The announcement of the departure of Liam Smith saw the last member of the brilliant Under-18 squad of 2017 leave the club, although Dominic Welsh might have an argument that as an Academy coach and Under-16 manager he continues to be part of the club.
The Youth Team of 2016 marked a significant transition for me. Although I have been a lifetime supporter of Tonbridge, long before they were Angels, for over 40 years they had shared my allegiance with Gillingham.
In April of 2016, I was made redundant from my job with The Stationery Office where I had worked a night shift for the past 20 years and with my 65th birthday only two months away, I pretty much decided that retirement beckoned.
In common with most night shift workers in the print trade my working week was four nights and I had specifically chosen Tuesday night as my night off for footballing reasons so Monday evenings had pretty much been a non-starter.
Freshly armed with my newly-acquired freedom I ventured to Longmead for a Ryman Under-18 League game against Raynes Park Vale. I've always enjoyed football at this age group, playing at being a scout and seeing a player who you think might just make it and having a smug sense of achievement when that player moves upwards successfully. But over the years this had been almost entirely Gillingham with South East Counties on a Saturday morning and the odd FA Youth Cup run.
In the Tonbridge side that night, and looking the outstanding player of the group, was Tashi-Jay Kwayie who gave the Angels an early lead. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and I left the ground thinking that this was part of retirement that I could get used too!
I’ve been a blogger for about 14 years with my That’ll Be The Day blog that covers games I attend and my presence on the rails with my little red notebook in hand hadn’t escaped attention at Longmead and my first entry for the Under-18’s received more page views than usual.
Liam Smith came to my notice in unusual circumstances in the next game against Maidstone United when he performed admirably between the sticks after the Tonbridge goalkeeper had been sent off.
My transition back to Tonbridge after many years on loan at Gillingham had already begun as I had given up the away travelling and more than 50% of the games I watched were with the Angels. But it was with the youngsters that the club really started to get under my skin.
As is the norm with youth football, the vast majority of the spectators are the families of the players and a man (with a red notebook) that has no attachment to any of the team probably stuck out like a sore thumb but my blog writing had not gone amiss and people, Liam’s Mum and Dad (Brian and Sandra) among them, expressed their gratitude for the coverage.
The new season, 2016-17 began and a 5-0 win over Ashford with Sid Sollis catching the eye whetted the appetite for a run in the FA Youth Cup and by now I was on better than nodding acquaintance with some of the parents that made up this close-knit family.
Phoenix Sports were despatched courtesy of a Sollis hat-trick and, in the Second Qualifying Round, Dover were similarly brushed aside with Smith being among the scorers.
By now this side were well and truly under my skin and an away game at Ashford was followed by an epic, if ultimately heartbreaking, game against Maidstone in the FA Youth Cup that finished 5-5 after extra time with the visitors, managed by Tom Parkinson, taking the penalty shoot-out 6-5. It was a sensational game, probably one of the best I’ve ever seen at Longmead.
The families were no longer surprised to see me turning up at places like Ramsgate and Chipstead with the Mitchells, Fentons, Smiths and Chapmans so welcoming and manager Jay Stubberfield added an extra dimension to the blog entries by texting me quotes following the game. The Under-18’s were going from strength to strength, not only were they heading the table but Jack Fenton, Dominic Welsh, Sid Sollis, Callum Taylor, and of course, Liam Smith were spending time with the first team, either in training or taking their places on the bench in some of the minor cup competitions.
At Merstham in mid-January 2017 a cup game was abandoned at half-time for a frozen pitch and, biased opinion maybe, I caught a glimpse of a player that would challenge Liam as the best player in the league that season, Rhys Norrington-Davies. Going back to my enjoyment of playing at being a scout, the lad was outstanding even on an impossible pitch. Later that year, my credentials were confirmed as he signed for Sheffield United! But Liam still edged the League's best player!
And talking of the cold, the evening at Chipstead also comes to mind when the entire attendance decamped at half-time to the clubhouse to escape for 15 minutes from the numbing cold.
Merstham ran shoulder to shoulder with the Angels and Maidstone for the Championship and a draw at Maidstone when Smith, Sollis and Taylor were unavailable through first team duty left the door ajar which Merstham kicked open when they beat Tonbridge 4-2.
Another draw with Maidstone at Longmead left the door wide open for Merstham who only needed to win one of their last two games to secure the title.
On an April night at Whyteleafe the emotion of how much this group had taken hold of me was encapsulated with a bitterly disappointing low as the Lucas Fettes Cup Final was lost to Whitehawk before news came through that Merstham, who had wasted their first opportunity with a draw against Maidstone, had only managed another draw against Ashford, leaving our lads with the title in their hands should they win their last game against Kingstonian at Banstead Athletic.
The evening got off to an inauspicious start, going behind to a second minute own goal and for half-an-hour it looked like the occasion had got the better of the lads with passing wayward and the front two of Jack Cussen and Guy Taylor, in the absence of the suspended Sollis, were suffering from a severe lack of service. But, after 34 minutes, a defence splitting pass from Tommy Chapman set up Cussen for the equaliser and just before the break, Chapman drilled a free kick home. An early second half goal from Jack Bray set the party in motion and Liam Smith wrapped it up in the final minute.
The faces of disappointment as they looked on at Whyteleafe a week previously were now replaced with joy as they celebrated in a similar fashion and then something really special happened that caught me by surprise but will forever remain in the memory and sealed my transition away from Gillingham. As the celebratory team photographs were being taken, I was summoned to join the group. At first I was reluctant, this was their moment and I was a mere spectator, but Jack Fenton's Dad Graham encouraged me forward saying that I deserved the honour. The photograph, framed, was presented to me at the Champions of Champions Semi-Final and, to this day, has a pride of place in my study.
Revenge was to be had against Whitehawk on that evening, but further Cup Final heartache was endured as the Final was lost against Metropolitan Police at Tooting.
My season ticket at Gillingham was not renewed that summer and later that year I stood, and was elected to the board of Tonbridge Angels, a proud moment. But I swear none of this would have taken place had it not been for the Class of 2017!
