Tonbridge 1 Ebbsfleet United 6

Match 03/12/956 - Saturday, 14 July 2012 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge (1) 1 Piper
Ebbsfleet United (3) 6 Ashikodi 2, 30, Bellamy 10, Elder 48,
Makofo 80, Judge o.g. 89
Att. 315

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: 50p
Mileage: 26/88

Match Report

Pre-season is meant to serve the purpose of obtaining match fitness, to assess which is your best possible team in a formation that best serves the players at the manager’s disposal and, hopefully iron out the mistakes that cause you to lose goals and games. This is where Tonbridge’s pre-season stands after two heavy defeats against albeit superior opposition, defensive errors that cost them goals against Crawley were not only replicated against Ebbsfleet, but continued during the game.

Tonbridge appear to have a real problem defending from the flanks, two of Crawley’s four were the result of crosses into the box and four of Ebbsfleet’s six came from a similar source. They would also hope that the conceding of early goals is not going to become a habit.

Thankfully, the game itself found a window in the relentless rain of July and the pitch played wonderfully well considering the deluge that it has suffered in recent days.

Tommy Warrilow started with a team without trialists and one that would appear to closer resemble the expected eleven on opening day, albeit that day is still five weeks away.

Ebbsfleet fielded their new look strike force of Nathan Elder, a (shall we say) beefy striker who has been in and out of the Football League alongside, one time Gillingham loanee, Moses Ashikodi. It did not take the latter too long to get his name on the score sheet. Just two minutes were on the clock when the home side failed to cut out a cross from the right allowing Ashikodi to tuck home from close range. The lead was doubled on ten minutes when Liam Bellamy scored with an unchallenged header at the far post from a corner.

Half an hour had been played when yet another cross from the right was once again converted by Ashikodi from close range with Ebbsfleet threatening to run riot. In fairness to Tonbridge they steadied the ship and managed to pull a goal back before half time. A wonderful crossfield pass found Frannie Collin in acres of space on the right and his perfectly weighted cross was met with a near post header from Chris Piper to reduce the arrears.

The early doors mental block struck the home side again in the opening minutes of the second half. Elder rose unchallenged at the far post to head home the Fleet’s fourth of the afternoon. One time Gillingham trialist Serge Makofo added a fifth before Ben Judge steered a cross into his own net in the final minutes to complete the rout.

Upcoming friendlies in the next couple of weeks are against clubs from lower divisions, so it is going to be all the more concerning if the same mistakes surface once more. Improved performances will allow the supporters the consolation that these teams of higher status are not going to be met every week and those defensive shortcomings are nothing more than a hiccup that pre-season is used to work out.