Tonbridge Angels 0 Hythe Town 0

Match 56/17/1506 - Tuesday, 7th November 2017 - Isthmian League Cup 2R

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Hythe Town (0) 0
Hythe Town won 5-3 on penalties
Attendance: 173

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £0.50
Mileage: 38/3,751

Match Report

Tonbridge crashed out of another, their last, cup competition to lower league opposition for the third time in the four competitions. This time last year we celebrated our first-ever win from a penalty shoot-out, but normal service was resumed as Alex Akrofi’s effort hit the bar and Hythe Town competently put all five of their penalties away.

On a night as dismal as the weather, the hardy 173 people endured a woeful first half in which the only shining lights were the bright new bulbs in the floodlights.

Two early substitutions, Luke Blewden taking a knock to a knee and requiring a replacement in Joe Turner after just eight minutes and six minutes later Chris Kinnear was replaced by Dominic Welsh.

Nathan Elder headed over and Hythe’s ex-Angels’ goalkeeper, Louis Lawlor saved well low to his left from Jack Parter. For their part, Ryan Palmer shot straight at Jonny Henly and Sid Sollis shot wide after Henly saved from Jerson Dos Santos. But the referee’s half-time whistle brought mostly sighs of relief.

If the weather got worse in the second half, the game improved … marginally.

Hythe created a couple of early chances before Tonbridge took control of the game and produced a grandstand finish from which they should have produced a winner but this was denied by a combination of poor finishing and some very good keeping from Lawlor.

In the final ten minutes, it became a contest between Akrofi and Lawlor with the goalkeeper coming out on top especially with a brilliant close range stop after a cross from Dan Thompson.

The penalty shoot-out, with Tonbridge’s history, was barely surprising. Akrofi’s miss came from the very first spot kick whilst Hythe’s five were faultless.