their last seven games against Braintree and the eighth, in 2020, brought a 1-0 win courtesy of an own goal.

New faces, drafted in during the 24 hours prior to kick-off, included a loan signing Hayden Bullas, from Bromley whilst trialists Jaden Brown, Brody Cockerill and Paul Osew were added to the squad.

With yet another roasting day, 28degC at kick-off, we were glad to find some shade on the side that houses the main grandstand and with a gentle breeze it actually made for comfortable spectating.

Tonbridge, resplendent in their new lilac change kit, took the lead after 14 minutes after the home side had had the better of the opening exchanges. Harry Gardener, dropped a cross from the right, into the near post and Lamar Reynolds reacted the quickest to lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

Having waited nearly six years for a goal at Braintree, a second came along on 34 minutes when short corner saw Gardner cross and as a Reynolds shot from the edge of the box came back from the bar, it was the smallest player on the pitch, Jepthe Tanga who rose the highest to steer a header home via the junction of the post and bar.

The Angels, now thoroughly in control of the game, had three good chances to put the game beyond Braintree in added time with Tanga heading wide, Gardner shooting likewise and goalkeeper, Rylee Mitchell, smothering at the feet of the industrious Tanga.

Gardner, who had provided energy, bite and assists, was withdrawn at half-time following a needless booking for kicking the ball away, making way for Bunmi Babajide.

Babajide was straight into the thick of the action and, six minutes into the second half, slipped an exquisite pass into the path of Tanga who finished past the advancing Mitchell.

With a comfortable lead, and in the heat, Dunne had the luxury of introducing Frankie Baker, Osew and Cockerill from the bench and in the closing moments of added time, Cockerill fed Baker to complete the scoring.

It was a memorable start but one that has to be treated with a certain amount of caution given that I very much doubt we will meet a worse National League South side, for them I fear a very long season. Sadly, the afternoon was also tainted by some unacceptable behaviour from a group of youngsters purporting to support Tonbridge, they are not what our club is about and we don’t need them.

Tonbridge Angels U18 4 FC Revo 3

Match 11/26/2438 - Monday, 4th August 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (3) 4 Penman 27,35 Barton 38 #11 60
FC Revo (1) 3 Crouch 37,47,85
Headcount: 54
Admission: Free
Mileage: 38/414

PRE-SEASON DONE!

Finally, that was that! Pre-season is done, and probably a sentence not often spoken out loud, looking forward to Braintree.

The final match took in another look at Tonbridge Angels U18’s who pitched themselves against Kent County League, Premier Division, FC Revo, who are based at St Gregory’s School in Tunbridge Wells. Revo have experienced a highly successful rise through the lower tiers with four successive promotions from the Sevenoaks and District League to the final tier below that of the national league pyramid.

The Angels U18’s, playing against a mens’ team, included a couple of players from last season’s championship winning side in Fiachra Pritchard and Robert Penman, who are no longer eligible for the age group.

Revo started the game strongly with a couple of chances for the big centre forward but these were spurned with disappointing finishes. Tonbridge, moving the ball around nicely, took the lead after 27 minutes when Penman dribbled across the face of goal before despatching his shot into the bottom corner in true Penman fashion, his goals are going to be hard to replace.

Emphasising that point, after 35 minutes, from a pass, Penman picked out the top corner from 20 yards to double their advantage.

Revo, to their credit, were not at the Yeomans to provide cannon fodder for anyone and, within two minutes, an equally impressive strike from Crouch into the bottom corner made it 2-1. But the comeback was stalled within a minute when a free kick from the edge of the box saw Kyler Barton spot the gap between wall and goalkeeper to execute perfectly.

Revo once more reduced the deficit early in the second half with another good strike from Crouch before the Angels #11, waltzed his way to the bye-line before tucking the ball inside the far post from a ridiculously tight angle.

The visitors wound up the evening, with a hat-trick goal for Crouch with another good strike. We had certainly seen some good goals for our free admission.

I’m pleased with myself that I did all of my scheduled games this pre-season, didn’t skip one because I was getting a little bored. But now, with huge anticipation and the eternal optimism of a football fan, let’s get on with the real stuff.

Staplehurst Monarchs 4 Northumberland Heath 1

Match 10/26/2438 - Saturday, 1st August 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Staplehurst Monarchs (3) 4 Kakari 30 Cuttress 38,45+1, Lee 78
Northumberland Heath (0) 1 65
Attendance: 62
Admission: Free
Mileage: 2/376

PITCH ENVY

Gazing across the parched, straw coloured grass towards the rising fences of the cage that will house Staplehurst’s new 3G pitch, begged the question why was it being laid outside of the main stadium of Staplehurst Monarchs. It’s been a question to which I’ve sought an answer since I became aware of its location and got varying explanations, some of which did’t actually hold water.

So after an afternoon, watching two teams provide an entertaining preseason friendly on a bone hard pitch, I sought the definitive answer from Facebook and, from people closely associated with both the football club and the parish council, I now have the answer.

The Jubilee Sports Ground has always housed pitches beyond the senior club and the Monarchs have a thriving youth programme that is the envy of many clubs in the area. At the time of the inception of the 3G, the senior and youth sections of the club were separate entities but that it no longer the case.

Primarily, Staplehurst Parish Council wanted the 3G pitch for the youth section rather than the senior club and, at its planning, a full-sized pitch was envisaged. In the true tradition of local authority bureaucracy and funding, the project took several years to break ground and, in that time, rising costs meant the pitch size needed to be reduced to what is titled “a full size recreational pitch”. So, from the football club’s point of view, it would have been pointless it being laid inside the stadium as step six football could not be played on it.

Staplehurst Monarchs will see benefits as they have priority bookings for their training days and their youth team games, but it is understood that their Under-18’s in the Kent Youth League would need to play inside the stadium.

It is a shame, because whilst we stare at the parched grass today, mid-winter will almost certainly bring postponements for waterlogging that has been endured ever since my first-ever visit, after moving to the village, 11 years ago.

A drive around the South and North Circulars to Wingate and Finchley was less than attractive and, apart from being less than a mile from my house, the Monarchs preseason visitors, Northumberland Heath, were an attractive proposition. What’s not to like about a visit from a touring team from the footballing hotbed of the north-east? Those illusions were rather dashed when, after an internet search, it was discovered that they hail from Erith, in south London and compete in the Kent County League, Division 2 West!

The early exchanges were competitive with Staplehurst having the better of the play with a first minute effort that saw the visiting goalkeeper make a brave block, but one that would see him leave the pitch after 25 minutes, to be replaced by, from the reaction of the cluster of Heath supporters, Sean, who had come totally unprepared to play needing to take not only the goalkeeper’s jersey, but also his boots!

Sean made his first save on the half-hour but after his parry had then seen the ball come back from the crossbar, Steve Kakari was on hand to tuck home from close range.

The game threatened to run away from the visitors as further goals were added with a deft lob from Manny Cuttress and, in first half added time, taking advantage of a missed clearance, Cuttress ran clear to make it three, but in the second half Northumberland Heath showed resilience and made a very decent game of it.

Whilst Sean was doing very well with his role as stand-in keeper, making several good saves, on 65 minutes, the number 14 seized on a poor back pass to round the goalkeeper and reduce the deficit.

Staplehurst had the final say, 12 minutes from time, when Jerome Lee was sent clear to make it 4-1.

There appears to be quite a bit left to do before the 3G surface is ready to receive the appropriate footwear, but when it is, no doubt a Kent Youth League game will catch my eye for a second Staplehurst ground tick.

Tonbridge Angels 4 Eastbourne Borough 2

Match 9/26/2437 - Tuesday, 28th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 4 Tanga 61 Sutcliffe 71 Trialist 78 Lintott 84
Eastbourne Borough (1) 1 Rees 27 Phillips 46
Attendance: 389
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/374

FULL MARKS FOR SPIRIT

Full marks for spirit. For a second consecutive time Tonbridge Angels came from behind to record a pre-season victory, this time against newly-relegated to the Isthmian League Premier, Eastbourne Borough.

Matches against Borough are rarely without goals and this one proved no different with Tonbridge coming back from two goals down after an hour to score four times in a spirited recovery.

Nobody expected Eastbourne Borough to produce the season they had last term, in fact, given the resources available to them, many had them down as promotion candidates. But, in a season that saw them go through four managers, they finished rock bottom. Their final manager, Steve King, was unable to recover an impossible situation and remains in-situ to mount a campaign to return to National League South at the first attempt. King is a proven manager with a lengthy CV that has seen success and failure in equal measure. He’s a colourful character and his passion, if we can call it that, has shown no sign of abating from the touchline.

On a very warm evening after another day of intense heat, Ricky Korboa was available for his first start; one trialist started and another two entered the fray in the second half.

The opening quarter, as we are seemingly now bound to call it, up to the hydration break was competitive, if uneventful, before Ethan Sutcliffe headed narrowly wide following a Harry Gardner free kick.

Eastbourne opened the scoring on 27 minutes with a soft goal conceded. A pass inside the defender from Kai Corbett found Josh Rees who scored into the far corner despite Nathan Harness getting a hand to the ball.

Early in the second period, the visitors doubled their advantage with a goal that would frustrate both the manager and supporters alike. A Corbett corner from the right saw Giles Phillips rise at the far post, virtually unchallenged, to head home.

It was such a poor goal, but if it did nothing else, it stung the Angels into recovery mode and the deficit was halved on 61 minutes, when Jephte Tanga, cut in from the right to despatch his shot into the bottom corner.

On 71 minutes, a Bailey Akehurst free kick was dropped by the Eastbourne goalkeeper, ex-Angel Lewis Carey, and Sutcliffe was on hand to stab the ball home.

Tonbridge were now swarming all over their visitors and when Frankie Baker worked himself into a crossing position, he picked out a trialist who swept the ball home.

A change to the rules of the game caught Carey out for the final goal as he took too long to take a goal kick which became a corner from which Akehurst sent to the near post for Harvey Lintott to touch home.

That is the last of Tonbridge’s PSF’s at Longmead with a visit to Wingate and Finchley next Saturday. A trip around London’s South Circular is far from enticing and I will toddle down the road to Staplehurst Monarchs.

Tonbridge Angels U18/19 3 Gillingham U16 0

Match 8/26/2436 - Monday, 27th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels U18/19 (2) 3 Bingham 18,63 Denton 20
Gillingham U16 (0) 0
Attendance: 110
Admission: Free
Mileage: 38/336

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

It came as no surprise that the youngsters of Tonbridge Angels and Gillingham served up the best preseason game I’ve seen this season.

Entertaining, competitive with even a slight edge to it and with no shortage of quality, the extra year or two, saw a mix of Tonbridge U18’s and Academy (U19’s) take what spoils there are from a friendly with a 3-0 win over a Gillingham side largely made up from their Under-16 group.

This season is another big one in terms of transition for the youth programme at Tonbridge Angels. Last season brought the very successful reintroduction of the Kent Youth League teams under the Angels badge and this has been followed by the Academy being brought in-house this season.

Men’s first team manager, Alan Dunne, has bought into the project and in a recent interview, he pledged that he would be using players from the Academy this year, there are opportunities for them and has signed three on National League South forms.

Adding that he would have Academy players training with the senior team as his blueprint would be to bed them into the environment and use them as and when appropriate. This would, in turn, attract better academy players with the knowledge that there is a clear pathway through to senior football.

On a pleasantly warm evening, with the heat of the day receding, both teams showed their attacking intentions from the outset with the Angels’ Harry Bingham forcing a save from the Gills goalkeeper after just two minutes and the visitors replying with efforts that required saving by Alfie McGuire.

Tonbridge went ahead after 18 minutes when a 20 yard shot from Bingham found the bottom corner and they doubled their advantage two minutes later when a run and pass from Harry Ejje set up a shooting opportunity for Jack Denton to find the bottom corner.

Gillingham passed up several opportunities to reduce the deficit with a header that drifted narrowly wide and a shot into the side netting before McGuire made an excellent save as the Gills centre forward went through one-on-one.

Tonbridge certainly had the better of the second period with Amnol Bhandari bringing a good, low save out of the keeper before, on 63 minutes, Bingham wrapped up the game when the ball fell to him in the area following a corner and he clinically drove it home from around 12 yards.

All very satisfying, and Dom Welsh said afterwards, that his team had applied themselves really well and were very comfortable.

Both the Angels sides have history to continue, with the Under-18’s Isthmian divisional champions for the last two seasons and the Academy will be looking to return to being a force in the National Youth Alliance after a season that didn’t quite meet the success of their recent past.

On this evidence, I’ve little doubt, that it will be entertaining.

Picture: Jim Case

Tonbridge Angels 3 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Match 7/26/2435 - Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 3 Babajide 48,57 Trialist 54
Dulwich Hamlet (1) 1 Mico 41
Attendance: 362
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/298

THAT'S BETTER!

At half-time my waining sense of preseason optimism had further evaporated as visitors Dulwich Hamlet had taken advantage of another lacklustre performance from Tonbridge Angels and, four minutes from the break a simple pass into the right channel from Sean Bonnett-Johnson sent Gaspar Mico clear to slide in his shot into the far corner from a relatively tight angle.

But, the half-time team talk had the desired effect and produced the best 45 minutes from the home side this season with three goals in the opening 12 minutes to reverse the ills of the first period.

Dulwich Hamlet are old foes from our Isthmian days when they were always seen as one of the giants of that division and are probably still considered that by their present day counterparts. Last season, despite a ninth place finish, five points adrift of the play-offs, they still managed an average attendance of 2,226 with gates of over 3,000 for the visits of Welling United, St Albans City, Chichester City, Billericay Town and Burgess Hill Town. Much was always made of their clusters of craft ale drinking groups seemingly unaware that a football match was taking place behind them, but the club that has survived endless battles with the Champions Hill stadium owners and Southwark Council now have in place planning approval that will secure their future and, with the depth of support they hold, drive the club forward.

Indeed, on a hot afternoon that brought a necessary return of the hydration breaks, the south London club brought a decent following for a preseason friendly.

Dulwich should have gone in front on seven minutes when David Smith put a shot wide when well placed and further chances were spurned as they controlled the half, despite losing a player stretchered off on the half-hour.

On 38 minutes, the Angels produced their first chance of note when Jephte Tanga struck a post before Dulwich took the lead.

A different Tonbridge side emerged from the dressing rooms, not necessarily in personnel, but in attitude and that brought early reward as they were gifted an equaliser when the goalkeeper, under pressure, cleared only a few yards to the feet of Bunmi Babajide, who had the simple task of scoring from close range.

After 54 minutes, a pinpoint free kick from Bailey Akehurst found the head of a trialist to put the Angels in front and three minutes later a third was added when Babajide dribbled his way into a shooting position to find the bottom corner.

After a second half of mostly Tonbridge dominance, Dulwich produced a final five minutes of pressure that saw a shot from Nyren Clunis come back from the inside of the post and a shot, also from Clunis, that Nathan Harness turned over the bar.

Altogether a second half that restored optimism as we enter the final fortnight of preseason.

Pictures: Dave Couldridge