Tonbridge (1) 1 Teniola 22
Bromley (1) 1 Goldberg 9
Att. 672
Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2.00
Mileage: 26/7,349
Match Report
And so I face the final curtain
With apologies to Frank Sinatra in the 100th year of this birth, but paraphrasing certain lines in his song lends itself beautifully to the scenario in which Tonbridge Angels find themselves.
The end of their time in Conference South is very much near, if it is not here already as Frank would say. And as the curtain comes down on this frustrating season, to many it would seem that Tommy Warrilow is facing the final curtain.
Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
Warrilow never appears to be a man that harbours regrets and he would argue what does he have to regret? He is the man that steered the club into Conference South for the very first time, the highest level at which the club has played. After two seasons, one a comfortable mid-table finish and the other a successful fight against relegation, the third has been a struggle from start to finish, one that is going to be ultimately lost. His regrets may well be a run-in that has produced gutsy results like this one against Bromley, on another day a draw would have been seen as an excellent result, but single points are no longer of any great value.
He may also regret that this season’s signings, almost to a man just have not come off. His summer marquee signing, Nathaniel Pinney came with a pedigree and a waistline. He was obviously a long way short of match fitness and admitted it, but three months later the waistline showed no signs of receding and shipped out to Ryman League clubs to find fitness, but that didn’t work either.
Philip Appiah came to the club after a spell out of the game and for many has been one of the better players in midfield, but for long periods Warrilow could not find a place for him in the starting eleven. Luke Blewden returned to the club but when the goals failed to materialise, he was also loaned out. A succession of shorter-term signings have appeared, and disappeared, without really making a mark, Shamir Goodwin being the obvious exception to the rule.
A defensive mix-up after nine minutes served to highlight the futility of a manager’s lot on the side-lines. Lewis Carey had been asked to make a save in the early minutes from Brendan Kiernan but when Rob Swaine headed forward a cross from Joe Anderson, Carey inexplicably spilt the ball and Bradley Goldberg had the easiest of tap-ins for his 22nd goal of the season.
Tonbridge showed great resilience and after 22 minutes found themselves level. Appiah sent a ball over the top and Alex Teniola fastened onto it and steered the ball into the far corner, a goal that was simplicity in itself.
Warrilow’s men continued to spend long periods on the back foot with Carey starring against his old club making saves from Goldberg in particular who might have ended with a net-full.
The second half followed much the same pattern and Jon Heath was forced to clear from the line but one or two half chances began to fall the way of the home side. Mark Lovell saw a header comfortably saved by Joe Welch and Chris Piper drove a 25 yard free kick just over the crossbar.
With the home crowd begging Warrilow to make substitutions, especially up-front, they were finally made in the final 10 minutes when Evan James and Pinney entered the fray and, all of a sudden, it was Tonbridge that were on the front foot. Into injury time a long ball forward from Ryan Watts was sent in the direction of Pinney who was in an offside position, the ball never reached Pinney but was received by Piper who came from an onside position to place a chip into the net but the linesman flag was raised. It is so typical of the luck that always haunts those in the basement of divisions.
Did Warrilow leave it too late to make the substitutions, a criticism that is regularly levelled at him, who knows if it would have made a difference on this occasion? As it stands, even wins at Chelmsford and the season’s finale against Havant may not now be enough and should that be the end of the reign of Tommy Warrilow well . . .
And more, much more than this, he did it his way.
Sadly, at the end of this season, his way will conclude in the wrong way.
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