Sevenoaks Town 1 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 09/18/1602 - Tuesday, 17th July 2018 - Pre-Season Friendly

Sevenoaks Town (0) 1 Sawyer 46
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Aristride 23 Smith 90
Attendance: 157

Admission: £5
Programme: £1
Mileage: 46/323

The gentleman stood alongside me said quietly, “Oh, that’s embarrassing”. Far from embarrassing, it was positively magical, Brian Smith, whose son, Liam, had just cut in from the left, cutting a swathe through the centre of the opposition’s defence before unleashing a 25 yard shot into the top corner off the underside of the bar. If you had indulged in a bit of Dad dancing Mr Smith, now that would have been embarrassing!

This was a preseason game that was somewhat strange in its course of events. A first look at the Tonbridge team sheet that started with only Sonny Miles as a senior professional suggested a tough watch for the Tonbridge support who made up a decent proportion of the overall attendance. But it was nothing of the sort as the collection of trialists had a good opening 45 minutes. An old friend, Tom Beere, stepped into central midfield and owned the place. Everyone was making the point that he was the answer to our prayers in the creative midfield role, but with the player seeking full-time football, it seems unlikely those prayers will be answered. Further forward was Baselle Aristride, who was at Margate last season, with a big physical presence and is surely worth another look. Six other trialists made the starting eleven, each of which we have seen before and might, or might not, have caught Steve McKimm’s eye with a view to a further opportunity.

With no team sheet available for the Sevenoaks side, references to them will be a little vague although the well travelled nature of Zak Attwood and Frankie Sawyer’s careers made them instantly recognisable.

After an opening 20 minutes when both sides brought saves out of the respective goalkeepers, it was the visitors that opened the scoring after 23 minutes. A quality through ball from Beere found Aristride shrugging off a challenge before firing in a shot that was parried back to him to tuck home at the second attempt.

With Beere controlling the centre of the park, Miles and Callum Adonis-Taylor easily containing any threat it was a comfortable half for the Angels who only probably regretted not going into the break further in front. So it was unexpected when Sevenoaks equalised in the first minute of the second period. A cross from the right was collected by Sawyer who shifted his feet into a clear shooting position on the edge of the box to clinically finish past Tommy Taylor.

On the hour, there was a rash of substitutions that left the Angels looking more like the first eleven most would expect and given what we had seen you had to believe that to win from here was just a matter of time. But it never really happened with the home side equally as threatening.

But cometh the hour, cometh the 18-year-old and Liam Smith’s magical moment. Don’t be embarrassed Mr Smith, take a bow on behalf of your lad!