Sevenoaks Town (4) 6 Hill 2 Bennett 8,20 Walker 36,60 Ripley 78
Tunbridge Wells (2) 2 Pilbeam 35,40
Attendance: 203
Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £1
Mileage: 46/2,778
Match Report
Tunbridge Wells are leaking goals at an alarming rate, the inability to put a settled defence on the field is a contributory factor but the crazy mistakes that left them seemingly out of the game after just 20 minutes had nothing to do with the make-up or formation of the back four.
After a start in which Jack Harris tested the Sevenoaks goalkeeper, Craig Holloway, after just 30 seconds, the Wells found themselves a goal down less than a minute later in the most bizarre of circumstances. Awarded a free kick close to the corner flag, Jon Shea elected to roll the ball back to his goalkeeper, Chris Oladogba, who inexplicably rolled it back allowing Byron Walker to intercept. Walker put the ball across the face of an unguarded goal, despite being taken out by Oladogba, for Rory Hill to tap into the open net. It was pure farce.
Oladogba partially atoned with a decent save to deny Jason Thompson but the home side doubled their advantage after nine minutes. After a poor clearance, Hill skinned Ian Parsons down the left, to pull the ball back from the bye-line for Bennett to fire into the bottom corner from the angle of the six-yard box.
The floodgate were well and truly open, Oladogba saved from Walker; Hill crashed a shot from 25 yards against the bar as Sevenoaks sought to put their neighbours to the sword.
It was only a matter of time for a third goal to arrive and that came on 20 minutes when a shot from 20 yards from Billy Bennett went underneath Oladogba.
At this point, you really feared for the Wells that the final score could reach horrific numbers, but some credit should be given that they lifted their heads and sought some respectability.
After 34 minutes a ball over the top, saw Jon Pilbeam, playing as a central striker, lifting the ball over Holloway and into the net. Initially we thought the goal had been disallowed but the referee showed a yellow card for Holloway.
If a comeback was on the cards, this was extinguished within two minutes when Carnegie set up an unmarked Walker to sweep the ball home from close range.
Harris steered a header wide before he was brought down, five minutes before the break to earn a penalty which was converted by Pilbeam as the first half goals continued to rain in.
Tunbridge Wells came out and made a much better fist of the second period but their defensive frailties continued to be in evidence. Just past the hour, a corner from Carnegie on the right was met with an unchallenged header from Walker. It is easy to argue that without Perry Spackman and Scott Whibley’s physical presence they are light at the back, but surely a challenge is not too much to ask.
A failure to clear a corner ended with the ball at Tom Ripley’s feet who responded to the defence that kept on giving with a finish from around the edge of the six yard box.
It was a strange game, for a 6-2 Tunbridge Wells had more than their fair share of the game, but that said, it could have been 10-2.
In moments when the Wells had the momentum, visiting supporters have the right to ask why Rhys Bartlett remained on the bench when a little quality of delivery into the box could easily have brought reward. In fact, the question remains, when you are losing a game by four clear goals, why was no substitution made at all?
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