Ravensbourne (1) 1 #10 15
Hugh Christie (1) 3 Hudson 27,82 Musengyi 78
Headcount: 20
Admission: Free
Programme: None
Mileage: 70/4,402
The Christmas break has arrived for the Academy teams and they can reflect on their first four months as being highly encouraging. The Elite squad, whose game at Burgesss Hill had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, have finished the period unbeaten in the league and sitting in fourth place in the table with games in hand on those above and also can take pride from being the only team to have taken a point from leaders Dover Athletic. Meanwhile, the Development team who endured a uncomfortable start to the season with a couple of seven goal defeats, have following this victory at Bromley’s Hayes Lane against Ravensbourne, back-to-back wins and are now breathing down the necks of a couple of schools that are just a point above them at the foot of the table.
The Burgess Hill postponement allowed a few Elite members to strengthen the Development team. A right wing cross from Saul Musengeyi set up a seventh minute opportunity for Leo Deere with the Ravensbourne goalkeeper saving at his feet and five minutes later Ned Snowden-Lewis set up a chance for Musengeyi but he shot wide. However, it was the Bromley side that opened the scoring after a quarter-of-an-hour when, Dylan Manning, who proceeded to take just about every dead ball kick, floated an inch-perfect free kick into the box to find the head of one of his strikers who made no mistake from six yards.
Tonbridge had to work hard to get themselves back into the game but did so, after 27 minutes, when a corner from Sam Slipper was only parried back into the danger area from where Harry Hudson got the final touch with a close range header.
Bromley reasserted themselves and saw a header come back off the crossbar and further chances brought the Angels’ goalkeeper, Joe Roberts into action.
Bromley’s Manning and the Angels’ Slipper were like a couple of quarter-backs with their dead ball accuracy causing each defence concern.
Tonbridge opened the second period strongly with Deere and Brad Needham going close whilst Roberts needed to be at his best saving low to his right and, after nearly an hour, he dived bravely at the feet of a Bromley striker who stayed down after the challenge. A five-minute stoppage followed as the stricken player was returned to the dressing room on a stretcher.
The game had an ebb and flow with neither side dominating but it was the visitors who got their noses in front with 12 minutes remaining when a fine through ball from Adam Barden, thankfully free from his role as the smallest ever stand-in goalkeeper in previous games, sent Musengeyi clear to powerfully shoot past the helpless Bromley keeper.
Tonbridge effectively put the game to bed with eight minutes remaining when a Slipper corner was met with a powerful header from Hudson, who despite his disadvantage in height, invariably wins headers in those situations.
Now in control of the game, Tonbridge might well have increased their lead with Needham firing wide and Snowden-Lewis denied by a good save, low to his left, from the Bromley goalkeeper.
Three Academy players recently graced the Tonbridge first team friendly against Dartford and several more have trained with the first team and have also appeared for the Under-21 Suburban League side. With that, everyone is rightly proud of the progress being made.
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