Tonbridge Angels U18 1 Merstham U18 1

Match 80/16/1387 - Thursday, 19th January 2017 - Lucas Fettes League Cup QF

Tonbridge Angels U18 (1) 1 Chapman 39
Merstham (1) 1 Transwest 20
Match abandoned at half-time, frozen pitch
Headcount: 46

Entrance: £1 Senior
Programme: Team Sheet provided
Mileage: 38/5,629

Tonbridge and Merstham Under-18s will have to try again to decide their Lucas Fettes Youth League Cup Quarter Final after the referee called a halt to the game during the half-time break after deciding that the frozen pitch was becoming too dangerous. Whether Mr Friar could have made this decision before a ball was kicked is another argument but when he decided that the game could go ahead it should have been with the viewpoint that it would get to its conclusion.

Jay Stubberfield was able to name a strong side including Sid Sollis, Liam Smith and Tommy Chapman who have all been involved with the senior team this season.

Jack Bray, full of surging runs from the middle of the frost covered field, had two early attempts on goal, a shot and a header, that both cleared the crossbar.

But Merstham were far from at Longmead to make up the numbers and their front three were giving the Angels’ back line plenty to think about. A poor clearance from Tonbridge’s keeper, Lewis Mitchell offered a shooting chance for Sam Johnson, but he tamely lobbed it back to the welcoming arms of Mitchell.

From left back, Rhys Norrington-Davies was also proving an potent attacking outlet for the Surrey side.

After 13 minutes, the Wheeler-esque left foot of Tommy Chapman found Sollis whose shot came back off the right hand post.

The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes when Tonbridge failed to clear their lines and a deft lob from Anwar Transwest left Mitchell helpless.

By this point it was obvious that the frost was taking hold of the pitch; as the players moved in either direction it sounded like a stampede of horses and Merstham’s Johnson trying to get on the end of a cross was only able to stop when he, himself rather than the ball, was in the back of the net.

Just before the half-hour mark, Levy Soulam hit the Tonbridge woodwork and without the sureness of footing another almighty scramble came in the home penalty area before the ball was hacked to safety.

Chapman delivered a perfect corner to the far post from where Smith directed a header wide before Tonbridge equalised with a very good goal. A brilliantly executed crossfield pass from Dominic Welsh found Chapman, who steadied, took it across the face of goal and drove the ball home.

In his comments after the game, Jay Stubberfield said of the goal: “Dom has great vision and is a clever little player; Tommy also took it well. I’ve challenged him to score more goals and after Sunday he now has two in two. Chapman’s delivery from the left was superb tonight.”

This has been, shall we say, a difficult week for the football spectator. I’ve frozen watching a poor game at Chatham; saw a disappointing result for Tonbridge in a match that, in my opinion, should not have started; got turned around en-route by the postponement of Hollands & Blair’s game against Tunbridge Wells and now the abandonment of this match. But what else should you expect of January?