Tonbridge (0) 3 Blewden 62, Akrofi 87, Scannell 90+1
Canvey Island (0) 0
Attendance: 235
Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/4,866
Tonbridge Angels bounced back to winning ways following Saturday’s disappointment and in so doing edged to within a point of the play-off places in sixth position.
Their visitors, Canvey Island, lent them a helping hand with the sending-off of Tambeson Eyong in the first minute of the second half.
Manager Steve McKimm made three changes to his starting eleven from the Staines game; two were enforced through injury with Nathan Elder and Nick Wheeler nursing strains being replaced by Damian Scannell and Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson. Ugo Udoji was preferred at full back to James Folkes.
The first half was one of very few chances, the best of which fell to Canvey’s leading goalscorer, George Sykes, who rounded Anthony Di Bernardo and slid his shot goalwards but Jack Parter got back to clear from the line.
Without the target of Elder and the wing trickery of Wheeler, Tonbridge played a more compact game to feed the livewire Alex Akrofi who saw several first half attempts on goal blocked by resolute defending,
Eyong received his marching orders for a trip having collected his first yellow two minutes before the break.
Four minutes into the half, Scannell and Tom Parkinson fashioned an opening for Akrofi but with his back to goal he hooked his shot marginally wide.
McKimm made a 57th minute substitution, Tommy Whitnell on for Fortnam-Tomlinson and the change brought an immediate impact. Whitnell’s superb pass opened up a chance for Parkinson that was blocked, but within a minute, Tom Phipp sent Whitnell down the right for him to deliver an inch-perfect cross for Luke Blewden to sweep the ball in from close range at the near post.
A goal and a man to the good, Tonbridge managed the game very well, stringing passes and working their depleted opponents hard.
Luke Allen came off the bench for Mitchell Nelson, who suffered a dead-leg and, as he did on Saturday, brought fresh energy to the side.
In fairness, Canvey defended resolutely and that led to a certain nervousness with just a single goal lead, but Di Bernardo was rarely occupied.
The game was finally put to bed three minutes from time when Akrofi rode a foul challenge, for which John Mbamarah was subsequently booked, to fire into the net from the edge of the six yard box.
The game still held enough time to produce its magic moment. Canvey’s goalkeeper Luke Moore strayed a long way from home but his clearance only fell at the feet of Scannell, wide on the left touchline, 30 yards from goal. As he shot he lost his footing and was on the ground watching as the ball sailed towards to the goal and dipped below the bar.
Steve McKimm revealed after the match that Mitchell Nelson had signed for the Angels for the rest of the season on a permanent basis.
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