Tonbridge Angels 1 Haringey Borough 0

Match 87/18/1680 - Saturday, 26th January 2019 - Bostik Premier

Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Ramadan 90+2
Haringey Borough (0) 0
Attendance: 520

Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/5,088

I’ve used the phrase many times myself “We owed them that”, but to be honest it doesn’t always make a lot of sense. Back in November at Haringey’s Coles Park, Tonbridge Angels fell off their perch at the top of the Bostik Premier with a 4-0 pasting, a scoreline that only tells half the story. This was the night that the visitors 28 shots on goal amounted to nothing, whilst the hosts five shots on target produced their four goals, hence the rather misguided feeling following this return fixture that “we owed them that”. That was also the night that launched Haringey Borough on a run of 10 successive victories that swept them from the middle of the table to the summit and, at one stage, a five point lead.

Successive victories of their own had managed to lift the gloom around Longmead and the scene was set for an interesting tussle and going into time-added the game had earned the description of an entertaining goalless draw before a moment of magic brought payback.

The early stages showed the north London side to be every inch potential champions with Joel Nouble, an Angel in the summer for all of five minutes, Karl Akinwande and Ralston Gabriel causing all sorts of problems. Gabriel shot over a three minutes and a mazy run from Nouble ending with a shot deflected for a corner as the home side struggled to get a foothold in the game.

But, having survived those first 15 minutes, Tonbridge came into the game and when Valery Pajetet parried a shot into the path of Joe Turner to shoot wide it signalled the start of a period of home ascendancy. A through ball from ex-Haringey man Chinedu McKenzie sent Alex Read clear to fire in a shot that clipped the outside of a post and, two minutes later, Pajetat made a fine save at his near post to deny Turner.

By the time the half-time whistle arrived, further chances had fallen to the Angels with Jared Small flashing a pass across the face of goal that begged a touch; shots fired over from Read and McKenzie and Pajetat excelling again at his near post to thwart Small.

Haringey began the second half as they had the first and had their noisy, good natured following showing their appreciation as Nouble and Akinwande combined with the latter shooting wide.

But, once again a repeat of the first half, Tonbridge found their feet and the game took on an exciting ebb and flow with both goalkeepers being tested but Pajetet making the serious saves from Small and McKenzie.

After 71 minutes, a thunderous effort from the industrious D’Sean Theobalds smacked against the crossbar with, for once, Pajetat well beaten.

Steve McKimm made substitutions after 73 minutes replacing Read with Tom Murphy and, after 77 minutes, Adem Ramadan came on for Small.

Tonbridge had a big let-off with seven minutes remaining when, following a corner, a ball dropped at the feet of Haringey substitute Charly Barker who shot hopelessly wide.

And so the game drifted towards its inevitable stalemate with fellow Tonbridge supporters accepting the reward as a well-earned point but the noise level of hope rose as a throw-in, expected to be a long one into the box from Arthur Lee, was won. But it was dropped short to Ramadan who touched it back to Lee to lift a cross into the box that was headed clear but only to Ramadan whose first time shot from the right hand angle of the 18 yard box fairly rocketed into the top corner.

It was three points that were earned rather than owed and just as Tonbridge had been displaced from the top of the table in November, in this topsy-turvy division, Haringey were replaced at the top by Dorking Wanderers.

Pictures: David Couldridge