Tonbridge Angels 1 Eastbourne Borough 2

Match 26/19/1749 - Saturday, 21st September 2019 - FA Cup 2QR

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Theobalds 8 (pen)
Eastbourne Borough (0) 2 Wheeler 60 Romain 81
Attendance: 538

Admission: Pass
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/1,942

This was supposed to have been a weekend of celebration, the visit of Eastbourne Borough in the FA Cup marking my 3,000th game. The fact that Tonbridge Angels made their traditional first hurdle exit from the competition was later in pale into insignificance when, in a matter of hours on Sunday, two Angels supporters lost their battles with cancer.

Rosemary Stubberfield, who had accompanied her husband George and sons Kevin and Glen to matches over the course of 50-plus years, was a cheery lady known to everyone that regularly attended games on Longmead Stadium. At the opening game of the season against Dulwich Hamlet, she was able to enact one of her final wishes to lead the team onto the pitch aided by skipper Jack Parter.

Simon Balsdon is the son of Tim, whom I have had the pleasure of watching the Angels alongside for 20 years. Simon was the Joint Manager of the Reserve Team with Julian Leigh from 2005 and in November 2007 when Tony Dolby left his post as Manager at the club, the duo were put in charge of the First Team while the club sought a permanent replacement. When Tommy Warrilow was given the job after Simon and Julian had been in charge for a couple of games, Simon was returned to the Reserve side but was later made a First Team Coach under Warrilow alongside Alex O’Brien. Simon was also a well-respected coach at the Kent FA and in 2009 took the County to the FA County Youth Cup Final where they were beaten by Birmingham at Gillingham but, a year later, they went one better by winning the trophy beating Sheffield and Hallamshire 1-0, once again at Priestfield Stadium. This remains the only time that Kent have won the national competition. Simon teamed up again with Tony Dolby at Hastings United as Assistant Manager in 2010.

The outpouring of tributes on social media paid testament to the high esteem with which both people were held. Simon’s picture appeared on this blog, striding out alongside Tommy and Alex before a game. He said to me, having been an avid follower, joyfully that he had made it onto the blog. You’ve made it again Simon, I so wish the circumstances could have been different.

On Saturday, the emotions were one of anger as Tonbridge, given the boost of an early lead via a penalty, produced a woeful second half performance to go down 2-1 to Eastbourne Borough, losing the club £10,000 plus in prize money in the process. But that anger subsided into sadness within the next 24 hours.