Whyteleafe 0 Tonbridge 2

Match 02/15/1207 - Tuesday, 7th July 2015 - Pre-Season Friendly

Whyteleafe (0) 0
Tonbridge (2) 2 Phipp 3 Elder 5
Match abandoned after 70 minutes
Attendance: 80

Entrance: Senior £2
Programme: Free
Mileage: 76/138

A lovely summer’s evening that had begun with Tonbridge Angels supporters at Whyteleafe’s Church Road stadium full of optimism for the coming season ended after 70 minutes with a feeling of sheer helplessness as a 23-year-old trialist, Junior Dian, collapsed on the field of play. Both club’s physios sprinted to the player’s aid and administered CPR before an ambulance was called.

As the players of both sides left the pitch, Whyteleafe officials were asking spectators to leave the stadium as the game had been abandoned whilst the physios continued their efforts on the stricken player.

I was due at work, so left the scene immediately but those that stayed on report that the ambulance arrived just before 21:40, approximately 25 minutes after Junior had slumped to the ground. He was transferred to St George’s Hospital, Tooting, where at 1 a.m., he sadly passed away.

Junior is a young man that was completely unknown to the Tonbridge supporters assembled at Church Road. In fact, on the club secretary’s team sheet, he was simply listed as Junior. My eyes were following the ball when he fell to the ground, without any contact with any other player I was told, and it took some minutes to realise the gravity of the situation. The sight of Melvin Slight, the Tonbridge physio and his Whyteleafe counterpart rendering CPR was not one that I had witnessed on a football ground, or anywhere else for that matter, and not one I would wish to repeat. I, for one and I’m sure many others would echo the thought, that the two physios were heroes for their actions despite their efforts ultimately being in vain.

In later days, it has emerged that Junior had been a player with Dagenham and Redbridge in his youth and was known to Tonbridge players, James Folkes and Jerrome Sobers, who had asked manager Steve McKimm if Junior could attend training with them. He had impressed enough for McKimm to give him an opportunity to play a part in the pre-season friendly.

The match itself, obviously became a irrelevance but it should be said that Tonbridge got off to a storming start with new signing Nick Wheeler very much to the fore. After just two minutes he floated a left wing cross to the far post from where Tom Phipp converted with a header. The lead was doubled within a couple of minutes, this time a long right-sided cross from James Folkes was easily headed home by Nathan Elder. The visitors went on to dominate the first period and could have been a long way clear before the break.

Saturday's home friendly against Gillingham goes ahead as a tribute to Junior Dian.