Tonbridge Angels 2 Folkestone Invicta 3

Match 23/17/1473 - Monday, 28th August 2017 - Bostik Premier

Tonbridge Angels (2) 2 Turner 15, Elder 24
Folkestone Invicta (1) 3 Yussuf 21 (pen), Heard 53, Vincent 56
Attendance: 534

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/1,458

Folkestone struggled to avoid the drop last season but still managed to collect four points from their games with Tonbridge and on a sweltering Bank Holiday Monday they inflicted further pain on the Angels with a hard earned victory at Longmead. Are Folkestone fast becoming a bogey side or is there another factor? My wife, for family reasons, can only come to Bank Holiday games and in the last couple of seasons has only seen Folkestone, could she be the jinx! Word of warning, her next game will be Boxing Day at ... Folkestone!

After suffering their first defeat of the season at Harrow, Tonbridge needed to start on the front foot and after hitting the bar with a lob from the edge of the box by Joe Turner, the midfielder stroked the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards to put the Angels in front after 14 minutes.

Rather than set back the visitors, who had enjoyed an equal share of the possession in the opening stages, they fought back to earn a penalty after 20 minutes when the impressive Ade Yussuf tangled with George Beaven as they went down the left hand side of the box. Yusuff went down under pressure and the referee immediately pointed to the spot, for my money if not universal agreement, it was a penalty. Yusuff sent Jonny Henly the wrong way in converting.

The game continued to be all-action and the attendance of 534 didn’t have to wait long before the Angels were back in front, this time courtesy of a corner from Turner being met by Nathan Elder’s head, that from close range gave Folkestone’s Tim Roberts little chance.

After 30 minutes with the mercury not too far short of 30degC the referee called a drinks break for the players whilst the tea bar did a roaring trade in ice creams!

Folkestone continued to press hard with Yusuff denied by Chris Kinnear; Kieron McCann, who looks to have made the step-up from SCEFL side Sevenoaks Town with ease, brought a good save from Henly at his near post.

Immediately prior to the break, Turner hit the right hand post after being set up by Andre McCollin and reversed the compliment for the latter to bring a save from Roberts.

The early part of the second period was all Folkestone and they fully deserved to be level when Yusuff broke through to set up Scott Heard with a tap-in after 53 minutes.

Three minutes later and the east Kent club were in front when Josh Vincent met a left-sided corner to head home.

Tonbridge replaced Elder with Dan Thompson immediately after, but the striker who so desperately needs a goal, missed a golden opportunity when McCollin literally laid it on a plate for him at the far post but he steered it wide of the post.

With 10 minutes remaining, Turner nearly capitalised on a bad back pass but his lob over the advancing Roberts was also over the bar.

The wait to give the Press Officer a lift home was a drawn out affair as Steve McKimm kept his side in the dressing room for almost 45 minutes. He needn’t have bothered, he could have just blamed my missus!