Tonbridge (2) 3 Williams 14, Medlock 45, 63 (pen)
Witham Town (0) 0
Att. 486
Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/6,100
Match Report
At this stage of the season some games have great significance and others have very little, so with this in mind, I took the decision to shelve the season ticket at Gillingham to hopefully see Tonbridge across the line and out of relegation trouble and despite the ugliness of the game, it would appear that, barring a freak set of results in the coming fortnight, it is job done.
As a first season as a manager, Steve McKimm has had an awful lot to deal with. As the teams lined up today with Jon Heath and Jerome Sobers at the centre of the defence and a clinical finisher in Billy Medlock there was the clear indication that, given the players that actually started the season, this would not have been the struggle that has materialised over the past eight months.
This win against fellow relegation-threatened Witham Town, virtually ended the visitors hopes of avoiding the drop to Ryman North next season, not that it dampened the spirits of the lone Witham supporter who sang his heart out for his club and even appeared happy at the prospect that next season they will be playing their neighbours and he celebrated this with his song "only four months from Heybridge".
A warm afternoon with a stiff breeze made for a drying pitch and the surface contributed to a scrappy match. After a quiet opening, in which Tommy Wraight, who recently had a two-week trial at Ipswich Town, gave James Folkes a few worrying moments, it was the home side that opened the scoring after 14 minutes. Billy Medlock drew a save from Martyn Guest in the Witham goal but his defenders made a hash of getting the loose ball to safety and when it fell at the feet of Marvin Williams he drilled it into the gaping goal.
Jack Parter justified my vote as player of the season prior to the game with a goal-line clearance before Medlock had the ball in the net only for it to be disallowed for offside.
Just before the break, Tonbridge supporters were able to relax over their Bovril as Medlock does what Billy does best. Williams slid a pass in from the right hand side and with a couple of feet to aim at, the striker found the net between Guest and his near post.
The game continued to be a scrappy affair into the second half. Nathan Elder, fed an opening by the excellent Williams, should have done better than to bring a smothering save from Guest and send the rebound high, wide and not very handsome.
Just past the hour mark and the game was made safe, and with it, hopefully, Ryman Premier League football. Medlock was needlessly fouled in the box for a penalty. An unnecessary squabble ensued between Medlock and Mitchell Pinnock that needed a word from captain Sobers before Medlock sent the keeper the wrong way to complete the scoring.
The mathematics are not in place, but most people, it seems, are accepting that Tonbridge's final dash to safety has been successful and have sighed a big relief.
No comments:
Post a Comment