Tunbridge Wells 1 Fisher 1

Match 08/12/961 - Saturday, 4 August 2012 - Kent League

Tunbridge Wells (1) 1 Spackman 20
Fisher (0) 1 Monan 47
Att. 132

Entrance: £3 Senior
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 26/313

Match Report

Four weeks of friendlies is enough, it was time for some football with a competitive edge. Thankfully, the Kent League got off to an early start and Tunbridge Wells and Fisher contested a feisty encounter to set the ball rolling on the next nine months of action.

Martin Larkin, the Tunbridge Wells manager, has had a significant rebuilding job to do during the summer following a mass player defection to Erith and Belvedere. In his search for replacements he turned to old faces in the shape of Jason Bourne, James Russell, Joe Fuller, Jon Lord and Matt Foreman. Nobody is contracted at Tunbridge Wells, nobody earns a penny, so when a club finds a little cash, then players naturally move on. It is a fact of life at Kent League level, there always appears to be one club that have that little bit of extra cash to spend than the others, this season it seems to be Erith and Belvedere.

Fisher spent last season, largely in the doldrums and took a six goal pasting at Culverden in January. Steve Firkin has put together a side that this season look capable of putting those difficulties behind them, they have enjoyed a decent pre-season and their performance at Tunbridge Wells was well worthy of a point.

Tunbridge Wells took the lead, somewhat against the run of play, in the 20th minute through Perry Spackman. I would have liked to describe the goal perfectly, but as I was engaged in conversation regarding Mark McCammon and Snowgate at Gillingham my head was turned and I only saw the ball nestling in the corner of the net. Evidently it was a bit of a fluke, inadvertently diverted in by Spackman after a cross had been headed on by Andy Irvine.

Fisher got back on level terms within a couple of minutes of the second half, Richie Monan cleverly turning in a free kick at the near post.

A poor challenge from Spackman was the blue touchpaper for a fracas between the players that was ended with a booking for the Tunbridge Wells defender. Unfortunately, there appeared little forgive and forget as the remainder of the second half was peppered with little skirmishes between the two sets of players. The game became messy with the single highlight of a fantastic save by Fisher goalkeeper, Danny Firkins as a header by Jon Pilbeam was bound for the top corner.

The game ended honours even in the season’s opener, a season in which Tunbridge Wells celebrate 50 years at the Culverden Stadium, thankfully there is no obscure kit to mark the occasion with the Wells returning to their red shirts after last season’s centenary blue.

On another blog I noticed a picture of a stone marking the opening of the stadium back in 1962. I’ve been a regular visitor at Culverden for all of those 50 years and had no knowledge of the existence of the memorial until a saw the picture. As you will see from the photo, it needs a bit of a jet wash and a position of more prominence, rather than it being tucked away as an almost forgotten object.