Haringey Borough (0) 1 Oyenuga 52 (pen)
Tonbridge Angels (2) 2 Ramadan 35 McKenzie 43
Attendance: 810
Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 112/7,348
I’ve never been one that lays much stock at the door of superstition, I don’t have lucky underpants (although I think I might have now) but a new superstition was born on the journey to Haringey Borough. The approach to the Dartford Tunnel, the bottleneck that always means an extra half-hour is allowed in the journey time, had been plain sailing and as the carriageway began to widen to send the traffic to its East and West bores, I remembered that on Saturday en-route to Potters Bar I had unusually taken the eastern bore. The little voice in my head said change lanes and go west, this I did. As we reached about the half-way point in the tunnel, the traffic slowed and there was a broken down vehicle just a few cars in front and navigating around it was relatively easy. Another five minutes and that would have been a serious delay, I was already thanking my lucky stars.
The traffic to White Hart Lane was not light but always moving and you can ask little more of the North Circular than that. So arrival at Coles Park was made in good time, well over an hour before kick-off, and there was already a fair complement of Tonbridge supporters in evidence.
Memories of the last visit and the infamous 26 attempts on goal from Tonbridge and a 4-0 defeat was at the route of the apprehension, but also was the fitness of Joe Turner and Craig Stone, but both were warming up and looked ready to take their places in the starting eleven which thankfully they did.
First goalkeeper to make a save of any note was Jonny Henly who dived low to his left to comfortably field a shot from Kudus Oyenuga after four minutes. Two minutes later, D’Sean Theobalds won a midfield tussle and strode on a couple of paces before firing in a shot that brought a decent save out of Valery Pajetat, turning the ball away for a corner.
Michael O’Donoghue flashed a cross across the face of goal and ex-Haringey striker Chinedu McKenzie tested Pajetat with a low shot as both sides started to open up the game.
After 15 minutes Tonbridge saw their opening goal disallowed, when a Hollywood cross field pass from Jack Parter send Adem Ramadan away down the right. The winger cut inside his marker before firing in a shot that rebounded off the far post to the waiting Tom Derry who had his tap-in at the right hand post chalked off for a very tight offside decision.
Haringey’s Lyle Della-Verde’s shot was saved by Henly with his feet at this near post and Joel Nouble fired over before, in the 34th minute, Tonbridge opened the scoring with a spectacular goal from Adem Ramadan.
A Tonbridge corner from the left was quickly taken by Theobalds short to Ramadan, who from the angle of the 18 yard box curled an exquisite shot into the far top corner, over the head of a defender on the post. If Ramadan had walked up and placed the ball into position he could not have done it with more precision.
As the break approached, it got even better for Tonbridge as Tom Derry broke clear down the right, his intended cross was half-cleared into the path of McKenzie, who, from 20 yards lashed a shot past Pajetat and into the bottom corner.
Any misguided hopes of a quiet run-down of the second half clock were quickly dispelled as Haringey raced out of the blocks with an early shot over from Joe Staunton and a free kick from Della-Verde that sailed in the same direction. But, on 55 minutes, Lionel Stone was brought down just inside the right side of the box by Joe Turner and, after a convoluted run-up, Oyenuga sent Henly the wrong way to set up was to become Custer’s Last Stand for the visitors.
After 62 minutes, Oyenuga missed the chance of the match firing high over the bar from around eight yards after being set by Nouble.
The pressure was relentless with Tonbridge unable to offer much of a threat on the counter but Ramadan did force Pajetat into a comfortable save at his near post.
Thirteen minutes remained when Nouble was one-on-one with Henly but the goalkeeper got something on the shot and took the pace off the ball as it looped behind him with Jack Parter able to clear.
Hearts were now beating outside of the chests as Haringey seemingly had an endless succession of corners that were admirably dealt with. Then, as the clock entered into added time, I think most Tonbridge supporters decided this was to be our night. A cross into the box from Karl Akinwande was met with a shot on the turn from Coby Rowe with ball cannoning down from the underside of the crossbar before being heaved to safety. The time-added lasted a lifetime, but was safely negotiated to spark scenes of celebration among the travelling support that has not been seen for several years.
Better news was to follow on the final whistle with the news that Merstham had won at Carshalton and that the Isthmian League Play-off Final would be at Longmead. A night to live long, in fact forever, in the memory.
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