Tonbridge 1 Dorchester Town 2

Match 60/13/1087 - Saturday, 22nd February 2014 - Conference South

Tonbridge (1) 1 Bakare 14
Sheffield United (1) 1 Crittenden 36, Jermyn 90+2
Att. 405

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 26/5,909

Match Report

The sun shone on a pitch that at first look, although carrying a hundredweight or two of sand, didn’t look so bad considering the deluge that had fallen on it, and following Monday’s epic victory to complete a double over promotion contending, heavily-funded Eastleigh it was also shining on brighter times ahead for Tonbridge Angels, and then the football began . . .

The pitch quickly cut up and became difficult for either side to deliver a consistent level of performance; both sides had patches in the ascendancy but neither was able to take the game by the scruff of the neck and call it their own. Ultimately the sun set and a 92nd minute winner for Dorchester Town left Tonbridge feeling the cold wind of relegation on their backs once more.

Dorchester arrived at Longmead sitting next to bottom in Conference South, whilst the three points obtained against Eastleigh had lifted the Angels out of the bottom three, so although it might only be February, the game had the feel of a six-pointer about it.

Tonbridge started strongly and the Magpies’ keeper, Alan Walker-Harris pulled out a smart stop to thwart a 30 yard effort from Mark Lovell. However, the home side’s endeavours were rewarded after 14 minutes when Michael Bakare cut in from the left and lifted a shot over the on-rushing Walker-Harris into the far corner with Nathaniel Pinney following up to tap home if needed.

Dorchester responded to the setback and Warren Byerley, who proved a handful for most of the game until his substitution five minutes from time, fired over the bar. The Dorset side found an equaliser after 36 minutes; awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal, Ashley Yeoman fired in a shot that found its way past the wall bringing a parrying save from Tonbridge’s keeper, Clark Masters, that unfortunately only rebounded into the path of Nick Crittenden, who had followed the ball in, whilst the Tonbridge defenders merely spectated.

Tonbridge entered the break having been marginally the more offensive of the two sides, but in the second half as the pitch deteriorated, the match became more of a foot-slog with both sides having periods in which they may have scored the next goal. Early in the second half Dorchester's Nathan Craig attempted an extravagant shot from the half-way line seeking to catch Masters off his line and after 65 minutes, Tonbridge had an attack that brought a good save from Walker-Harris and ended with Lovell rattling a post.

In the closing minutes of the game, it was Dorchester that were finishing the stronger and when the substitute, Steve Walker crashed a header against the bar, Tonbridge supporters were looking for the final whistle to accept the point in the hand.

These hopes were to be denied when, in the time added on, Masters spilled a corner from Charlie Losasso and Mark Jermyn was on hand to poke the ball home to the delight of the raucous few that had travelled from the west. Masters claimed a foul, but the referee waved away any such protest to deliver three precious points to the visitors.

The wettest season ever has hopefully passed through and there is now a glut of fixtures to be made up, of which Tonbridge have a bundle of home games to use to their advantage in their quest for safety. As the last week has proved they can beat the best and lose to the not-quite-so-good, so it could, and probably will, be a roller-coaster ride to the last week in April.