Tonbridge (1) 1 Booth 19
Dartford (0) 4 Johnson 51, Harris 72, Bradbrook 81, Haworth 85
Att. 842
Entrance: £10
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/5,301
Match Report
In search of a little respite from the relegation battles of Gillingham, it was probably not the wisest move to look towards Longmead Stadium. Last weekend as the Gills slipped in the drop zone, a similar fate was encountered by Tonbridge as they lost at Bognor Regis.It’s strange that the occasions on which I’ve seen Tonbridge this season they haven’t been that bad. But the financial problems that surround the club have slowly seen players moving away leaving Tommy Warrilow with the bare bones of a squad.
Last Saturday’s visitors were Dartford, the league leaders, so there was the natural thought that this game could only finish one way. But, earlier in the season I saw the reverse fixture at Prince’s Park and it was much closer than the league positions might have suggested.
In front of a very healthy 842 attendance the first half unfolded into a very different story than that envisaged. Tonbridge had by far the best of it and went in at the break a goal to the good and could well have been further in front. They had several half chances before Paul Booth finished for an excellent team goal. Further half chances were created and it would have been no more than the home side deserved had they led by a couple at the half time whistle.
Whatever Tony Burman said during the break should be bottled such was the change in the league leaders from the outset of the second period. It took just six minutes for the Angels’ lead to be erased and with 20 minutes remaining the Darts took the lead for the first time when Danny Harris capitalised on some insecure defending in the centre of the Tonbridge back line. Two goals in the last 10 minutes, the first a 30 yard blast from Elliott Bradbrook and finally, a header from Rob Haworth made it an emphatic victory.
PC problems stopped me from posting this directly after the game and the ensuing week has been one of controversy as a potential take-over has been played out in public on the unofficial forum. An unnamed investor is supposedly ready to plough £500,000 into the club to redevelop the stadium and make available £20,000 immediately for team building. The redevelopment would involve 3G playing surfaces, 5-a-side pitches and associated buildings that would be hired out to generate a revenue stream for the club as well as the investor.
The controversy arose in the manner is which the proposal emerged in public. The board admitted that they had a verbal proposal but were not prepared to commit themselves further until they had seen a full business plan and considering the number of shafters that seem to be in evidence in football these days you would have to say that would be a prudent approach. Nobody wishes to see Longmead go the same way as the Angel Ground and end up aa a Sainsburys.
It emerged that instrumental in the proposal, but not as an investor, was an ex-Tonbridge player Mickey Collins who was approached by the club secretary who allegedly warned of a financial crisis that was beginning to engulf the club and with players leaving the club it was not something that could be easily denied.
The conjecture continued to be played out on the public forum until Tuesday evening when the board of Tonbridge Angels released a statement outlining that they would need to see the business plan and seek further financial guarantees and that they were surprised that the proposal was being negotiated on the forum. The statement also declared that the club was financially stable and debt free.
At the end of the week, the message boards are quieter but still rumbling on. I can now count 30 pages worth of postings at an average of 10 per page and still I am none the wiser whether the proposal is good or a bad thing or whether it is likely to go ahead or not. Who ever said that football is played on grass?
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