Tonbridge Angels 5 Braintree Town 1

Match 34/19/1757 - Saturday, 12th October 2019 - National South

Tonbridge Angels (3) 5 Derry 21 Theobalds 26 (pen) Hession-Harris 28,62 Bray 80
Braintree Town (0) 1 Mills 74
Attendance: 612

Admission: Pass
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/2,368

Among those that had been sheltering from the rain in the main stand walking back towards the exit gates, my eyes met with those of Lisa McKimm, the Tonbridge manager’s wife. She said: “Where did that come from?”, it was to be an expression that I wasn’t too hear for the last time in the next hour. Some charitable souls said: “It’s been coming”, a win has been coming, but five goals? No, that scenario might have been on a wish list but not with any expectation.

Why should it? Braintree arrived sitting fifth in the National South table having gone unbeaten in six games, winning five in the process. Notable scalps in that run included Havant & Waterlooville on their own patch and Dulwich Hamlet. The one glimmer of optimism pre-match was their goals against column showed plenty.

A said it was a filthy afternoon, one that had obviously deterred a lot of people from taking advantage of the Non-League Day offer of virtually half-price before 2pm.

Since the defeat at Hampton, Tom Brewer, Rhyle Ovenden and Alex Read have departed which allowed for the return after sickness to the starting 11 for Tommie Hession-Harris.

The opening salvoes were balanced with Jonny Henly saving from Braintree’s leading scorers Tom Richardson and Femi Akinwande whilst Hession-Harris brought Michael Johnson into action. Khale Da Costa saw yellow for a tackle that incensed the visitors and a couple of minutes later Adeyinka Cole also found his way into the book.

Tonbridge went ahead on 21 minutes when a surging run from deep from full back Jack Parter ended with his cross being turned in at the near post by Tom Derry. It was the start of a magical seven minutes that had both sets of supporters looking on almost in disbelief.

After 26 minutes, the excellent Jack Rudoni weaved his way into the box before a mistimed tackle had the referee pointing to the spot, from which D’Sean Theobalds sent Johnson the wrong way. Two minutes later it was three when Hession-Harris fastened on to some dithering defence work to shoot past the bewildered Johnson.

The aim was to get to the break with the lead intact and it took a touch over from Henly and header clear from Rudoni from successive corners to achieve this.

Braintree’s Cole was a relieved man when he received a last warning rather than a second yellow card after 50 minutes and Johnson also breathed heavily after spilling a shot from Rudoni but managing to smother Joe Turner’s attempt.

Just past the hour and Tonbridge went four up when Hession-Harris made the most of some woeful defending to convert substitute Chinedu McKenzie’s cross.

Greed had started to set in and thoughts turned to a clean sheet being the icing on the cake when a Byron Lawrence free kick was headed home by an unmarked Andy Mills.

But there was to be no bigger smile around Longmead when centre half and skipper Sonny Miles recycled a corner to produce a pinpoint cross for his defensive partner, Rhian Bray, to head home for Tonbridge’s fifth, the first time they had gone nap in a National South game since January 2012.

Johnson saved well to deny Rudoni a well deserved mention on the score sheet and Bray might have added to his first goal for the club but Johnson saved again as the home side finished the game with almost a swagger. Who’d have thought it!