Tonbridge Angels 1 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Match 72/17/1522 - Saturday, 16th December 2017 - Bostik Premier

Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Turner 65
Dulwich Hamlet (0) 1 Clunis 48
|Attendance: 539

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/4,711

The visit of Dulwich Hamlet is one to look forward to. Despite the light-hearted piss-take about hipster fans, craft beers and high-end burgers, they are almost always good value. They usually arrive in numbers, although the proximity of Christmas probably reduced their support this year and, with the exception a forum rant that was unnecessary and shouted down from fellow users, they are a friendly bunch. On the field, they are pleasing on the eye and play with a style that can bring out the best in the opposition and that was the certainly the case with Tonbridge.

Tonbridge paraded their new signings, Dan Bennett from Merstham and, on the bench, Sam Bantick from Heybridge Swifts. There was a reorganisation at the back with George Beaven missing through illness.

Steve McKimm deployed a system that allowed Dulwich a lot of space for their back four to play the ball out but found it a lot more restricted as they moved into the next two-thirds of the pitch. This gave the impression that the visitors were enjoying a lot of possession, which they were, but not in a manner that was hurtful to the hosts.

That said, they made a couple of chances and Tonbridge were indebted to Jonny Henly to retain parity at the end of the first period.

Henly was first pressed into action after seven minutes when Sanchez Ming sent Nana Boakye-Yiadom clear but the Tonbridge goalkeeper was alert and off his line to plunge at the feet of the Hamlet striker.

A dreadful clearance from Preston Edwards in the Dulwich goal fell at the feet of Joe Turner and it took a stupendous block from Ricky Hayles to deny the Angels the opener.

After 18 minutes, the visitors had an appeal for a penalty turned down as the ball struck the arm of Craig Stone and it took a fine save, low to his left, from Henly to thwart Boakye-Yiadom a second time.

Henly once more earned his corn with another fine save, this time to deny Nyren Clunis after 33 minutes.

After an entertaining, but goalless, first half, the second period was only three minutes old when the visitors went ahead. Clunis received a ball over the top, but still some way from goal, cut in from the left and fired a shot into the top corner that gave Henly no chance.

Dulwich had a period when they looked as if they had their hosts measure with the impressive Kenny Beaney at the heart of everything.

But Tonbridge were far from a spent force and, after 68 minutes, a 40-yard crossfield pass from Stone, right to left, saw Edwards racing from his goal but beaten to the ball at the angle of the 18 yard box from where a deft touch from Turner lifted the ball over his head and into the unguarded goal.

The game was an end-to-end affair in the last 20 minutes as both sides searched for a winner. Turner crossed for Alex Akrofi to head over whilst Boakye-Yiadom stretched Henly; substitute Bantick asked questions of Edwards before, into the final breathless minute, Henly brilliantly saved from Yiadom and Dulwich substitute Omar Korona steered a header wide when it seemed easier to score.

A hugely entertaining game with a result that probably satisfied neither manager, but was a fair reflection of the action.