Tonbridge Angels 2 Concord Rangers 2

Match 6/17/1454 - Tuesday, 18th July 2017 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 2 Elder 84 Thompson 86
Concord Rangers (1) 2 Williams 15 Farrell 72
Attendance: 188

Entrance: £5 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/488

Match Report

Two pinpoint crosses met by powerful headers in the space of three minutes preserved Tonbridge's unbeaten start to preseason against a physically strong Concord Rangers.

Early honours certainly went to the side from Canvey Island who created a first minute chance for Steve Cawley to fire over the crossbar and when Jason Williams got the better of a rusty Sonny Miles he should have done better than drag his shot wide.

A minute later came a controversial moment when the Concord goalkeeper Brown left his penalty area to clatter into Andre McCollin who had been sent clear by a ball over the top. In a competitive game it would almost certainly have resulted in a red card, in a preseason friendly it was worth nothing more than a quiet word. From the free kick Jay Siva brought a save from Brown low to his left.

Concord continued to dominate and it was no surprise that they finally took the lead after 15 minutes when Williams curled in a shot towards the far post that took a wicked deflection off Craig Stone to give James Behan, in the Tonbridge goal, no chance.

Steve McKimm chose to start with a diminutive strike force whose pace certainly gave the Rangers back line problems, the best chance coming on the half-hour when Brown spilt a shot from McCollin but Alex Akrofi spooned the rebound over the bar.

Concord continued to dominate proceedings in the early part of the second period with Stone doing especially well to head away a dangerous cross from the right.

After 72 minutes the visitors doubled their advantage when a cross from the right fell at the feet of substitute Farrell who drilled in his shot from around the penalty spot.

Tonbridge were offered a lifeline when Nathan Elder, on as a substitute just past the hour, was dragged to the ground. Fellow substitute Dan Thompson stepped up to take the penalty kick, but blazed high over the bar.

Six minutes remained when 17-year-old Liam Smith produced a wonderful cross from the right for Elder to bury a powerful header to reduce the deficit.

Two minutes later the Angels were level when trialist Jerome Walker produced a cross to match Smith’s but from the left for Thompson to make amends for his spot kick miss with a diving header.