Worthing 1 Tonbridge Angels 1

Match 119/18/1712 - Friday, 19th April 2019 - Bostik Premier

Worthing (0) 1 Ajiboye 80
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Turner 63
Attendance: 1,322

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 103/6,964

When you are Tonbridge Angels and when you desperately need a point out of game, where is the place you least want to be? Worthing, something always happens at Worthing and it is always bad. So when you are pegged back with 10 minutes left on the clock, you fear the worst and as those minutes tick by, the heart starts beating just a little heavier until it is nearly jumping out of your chest.

The relief at the final whistle, although a point was richly deserved, meant that slowly my heartbeat returned to normal but a full 15 minute before I stopped shaking. Play-off tussles do little for your health!

On a hot Good Friday down on the South Coast with temperatures reaching 26degC, Worthing, who regularly draw attendances of over four figures, assembled an impressive turnout of 1,322 with a sizeable following from Kent.

Chinedu McKenzie, restored to the starting line-up, signalled the Angels’ early intent with a shot that drifted wide after just 23 seconds.

Memories of some awful refereeing decisions soon previous visits began to haunt the Angels’ support as James Folkes found his way into the book after just five minutes and goalkeeper Jonny Henly suffered a similar fate after a coming together with Callum Kealy outside of the right hand angle of his penalty area.

A free kick directed to the far post produced Tonbridge’s best chance of the opening period when Sonny Miles headed it back across the face of goal but McKenzie was unable to keep his header down and the opportunity sailed over the bar.

David Ajiboye, in particular, was giving Jack Parter a difficult afternoon and the Angels were thankful when Parter’s interception took the sting out of Ajiboye’s effort after he had scampered clear down the right.

The half came to a close with Tonbridge having created the clearer of the chances, but with little to choose between the teams.

A header from Arthur Lee was straight at goalkeeper Lucas Colovan and Joe Turner acrobatically fired a Tom Derry cross over the bar as the visitors opened the second half on the front foot.

A cross from D’Sean Theobalds was fumbled by Colovan but the ball was scrambled away under pressure from Turner.

Tonbridge were well worth their lead by the time that it arrived on 63 minutes. McKenzie played a superb pass into the channel for Derry to chase down and his inch perfect cross found the arriving Turner to shoot past Colovan

This was a purple period for the Angels and had one of the chances that came in the following 10 minutes been taken they surely would have gone on to win the game. McKenzie shot over and Adem Ramadan only managed to draw a comfortable save out of Colovan, but the golden opportunity fell to Ramadan on 71 minutes when Colovan saved with his feet.

Wothing’s quest for a play-off place desperately needed something out of the game, if not a win and it wasn’t unexpected that they threw bodies forward in the last quarter-hour in search of a reward. Henly saved well, pushing aside a shot from Ollie Pearce after 78 minutes but two minutes later Ajiboye was allowed to cut in from the right and surge into the box unchallenged before producing a superb finish.

A misdirected cross was touched onto the top of the crossbar by Henly as nerves began to jangle but Tonbridge safely negotiated the closing stages for a point that everybody of a blue persuasion would have accepted before the start.

The result sets up Easter Monday’s encounter with Carshalton, who overtook Tonbridge into third place, for another afternoon that will test the heart.