Eastbourne Borough 2 Tonbridge Angels 0

Match 10/19/1734 - Tuesday, 6th August 2019 - National League South

Eastbourne Borough (2) 2 Wheeler 14 Luer 45
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 656

Admission: Pass
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 66/519

Make a defensive mistake at this level, you’ll get hurt. Fail to take the chances that come your way and the situation cannot be retrieved. Those were the harsh facts of Saturday’s defeat against Dulwich and repeated again at Eastbourne. Both performances showed a team that is not far off the level needed but the errors are costing dear.

Jonny Henly’s injury rather than his suspension that doesn’t kick in until Saturday kept him out of the side and Myles Roberts was drafted in from Reading.

In the Eastbourne side was an old friend in Nick Wheeler and it was his goal that gave the home side a 14th minute lead. Following a break down the left and cross into the box the ball was untidily cleared towards the corner flag where James Folkes misjudged the bounce and was quickly robbed by Wheeler who cut in and fired in a shot that took a deflection before creeping under Roberts.

The first half largely passed the visitors by with ex-Angels’ loanee, Tom Hadler, not having a shot to save and hopes of going into the break with just the single goal deficit was dashed when Kane Wills slid a slide-rule pass through the Tonbridge defence for Greg Luer to run onto and finish past the despairing Roberts. When I say slide-rule, the space allowed was not only enough to drive a double decker bus through but a fleet of them.

Frankly, it could only improve after the break and, to a certain extent it did. Roberts saved well from Dean Cox after 10 minutes of the second period but, a minute later, D’Sean Theobalds was through after being sent clear by Joe Turner but as Hadler advanced, Theobalds’ shot slipped past the left hand post. Over half-hour remained, but the way back into the game had gone begging.

Eastbourne appeared content to manage the game, much as Dulwich had done on Saturday, and their threat receded. Alex Read came on for Chinedu McKenzie on the hour and nobody could really make a claim that the two up-front plan had worked.

Tonbridge pressed hard with Eastbourne’s content obvious and with 11 minutes remaining, Jared Small put a header safely into Hadler’s hands and when Small’s cross to far post saw Tom Derry’s header agonisingly drift across the face of goal and past the right hand post, you sensed that Tonbridge’s night was done.

Eastbourne felt comfortable enough the finish the game with a flourish and Roberts did well to save from Charlie Walker.

Nobody said this was going to be easy …