Tonbridge 1 Hayes & Yeading United 1

Match 68/13/1094 - Thursday, 20th March 2014 - Conference South

Tonbridge (0) 1 Lovell 72
Hayes & Yeading United (1) 1 Williams 23
Att. 273

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £1.50
Mileage: 26/6,620

Match Report

For half-an-hour the lights literally went out on Tonbridge's battle to avoid relegation from Conference South. Thankfully, with power fully restored, a Mark Lovell penalty earned his side a well-deserved, vital point towards the season's ultimate goal.

Thirteen minutes of the second half had elapsed when a local power cut plunged Longmead into darkness with Hayes and Yeading holding on to their one goal lead earned in the first half. The lights to the bar were quickly restored but, evidently, once power has been cut to floodlights it is not just a case of flicking the switch to have them illuminating again.

Including this fixture, over the next three games, Tonbridge face opposition who are themselves embroiled in this relegation dog-fight and the Angels have a frighteningly poor record against those clubs this season, prior to this game having recorded only one win in eight games against teams from the bottom seven.

On a cold, wet evening a poor attendance of just 273 highlighted how costly the postponements during the monsoon season turn out to be when the game is eventually played. Thursday evening football, perhaps, doesn't even register in mindset of the floating supporter.

Tonbridge, on the back of a confidence-building four points and two clean sheets from their previous two outings, started brightly and Nathaniel Pinney pulled a shot narrowly wide in the opening minute, he could and probably should have scored. But, having made most of the running in the opening 20 minutes, it was the visitors that opened the scoring.

H&Y, who had previously showed little going forward, crafted a pleasing goal on the eye although fingers will be pointed at some woeful Tonbridge marking. A cross from the left to the far post was met with a cushioned header from Pat Cox into the path of Luke Williams who directed his header into the corner from close range.

The game from that point became one in which the goalkeepers will look back to their important contributions. Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, the ex-Dover keeper, made a splendid save from a Lee Browning free-kick to retain the visitors lead at the break.

Tonbridge emerged from the dressing room for the second period with renewed vigour and a golden chance was created by Michael Bakare after five minutes. A great run into the penalty area wasn’t ended with a shot as the ball got stuck under his feet and then he and Luis Cumbers left it for each other when another opportunity offered itself up. Directly from that move, H&Y broke away and Tonbridge hearts breathed a sigh of relief as Williams crashed a shot against the crossbar.

Just prior to the lights going out, Ruiz saved brilliantly from Cumbers and directly after the darkness, he saved well once more from a Pinney header.

Tonbridge deservedly got their equaliser with about 20 minutes remaining when, I think, Bakare was tripped in the box. There were a lot of bodies in a small space and at the time, I had no idea exactly why the spot kick had been given, but Lovell stepped up and safely despatched his kick into the corner.

Instead of going for the winner, Tonbridge surprisingly sat back and they were very nearly punished as their own 'keeper, Lewis Carey was forced into a brilliant treble save to thwart the visitors.

Rather wet and bedraggled, I, along with most other Tonbridge supporters ambled out of Longmead, half-an-hour later than expected, disappointed that the three points had not been obtained from a game that, in the main, they had dominated. The next couple of games will highlight whether this was a point gained or a couple lost.