Dulwich Hamlet (0) 1 Green 90+5
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Akrofi 42 Bantick 45+3
Attendance: 581
Played at Tooting and Mitcham
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 104/7,935
Whilst Dulwich, with a heavy schedule to complete, had a bench that included Ashley Carew, Ricky Hayles and Gavin Tomlin, Tonbridge had to make do with a couple of Under-21s and a name slightly older than that, the Gaffer, Steve McKimm.
Tonbridge started brightly with Nathan Elder’s first minute header comfortably saved by a nervous-looking goalkeeper, Amadou Tangara.
Dulwich had their opening opportunity after 10 minutes when Nathan Ferguson fired narrowly wide of the left-hand post.
Jonny Henly made the first of a series of great stops through the evening after 16 minutes, saving at the feet of Nyren Clunis. Tonbridge supporters, who had made a second journey to Tooting in three days, breathed a sigh of relief when Dipo Akinyemi rounded Henly but saw his shot cleared from the line by Sonny Miles.
Henly was once needed to thwart Akinyemi before Tonbridge ended the half not only on the front foot but in control of the game. Joe Turner whistled a shot narrowly past the left-hand post before, after 42 minutes, Alex Akrofi received a pass inside his own half and went on a 45 yard run that took him to the left side of the box from where he curled a shot into the top corner giving Tangara no chance.
The Angels went into the break two goals up when, after three minutes of time added, Akrofi’s initial cross was retrieved by Elder who crossed for Turner to plant a diving header against the post with the rebound falling to Sam Bantick to finish.
If a second half onslaught was to be expected from a Dulwich side that could afford no slip-ups in their challenge to Billericay, then it really did not happen. Henly was asked to make a super save after 66 minutes from substitute Tomlin but overall their shooting was wayward in the extreme.
On the break, Tonbridge looked just as likely to add a third with Turner firing just wide.
Dulwich finally got their goal that denied Henly a well-earned clean sheet with virtually the last kick of the game when ex-Angel Green stabbed home after a goalmouth scramble.
With the handing of the title initiative back to Billericay, it might have been a case of not knowing whether to laugh or cry at the final whistle but ultimately this was a performance that deserved greater reward than a rise in the table to ninth, but that is where the season's inconsistency has left Tonbridge.
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