Needham Market 2 Tonbridge 1

Match 40/15/1245 - Saturday, 7th November 2015 - Ryman Premier

Needham Market (0) 2 Brothers 52, 65
Tonbridge (0) 1 Elder 56
Attendance: 300
New ground: 282

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 224/2,891

Match Report

In terms of distance, Suffolk is as far as it gets and for Tonbridge it seems it is a step to far. An almost impeccable away record disappeared into the mud of Needham Market as the home side, firmly ensconced in the bottom four of the Ryman Premier, belied their position with a performance that, if not blessed with any quality, would give their supporters a great lift with the resilience they showed, especially a last 10 minutes assault on their goal from the visitors.

Tonbridge will also be glad to see the back of their Brothers Grimm. Patrick Brothers scored the winning goal for Leiston at Longmead back in September and was a thorn in their side in the 3-1 FA Cup defeat at Victory Road whilst his brother Michael scored a brace to put three points on the board for Needham for only the second time this season. Sadly, Patrick (and Suffolk) needs to be encountered once more.

There was a warm welcome on arrival at Bloomfields, no more so than the wonderfully enthusiastic tea lady who almost theatrically dispensed her food and drink orders with a cheery smile whilst showing a colourful fashion sense in her yellow Doc Martens!

Taking their place in the tea queue, rather than the team line-up were Sonny Miles and Tommy Whitnell although Tom Parkinson and Nathan Elder were fit to return, whilst new loan signing from AFC Wimbledon, David Fitzpatrick took his place in the line-up.

The pitch, before a ball was kicked, looked pretty bad. It didn’t take long, and was certainly not helped by a heavy rain shower during the opening quarter-hour, before it turned into a real cow patch.

Bloomfields was a nice facility with a wooden main stand straddling the half-way line that probably held around a couple of hundred people and behind one goal was another seated area, of the more modern, uninspiring design that held a hundred or so more.

Needham Market were swiftly out of the blocks and Anthony Di Bernardo was at full stretch to turn away a shot from Adam Mills after just 20 seconds. After that initial foray, it was the visitors that made the early running. Luke Blewden shot wide and Fitzpatrick had a shot that was blocked before the Needham goalkeeper, Daniel Gay was tested for the first time with a low shot from Elder.

After 26 minutes came the first controversial moment of the match; a free kick awarded just outside the box was curled into the net by Nick Wheeler, but the delight of the substantial Tonbridge following was cut short when the referee ruled it out, supposedly for Elder creating space in the wall with a push. It seemed very harsh and at the end of the day, it was a moment where you felt Tonbridge would have gone on and won comfortably if they had got their noses in front.

After 33 minutes, there was more hands in heads among the visiting supporters when Gay produced an absolutely magnificent save to deny an Elder header from a Wheeler corner.

A friendly half-time chat was had with the home support and it was the Bloomfield faithful that were celebrating after seven minutes of the second period. A re-taken free kick into the box was poorly dealt with by a James Folkes header that landed at the feet of Brothers who needed to no second asking to smash a shot past Di Bernardo.

Tonbridge responded quickly and with a goal worth the mileage in itself. A cross from the left was cushioned on the chest of Elder before the dropping ball was volleyed into the net.

In what had become a frantic 13 minutes, Di Bernardo turned a shot from Jay Davies away but from the resultant corner the ball was only cleared to the penalty spot and the waiting feet of Brothers who made no mistake.

Elder and Blewden were withdrawn as the heavy pitch took its toll leaving Tonbridge with a strikeforce of Parkinson and Ellis Brown, and with caution thrown to the wind they set up an assault that deserved some reward. But with the goalkeeper saving brilliantly from Brown and a series of shots being denied by bodies thrown in front of the ball, the Needham defence held firm.

Many with an interest in the non-league game would have looked on the BBC1 documentary "Class of 92: Out of their League" and identified, if not the arrival of a group of five sugar daddys, but with the small army of volunteers that make every match day possible. Babs, the tea lady at Salford City, has enjoyed her deserved 15 minutes of fame, there are tea ladies up and down the country that go unnoticed, but not if you wear yellow Doc Martens!