Maidstone United Academy 0 Tonbridge Angels Academy 16

Match 110/22/2117 - Wednesday, 26th April 2023 - National League U19 Alliance

Maidstone United Academy (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels Academy (5) 16 Green 2 Velvick 16,17 Hermitage 40,48,51,54,58,75,83,89,90 Rutherford 42 Vowles 54 Saunders 77,84
Headcount: 20

Admission: Pass
Programme: None
Mileage: 19/7,823

Tonbridge Angels Academy retained their National League Under-19 Alliance title with a one-sided romp at the Gallagher. From the first minute to the last, they dominated their hosts, Maidstone United, with top scorer Ben Hermitage recording a treble hat-trick.

Academy manager Tommy Parkinson hailed his side as a “fantastically talented group who fully deserve the league title” which has now been won for three successive seasons. He also described the performance as “ruthless” which it was almost in the extreme.

The Angels were ahead after just two minutes when a shot from fully 30 yards from skipper for the day Tom Green cannoned down from the underside of the crossbar to cross the line and given on the direction of the linesman.

Maidstone remained competitive in the open quarter hour forcing Nat Gibb into a smart save but after Hayden Velvick scored when sent clear by Billy Robbins and, a minute later, Velvick finished after first Hermitage saw his shot saved with the follow-up from Shea Brennan striking a post, the traffic became as one-way as the county town’s traffic system.

All credit to the Maidstone goalkeeper, for whom sadly we have no name, who almost single-handedly kept the half-time score at five with goals added from Hermitage on 40 minutes and Fyn Rutherford two minutes later.

Leo Vowles, back from a lengthy injury, was introduced at the break and in the space of 12 second half minutes, the score went from five to 10 as the home side were taken apart.

A 20 yard shot from Hermitage made it six after 48 minutes and Vowles set him up for his first hat trick three minutes later. His fourth came courtesy of a Robbins pass and a brilliant team goal involving Robbins, Josh McArthur and Hermitage ended with Vowles firing into the bottom corner.

Two more Hermitage goals (his fifth and sixth) took the score into double figures on 58 minutes and all the time, the Maidstone goalkeeper was performing heroics.

In fact, he held back the tide until 15 minutes from the end despite losing his centre half to a red card. But he was helpless as Hermitage tucked home a cross from substitute Alex Shave and a volley from Will Saunders that made it a dozen.

Robbins produced another great pass for Hermitage to make it 13 despite the best effort of the goalkeeper who also saved a minute later but couldn’t deny the follow-up from Saunders.

There was one little cherry that would have topped the cake and that would have been a goal for the industrious Robbins, who has never scored for the elite side. Having earlier hit the post, with three minutes remaining, he rattled the crossbar as all looked on in anguish as if the winning goal had been missed!

Hermitage completed his treble hat-trick in the final couple of minutes with an audacious back-heel for his final goal.

Champions again!

Farnborough 1 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 109/22/2116 - Tuesday, 25th April 2023 - National League South

Farnborough (0) 1 Saied 60
Tonbridge Angels (0) 2 Nathan Wood 79 Soares-Junior 85
Attendance: 561

Admission: Pass
Programme: £3
Mileage: 154/7,804

Two players who have been out of loan until their Isthmian League season ended returned to the Angels to score the winning goals in the final away game of the season at Farnborough.

Nathan Wood and Ruben Soares-Junior, who have been at Margate, found the net in the last 11 minutes to see the Angels back to Kent with all three points.

Jay Saunders made four changes from the side that drew on Saturday at Chippenham, two enforced with the unavailability of Joe Turner and Jeremy Santos. Into the starting XI came Ben Swift, Jordan Greenidge, Soares-Junior and Devonte Aransibia with Lewis Gard, Tommy Wood on the bench alongside the returning Nathan Wood.

The match was rescheduled from a postponement earlier in the month for a waterlogged pitch and considering the deluge that hit the south of England on Monday, the home side’s ground staff did well to get the match on at all, although the pitch was very heavy.

Both sides had early efforts on goal, the best of which came from Farnborough’s Jonathan Page that brought a good, diving save from Jonny Henly.

Henly was active again on 16 minutes saving a Ricky Holmes free kick but, two minutes later, the Angels were offered a golden opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty after Jordan Greenidge had been brought down by the goalkeeper, Jack Turner. Greenidge took the penalty himself but his spot kick was saved by the trailing leg of Turner.

The Angels were forced to defend stoutly in the next few minutes and it took a double clearance from in front of the line to keep the score line at parity.

Just before the break the referee, Aaron Farmer, pointed to the spot again but this time in favour of the home side as he spotted a handball. This time it was Henly’s turn to emerge the hero as he saved from Holmes.

The Angels had their share of the pressure in the opening quarter hour of the second half with a cross from Soares-Junior finding Aransibia but his touch at the far post was blocked.

However, it was the hosts that went in front through Selim Saied who buried a shot into the bottom corner from inside the box.

The goal immediately sparked a reaction from the bench with Nathan Wood replacing Jack Wood and the substitute quickly got into the game with a shot that was, albeit comfortably, saved by Turner.

Henly saved well, touching over a header from Matt Bloomfield but the visitors equalised a minute later when Tariq Hinds won the ball and played it down the left touchline to Soares-Junior whose cross to the edge of the box saw Nathan Wood steer the ball into the bottom corner.

The tide had changed for the final 10 minutes with Tonbridge chasing the winner. A crucial block from a defender denied substitute Tommy Wood and a header from Ben Swift cleared the bar but, with five minutes remaining, a corner taken short to Nathan Wood who crossed into the box for Greenidge to hook the ball on to Soares-Junior who made no mistake from the right side of the six yard box.

Six minutes of added time was seen out withou alarm to record a victory in Hampshire and three points that lifted Jay Saunders’ side to ninth in National League South. A win on Saturday, at home to Cheshunt would at the very least ensure a top 10 finish.

Jay Saunders was obviously delighted after the game commenting that Farnborough is “a tough place to come, they had a shout for the play-offs, but I thought we defended our box well and, in the second half, we were very good and scored two good goals.”

Hugh Christie 2 Ravens Wood 3

Match 108/22/2115 - Monday, 24th April 2023 - Kent Schools FA U19 Academies League Cup Final

Hugh Christie (1) 2 Elliott (pen) 25 Shave 63
Ravens Wood (3) 3 Campbell 17 Lawrence 36 Chung 40
Attendance: 100-ish

Admission: £7
Programme: £1
Mileage: 38/7,650

The Academy’s Squad Two, playing under the badge of Hugh Christie, suffered the disappointment of a Cup Final defeat as they fell agonisingly short, losing 3-2 to Ravens Wood of Bromley.

Hugh Christie had a lot of possession throughout the game, but lacked the clinical edge in the final third to turn their territorial advantage into goals.

On a filthy night at Longmead Stadium, a substantial attendance gave passionate support to both sides who certainly went toe-to-toe for the entire 90 minutes.

The pattern was set from the first minute when Hugh Christie’s appeals for a penalty were waved away after Josh McArthur had appeared to have been felled in the box.

The Angels created all of the chances in the early stages. A Steve Southern header from a free kick was narrowly wide as was another free kick, this time from Billy Robbins.

So it was against the run of play when Ravens Wood took the lead with a perfectly executed free kick from the edge of the box by Ben Campbell after 17 minutes.

The Bromley side’s lead didn’t last too long as Hugh Christie equalised from the spot through Reece Elliott after McArthur had been taken down.

As the rain tumbled down ever harder the game itself got a little bogged down before some defensive indecision saw the ball land at the feet of Ravens Wood’s D’Armando Lawrence who made no mistake, firing into the bottom corner to put his side back in front after 36 minutes.

Hugh Christie gave themselves a mountain to climb four minutes later when a cross from the left found Gianluca Chung at the far post for an unchallenged header.

Lewis Wilkins, in the Angels goal, saved from Donte Degannes-Fidyk to keep his side in the game at the break.

The second half was one-way traffic as Hugh Christie pressed to find their way back into the game, although Ravens Wood had an early opportunity with Chung firing over.

Chances came and went for the Angels as Ravens’ goalkeeper, Joe Bermingham, saved from Kian Austin and Robbins.

The pressure finally told in the 63rd minute when a free kick from Tom Scott-Smith was bundled into the net from close range by Alex Shave to set up a frantic finish.

Substitute Hayden Velvick sent a lob over the bar and shot wide following a corner and Bermingham saved well from Shave but Ravens Wood doggedly resisted all that was thrown at them to see the time out and spark the celebrations.

Academy manager Tommy Parkinson felt it was a game his scholars didn’t deserve to lose and the boys gave it everything but key mistakes had been punished and it wasn’t to be.

Chippenham Town 2 Tonbridge Angels 2

Match 107/22/2114 - Saturday, 22nd April 2023 - National League South

Chippenham Town (1) 2 Windsor 30 Bradbury 56
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Turner 26 Fielding 74
Attendance: 779

Admission: Pass
Programme: £3
Mileage: 300/7,612

The Angels faint hopes of making the National League South play-offs were finally extinguished in the watery Wiltshire sunshine when, despite earning a spirited point at Chippenham Town, results elsewhere determined their fate.

Jay Saunders made two changes from the side that took a point from last Saturday’s home game against Hemel Hempstead with Ben Swift and Jordan Greenidge rested to the bench with Tariq Hinds and Tommy Wood returning to the starting XI.

Tonbridge were kicking up the not inconsiderable slope at Hardenhuish Park and the opening 25 minutes certainly had the hallmarks of a middle of the table, end of season game as neither side got off to a fast start.

The first chance of the match fell to Jack Wood who fired over the bar after good work from Joe Turner and this was quickly followed by a chance for the home side when Caine Bradbury shot straight at Jonny Henly.

The game sprang to life on 26 minutes when the Angels took the lead when a well worked move from the right opened up a shooting opportunity for Joe Turner who curled a shot into the far corner from an acute angle.

But the good work was quickly undone as the hosts equalised on the half-hour. A left wing cross was allowed to find its way to the far post from where Owen Windsor had a close range tap-in.

The game now had a lot more life and Jeremy Santos brought a good save out of Will Henry and Chippenham created a decent chance that Craig Fasanmade blazed over the bar. Just before half-time, a Santos run was brought to an end by a terrific challenge just as he was about to break clear.

An early second half shot from Hinds was narrowly wide, but, after 56 minutes, it was the hosts that took the lead when Bradbury struck a free kick from around 20 yards, off the underside of the crossbar and past a stranded Henly.

The better of the chances fell to the home side before Saunders rang the changes introducing Greenidge on 57 minutes; Bailey Akehurst on 65 minutes and this brought a dividend on 74 minutes when the Angels equalised. A corner, taken by Akehurst was met with a header from Jamie Fielding at the near post and directed toward the far. Henry got his fingertips to the ball but could only help it on its way into the net.

There was a touching moment as the game entered time added as Chippenham introduced Pablo Martinez as a substitute. Pablo suffered a cardiac arrest at Chelmsford City on that ridiculously hot day back in August. 252 days later, he returned to the pitch to a rousing reception and we wish him well.

Tonbridge produced the final chance of the game with Jack Wood shooting agonisingly wide in the final minute but it was points shared. At any other time in the season it would have been considered valuable, but it wasn’t enough and even the mathematical optimists have to accept that the playoffs is not to be this season.

Tonbridge Angels Academy 1 Charlton Athletic Trust 0

Match 106/22/2113 - Wednesday, 19th April 2023 - National League U19 Alliance

Tonbridge Angels Academy (1) 1 Hermitage 19
Charlton Athletic Trust (0) 0
Headcount: 12

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/7,312

The Academy inched ever closer to retaining their National League Under-19 Alliance title with a hard fought, single goal win against a very competitive and well organised Charlton Athletic Trust.

The Angels need one more win, with the next game at the Gallagher against a Maidstone United side who were soundly beaten by the closest of the challengers Chatham Town.

The last two league games have seen the Angels uncharacteristically struggling for goals following last week’s goalless draw at VCD Athletic. But, on this occasion, a lot of credit should go to some stubborn defending, but in particular, a fine performance from the visiting goalkeeper, Frankie Leonard.

After taking a 19th minute lead through Ben Hermitage, who finished a fine move that saw Fyn Rutherford open up the Charlton defence with a crossfield pass to Sam Grant whose low cross into the box found Hermitage to finish into the bottom corner.

This might have opened the door to a comfortable win when, on 26 minutes, Hermitage was sent clear but saw his effort saved by Leonard with the follow-up from makeshift forward Tom Green well defended.

A minute later, Leonard again excelled, saving well from Shea Brennan after good work from Chester Smith but Charlton responded well and the Angels goalkeeper, Nat Gibb, was called on to save from Mekai Lennox-James, who proceeded to cause more than a few headaches for the Angels backline.

In the last couple of minutes before the break, Gibb preserved his clean sheet, twice coming out on top in his personal battle with Lennox-James.

Both defences appeared to respond to the half-time talk and chances were kept to a minimum until the last 15 minutes.

Hermitage had a great chance to add to his season’s haul of 39 goals when put through on goal by Brennan but was denied by the advancing Leonard. Brennan fired over a minute later, before Charlton showed they had not given up on salvaging a point forcing Gibb into a save.

Ten minutes from the end Brennan struck the bar with Leonard saving the follow-up from Green and in the dying moments of the game, the goalkeeper was playing a sweeper role, 30 yards from goal to stop Rutherford in his tracks.

Tommy Parkinson pulled no punches labelling it a “poor performance” whilst crediting Charlton, who he felt “deserved something from the game”. He also pointed to the positive aspect of another clean sheet and only one goal conceded in the last 10 games.

Gillingham 2 Leyton Orient 0

Match 105/22/2112 - Tuesday, 18th April 2023 - League Two

Gillingham (1) 2 MacDonald 16 Alexander 76 (pen)
Leyton Orient (0) 0
Attendance: 6,629

Admission: £19 Senior
Programme: £3
Mileage: 40/7,274

It was perhaps the most bizarre ending to a game that I’ve seen live, but before I get to that I’ll start with what I would have written had the lights not gone out.

After a virtual self-imposed hiatus of visiting Priestfield, I’ve gently put my toes back into the water. The first couple of games the water was cold and discouraging, but against champions-elect Leyton Orient, the water felt a little warmer, more comfortable.

No disrespect to the Rainham End but, at my age, the coffin dodgers stand feels right again. The Gordon Road Stand, for the best part of 25 years, the home of my season ticket felt like home.

My reaction to the two goals, up and out of the seat with a punch of the air felt natural again and I was ready to celebrate EFL safety for the Gills and then the lights went out.

As it turned out, the power failure was a Medway area problem and no fault of Gillingham Football Club. The stadium was plunged into darkness for 23 minutes and in that time, Swindon scored an 82nd minute goal and held on to beat Bradford, thus handing Orient promotion and with Gillingham also assured safety when the players returned to the pitch, neither side wanted to play the last 10 minutes with the Gills playing keep ball and Orient making no attempt to retrieve it. To a certain extent it was understandable but it was also pointless and tedious.

But, it didn’t chill the water on my toes. No, I won’t be going season ticket ever again but I think I can return to Priestfield confident that I’m there because I want to be and that’s a massive step forward.

Tunbridge Wells 0 Erith & Belvedere 0

Match 104/22/2111 - Monday, 17th April 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (0) 0
Erith & Belvedere (0) 0
Attendance: 251

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/7,234

Erith & Belvedere duly earned the point they needed to take the Southern Counties East Premier League title and promotion into Step Four, Isthmian South-East, but they were made to work hard for their reward by a spirited Tunbridge Wells, who could easily have proved the party-poopers with late scares for the champions.

The scheduled fixture was postponed on Saturday because of a waterlogged pitch at Culverden Stadium and with this the final week of the league season, it had to be quickly rescheduled to fit in with another home fixture on Wednesday and Saturday’s end.

A warm, almost Spring day, had played its part in the drying out process and the pitch was perfectly playable, in fact, played well.

After a start to the season in which Erith & Belvedere (E&B) looked to be cantering towards the title, they have somewhat staggered over the line with Phoenix Sports making up ground, but also faltering in the run in.

Perhaps, it was the knowledge that a point was enough and with two further chances to acquire that point, E&B didn’t particularly look champion-material and were far too dependent on the Rory Delap styled long throws from Lewis Chambers to exert pressure on the home defence which, on the whole, were competently dealt with.

It made for a dull first half with the Wells going reasonably close with a Robbie Bissett effort and E&B brought saves out of Jacob Bennett with shots from Marcus Elliott and Anthony Adesite.

The game was not helped either by an over-fussy referee who punctuated the game with stoppages and yellow cards.

Adesite was denied after 52 minutes with a close range save from Bennett and E&B had the ball in the net a minute later but this was ruled out, presumably for a foul on the goalkeeper, who was left prostrate on his goal line.

The game meandered its dull way until the 80th minute when a shot from Jacob Feasey rattled the bar and then, in the final moments of time added, a 25 yard shot from Connor Pring was goal bound until the E&B goalkeeper produced a spectacular save to preserve his side’s championship-winning point.

Two final games for Tunbridge Wells probably won’t move them too far from the middle of the table where they have been marooned for much of the season. If there is one word that I’ve heard too many times, for too many years, at Culverden it is the description of “underachievers”. Shifting that title, for Luke Carpenter, has to be his mandate for next season.

Tonbridge Angels 0 Dartford 1

Match 103/22/2110 - Saturday, 15th April 2023 - National League South

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Dartford (1) 1 Napa 24
Attendance: 1,484

Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £3
Mileage: 38/7,196

And sadly, that is pretty much that.

Mathematically, Tonbridge Angels will be taking their playoff challenge into the last three games and perhaps beyond, but the probability is that three wins still wouldn’t be enough.

So, now we go into a period of reflection. There are plenty of what might have been’s but that is a pointless exercise. What we can positively reflect is that the mandate for the season was not to be looking over our shoulders and at no time has this been necessary.

Negatively, we have been unable to turn Longmead into a fortress. Should we beat relegation threatened Cheshunt on the last day, that would take our total to nine wins and we already have 10 away with two to play. I’m not clever enough to reason why.

Manager Jay Saunders has long lamented the giving away of cheap goals and another was conceded that ultimately lost this game against playoff-bound Dartford.

Another bumper attendance piled into Longmead but, in truth, they were treated to a poor spectacle, surprisingly low in quality, poorly officiated and lacking the tension or atmosphere of a vitally important game.

Saunders picked a side with attacking intent, Jordan Greenidge and Jeremy Santos into the starting XI but those aspirations were doused by a superbly marshalled Dartford back line.

The first 20 minutes were a sign of what was to come, a bit of a yawn. The referee, Michael Robertson-Tant, set his stall out early for an afternoon of petty officiating, with a 10th minute booking for Dartford’s Kieran Murtagh; Jordan Greenidge gave Ben Dudzinski some fielding practice but it was dull enough to get distracted by the black clouds threatening the Hadlow area.

Perhaps, on 24 minutes, the two Tonbridge central defenders were similarly distracted when a punt forward from the keeper saw them leave the ball for each other to allow Malachi Napa to nip in between them and plant ball past a helpless Jonny Henly.

The game slipped back into its stupor for the remainder of the half with neither side showing enough imagination that would create an omelette if they had been given eggs. Meanwhile, Robertson-Tant was as frustrating as the game in front of us.

In fairness, Tonbridge got better in the second half and with it the game got a little better. But try as they might they just didn’t have the edge or the guile to unlock the Darts defence with Connor Essam and Tom Bonner the rocks on which many National League South’s attacks have foundered.

As an attacking force the visitors were pretty insipid considering their lofty position and for large parts Henly was just an interested spectator but the Angels just couldn’t create the clear opening that might have yielded a point, that probably wouldn’t have been much help but was better than nothing and something that was deserved, in as much that neither side deserved more.

Dartford’s place in the playoffs is assured and they will probably earn one of the two exemption places and home advantage. For the Angels, three games remain to finish as high as possible and then watch an interesting summer unfold.

Pictures: Kathryn Bell

VCD Athletic Academy 0 Tonbridge Angels Academy 0

Match 102/22/2109 - Wednesday, 12th April 2023 - National League Undier-19 Alliance

VCD Athletic Academy (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels Academy (0) 0
Headcount: 5

Admission: Free
Mileage: 66/7,158

A 45mph wind on a small pitch was the ultimate winner in that rarest of outcomes for Tonbridge Angels Academy, a goalless draw; the first time since 14th November 2018 when the result was celebrated at Bromley.

That is not to take anything away from hosts, VCD Athletic, who defended resolutely with bodies behind the ball and when the opportunities did arise for the Angels, not too often to be fair, a competent goalkeeper dealt with the rest.

The game, played at Foots Cray Rugby Club, started with a blustery breeze but quickly deteriorated into a full blown gale during the early stages.

Consequently it was no fault of either side that the quality of the game suffered with both sides struggling to keep the ball on the pitch.

It took 25 minutes for the first real chance to be created with the VCD goalkeeper saving with his feet from Josh McArthur and created one further chance in the opening half when Ben Hermitage saw his effort comfortably saved.

VCD actually had the ball in the net in first half added time but this was ruled out for a foul before the ball was curled into the far corner much to the consternation of the home bench.

The Angels had the wind at their backs for the second period, not that it was any great advantage.

Early shots at goal came from Tom Green and a free kick from Shea Brennan but, on 68 minutes, VCD spurned a chance, shooting wide and, four minutes later, the Angels goalkeeper Nat Gibb was called into action saving well, low to his left.

The game struggled through to its last few minutes when skipper Joe Tyrie headed over following a corner from Hermitage. But ultimately, the elements had won the day.

The saving grace was that just a few minutes after the final whistle, torrential rain joined forces with the howling wind, but by that time at least we were out of its way.

Staplehurst Monarchs 1 Snodland Town 2

Match 101/22/2108 - Monday, 10th April 2023 - SCEFL Division One

Staplehurst Monarchs (0) 1 Pallet 77
Snodland Town (2) 2 Gething 5 Ashton 7
Attendance: 130

Admission: £4 Senior

Programme: £1
Mileage: 1/7,092

Staplehurst Monarchs welcomed the SCEFL First Division champions Snodland Town to the Jubilee with a guard of honour and promptly found themselves two goals down in the first seven minutes.

A great display of resilience and second half ambition didn’t quite bring the point that the home side deserved but they can take pride from a performance that ran the runaway champions close.

Staplehurst have had a season in which they flirted with the play-offs for a short while, but more importantly, they haven’t needed to look over their shoulders at any time at the relegation places and the ambition for next season has to be to break into the top half-dozen.

Snodland, managed by Luke Wallond (once of this parish) have put together a team of vast experience that can be easily identified by anybody that has frequented Tunbridge Wells’ Culverden Stadium in the last two years with no less than five ex-Wells in the starting XI and another two on the bench.

Staplehurst almost got off to a dream start when Callum Savage was sent clear but denied by the legs of Snodland goalkeeper Shaun Wicks and within a minute there were strong appeals for a penalty for handball that the referee waved away.

But that promising start quickly evaporated after five minutes when Jordan Wells produced a cross that laid on plate a header for the prolific Matt Gething.

Two minutes later, Snodland doubled their advantage when a shot from Dan Ashton took a deflection that looped the ball up and over a stranded Steve Lawrence.

Against a side with a prolific attack it was time for the Monarchs to batten down the hatches and this they managed before making an impression of their own on the game with Harley Gorse, twice in a minute, forcing Wicks into good saves.

Staplehurst finished the half on top as Wicks excelled to save from Savage and it took a magnificent last ditch challenge from Wells to deny Mackenzie Gardiner.

The opening of the second half was punctuated with two lengthy stoppages that first saw Staplehurst’s Toby Sergeant painfully limp out of the game and then, Snodland’s goalkeeper took a heavy knock, a long way outside of his penalty area and eventually had to be replaced by outfield player Ryan Cheek.

With all their subs used, this left the champions a man short and there were loud cheers from the bench as Cheek made his first save from Gorse.

The opportunity to reduce the deficit fell to home side on 71 minutes when they were awarded a penalty after Gorse was brought down. The responsibility fell to the legend that is Pete West, 40 years old and retiring at the end of the season after starting his journey with the club as an eight year old youth player. Sadly, there was no fairytale ending as his shot struck the crossbar and was cleared to safety.

But, the Monarchs found a goal with 13 minutes remaining to set up a frantic finish. Good work between West and Gorse opened up a pass to the left side of the box from where Kieron Pallet swept the ball into the far corner.

With three minutes remaining, the big chance for the home side came when Omar El Mantawy sent Gardiner clear but the number nine slid his shot wide of the post.

In fairness to 10-man Snodland, they did what champions do, they managed out the final minutes including the lengthy stoppage time and despite a last gasp cross from Pallet that begged a touch they took home the points to the delight of their support in the Easter Monday 130 attendance.

By the time the new season arrives, I’m unlikely to be a resident of Staplehurst, but whilst my move will take me further than the present walking distance, I hope it’s not going to be more than a short car journey to the Jubilee to be able to continue to watch the progression of Staplehurst Monarchs.

Tunbridge Wells 3 K Sports 0

Match 100/22/2107 - Saturday, 8th April 2023 - SCEFL Premier

Tunbridge Wells (1) 3 Kamara 29 Lewins 79 McCreadie 90+3
K Sports (0) 0
Attendance: 331

Admission: £5 Senior

Programme: £2
Mileage: 38/7,091

Six months without a visit and back at Culverden Stadium four days later, such is the Easter fixture schedule. This time, Tunbridge Wells produced a performance that probably wasn’t as good as on Tuesday evening, but the gulf between the two visiting sides was massive.

A strange game in which the Wells produced three very good goals with sweeping moves from one end to the other in a match that for the most part was woefully short of quality.

Not unsurprisingly, on a pleasantly warm afternoon in front of an impressive Easter Saturday attendance of 331, the game had an end-of-season feel about it. Tunbridge Wells are marooned in the middle of the table with nothing but pride to play for whilst this result all but ensures that the visitors, K Sports, will be relegated.

A few dry days at least saw the pitch vastly improved from the difficult surface of Tuesday evening.

The biggest talking point of the opening 10 minutes was the colour of the shirt of the Tunbridge Wells goalkeeper, a virtually identical yellow to that of K Sports. How the referee allowed it was mystifying.

K Sports goalkeeper, Sebastian Barford (who went on to have a good game) saved from Festof Kamara after being released by James Nurden and a couple of minutes later was tested by Connor Pring.

Eventually, after half-an-hour of completely one-way traffic the Wells broke the deadlock with a goal that started with a sweeping crossfield pass from Pring, the heartbeat of this Wells side, to the right from where Jordan Sarfo laid the ball into the path of Kamara who scored at the second attempt as the ball came back off Barford.

Something riled the K Sports manager enough to get himself a red card, goodness know what, and he was removed from the technical area to stand beside the dug outs!

K Sports hardly ventured over the half-way line in the first half in which the final opportunity fell to Kamara to see his shot deflected into the side netting.

The direction of play barely changed during the second period but the game dragged itself into the later stages before the Wells put it to bed.

Good chances fell to centre half Dan Tear, who steered a header wide; a shot from Nurden that narrowly cleared the bar and an effort from Sarfo that was wide after he had robbed a dwelling defender.

It was in keeping with the game that from a rare foray forward and a K Sports corner from which Tonbridge Angels Academy leading goalscorer, Ben Hermitage, saw his header cleared from the line by Billy Lewins for the ball to be swept forward and none other than Lewins himself to race clear and score.

In the final moments of time added, Tunbridge Wells scored a third when substitute Jacob Feasey broke down the left to lay the ball on a plate for Trevor McCreadie to score his 26th goal of the season.