Hendon (1) 1 Ball 14 (pen)
Tonbridge (0) 2 Elder 68, McCollin 86
Attendance: 264
Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 154/7,934
New Ground: 306
I think it is generally accepted that Tonbridge might need to win each of the last five games to make the end-of-season lottery and given that one of those five is away to Havant any slip up elsewhere might prove to be fatal.
We are now at the point of the season where the pedantics of "must win" no longer apply. This was a must win and it applied to both clubs with Hendon desperately in need of the points in their quest to stay in Ryman Premier.
Tonbridge's newly-arrived loan signing Vas Karagiannis, from Maidstone, went straight into the starting line-up whilst the returning Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson had to be content with a place on the bench.
For the vast majority of Tonbridge supporters this was a new ground, although one or two might well have visited on a groundhop when Silver Jubilee Park was habited by Kingsbury Town or Edgware. They found a traditional old stand with loads of wooden uprights obscuring the vision but it had some character unlike the Atcost structures that adorned the other three sides. It seemed at odds to have a 3G pitch that significantly sloped but it at least had a more natural bounce than the one at Harlow.
The opening stages were fairly cagey with the home side having an early free kick that was sent over the crossbar by the influential Matt Ball whilst the visitors employed the home goalkeeper, Tom Lovelock, who comfortably dealt with a shot from Nick Wheeler and a header from Sonny Miles.
However it was the home side that went ahead after 14 minutes when an innocuous challenge from Jack Parter downed Reis Stanislous resulting in the referee pointing to the spot. From a distance of 75 yards it was difficult to judge whether the decision was a good one, but the position of the foul just inside the 18 yard box begged the question as to whether the challenge needed to be made at all. Ball sent Jonny Henley the wrong way to put the hosts into the lead.
Lovelock saved well at his near post to deny Karagiannis and from the resultant corner Miles headed wide as Tonbridge responded positively from the setback.
Nathan Elder failed to get a shot away when in front of goal and with Wheeler supplying a succession of crosses the visitors where dominating in terms of possession and chances made.
After 35 minutes, Henley made a good stop low to his left to deny Ball who had met Khale De Costa's cross.
The second half was progressing much the same as the first as Tonbridge were creating plenty of half chances whilst, on the break, Hendon were also quite dangerous.
After 66 minutes, Steve McKimm decided to shuffle his pack bringing on Andre McCollin for Alex Akrofi and within a minute the Angels were level. A cross from the right from Karagiannis was bundled, scuffed, choose the phrase you like (!) past Lovelock to give Tonbridge parity that they certainly deserved.
A draw was certainly of no use to Tonbridge and probably was not Hendon's requirement so McKimm went for the win introducing Luke Blewden for Luke Allen after 67 minutes. Lovelock made a fine, diving stop to save from McCollin and a shot from Parter was deflected against a post and back into the hands of the goalkeeper.
Hendon introduced their Guyanian international, Marcel Barrington, who brought a save out of Henley and also shot wide in a matter of moments.
One last throw of the dice from McKimm brought a goal fashioned entirely from the bench after Dan Thompson came on for Elder. Blewden won a vital challenge to feed a pass to the edge of the box from where Thompson created space to cross for McCollin to stab the ball wide of Lovelock whose save was a millimetre or two too late as the linesman's flag signalled the goal.
Henley made his only handling error of the afternoon in injury time when he spilt a shot from Da Costa but recovered quickly to reclaim the ball. Barrington tested the Tonbridge man one more time but he was equal to the task and the vital three points were on their way back to Kent.
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