Tonbridge 2 Hitchin Town 1

Match 31/12/984 - Saturday, 10 November 2012 - FA Trophy 3QR

Tonbridge (2) 2 Purcell 3, Piper 35
Hitchin Town (0) 1 Frendo 28 (pen)
Att. 513

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/2,041

Match Report

Tommy Warrilow celebrated five years as manager of Tonbridge Angels with something not synonymous of his reign at Longmead, a cup victory. Warrilow’s time at the club, in league terms, has been largely upwardly mobile, but his cup record has been largely through the door marked exit.

A draw against lower league opposition has certainly not been a free pass into the next round in previous seasons, so this Third Qualifying Round tie against Southern Premier League, Hitchin Town was not to be considered a gimme.

Prior to the game beginning a minute’s applause was observed for Ken Jarrett, a club stalwart since the very beginning in 1948. I didn’t know Ken personally, but like just about everybody else who follows the club, knew of Ken. A former club secretary, vice chairman and director, Ken was typical of the people found up-and-down the country who are the mainstay of non-league football, those that give freely of their time and effort to maintain a local football club that we can visit when Saturday comes.

Tonbridge opened the game at a canter and were a goal to the good within three minutes. Ross Treleaven’s direct pass through the heart of the visiting defence found George Purcell, who advanced on the keeper, who despite making a semi-block of the shot, saw the ball loop over his body and into the empty net.

The early goal on appeared to engender complacency into the Tonbridge ranks as the Hertfordshire team found their feet. After several sorties on the home goal, Hitchen were eventually, deservedly, on level terms after the awarding of a 28th minute penalty which leading scorer, John Frendo, converted. Ben Judge committed the foul on the edge of the penalty area and received a booking which was to prove costly later in the game.

The home side was not behind for long. Chris Piper, who had an outstanding afternoon, cut in from the left, executed a turn that left his marker on his backside and shot calmly into past Hitchen keeper Martin Bennett.

In the 52nd minute Tonbridge were reduced to 10 men when Judge was sent off after being beaten for pace by Stewart King and then tripping the Hitchen forward. The dismissal shook Tonbridge out of their complacency, their possession of the ball improved and they took control of the game. Raiding down the left hand side, the impressive Henry Muggeridge found himself in shooting positions on three occasions, one of which looped onto the bar. The young left back is a fine acquisition, he has been outstanding in every game I’ve seen him play and I’m only left to scratch my head as to why he is not playing above Conference South level.

The team’s equality in terms of personnel was levelled at 10-a-side when after melee Hitchen’s Louis Lee was sent off after raising his hands to Tom Davis and pushing him to the ground. Tonbridge safely saw the game out with no real alarms and Monday brings the tantalising prospect of a Trophy draw with Tonbridge in the hat and that is a bit of a novelty for Tommy Warrilow!