Tonbridge 1 Salisbury City 2

Match 12/12/965 - Tuesday, 21 August 2012 - Conference South

Tonbridge (1) 1 Collin 36
Salisbury City (0) 2 White 73, 75
Att. 520

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2.00
Mileage: 26/436

Match Report

Second Season Syndrome. Does it really exist or is it just myth? Supporters of Norwich City might well be considering it a genuine football ailment following their heavy defeat at Fulham on Saturday and after two defeats in games in which the corresponding fixtures were last season won, similarly the fans of Tonbridge Angels might just thinking likewise.

There are good arguments as to why SSS is real. Opposition clubs will be coming to Longmead this season knowing what to expect in terms of the facilities, the pitch, the hostility (or otherwise) of the home support and the logistics of just getting to Tonbridge, i.e. the vagaries of the M25. Players come and go, but let’s face it, Frannie Collin is hardly the league’s big secret. There is a statistical counter argument from the Premiership, of 59 clubs promoted only seven have been relegated in their second season.

Tonbridge’s start to the season has been less than great but, according to reports from their opening game at Maidenhead, although the best team won, they were not too far away from taking a point from the fixture and a similar argument could be made for last night’s opening home encounter against Salisbury City.

The opening exchanges of the game saw Salisbury hold the upper hand, but Tonbridge were looking lively on the counter attack. Chris McPhee, scorer of Ebbsfleet’s winning goal in their FA Trophy victory of 2008, was centre of much of their attacking intention, although his verbal exchange with the referee was hardly one of Olympian values.

Frannie Collin engineered a goal out of nothing on 36 minutes. The Tonbridge striker received the ball 20 yards from goal and curled a delicious strike into the top right hand corner, bending its way past three defenders and a goalkeeper. In fairness it was a lead that the home side barely deserved on the run of play.

The visitors suffered a further set-back just before the break when winger Stuart Sinclair was sent off for a stamp on Rory Hill, but as the second half unfolded, at no time did Salisbury look the side reduced to 10 men.

Tonbridge were forced into two half-time substitutions, Olly Schulz who took a heavy knock in the first half was replaced by Sonny Miles, whilst Robbie Kember was also replaced by George Crimmen.

In the space of a couple of minutes, and on both occasions as a result of swift counter attacks, Tonbridge fell behind. On 73 minutes, Jamie White, a close season capture from Winchester City, where he scored 54 goals last season, steered the ball past Lee Worgan from close range after a speedy break by Dan Fitchett and within two minutes he was on the mark again as he got onto a clearance and outpaced the Tonbridge defence to score. Two clinical finishes and White is obviously a striker to watch this term. The second goal did have an element of controversy about it. Tom Davis lost out on a challenge on the edge of the Salisbury box to a tackle that was perceived by many of the home supporters to have been over-the-top and, as he lay injured, the break was on and the goal was scored.

Mikael Suarez had already been brought on as a third substitute and as Davis could not continue, Tonbridge were themselves reduced to 10 men for the remaining 15 minutes.

Tonbridge sought an equaliser in the time remaining and the visitors time-wasting became a trifle irritating, but ultimately Salisbury deservedly saw the game out to a winning conclusion.

Are we witnessing Second Season Syndrome, or is this just another of Tonbridge’s notoriously slow starts to a season, only time will tell.