Match 65/24/2304 - Wednesday, 22nd January 2025 - National League U19 Alliance League Cup
Tonbridge Angels Academy (0) 1 Velvick 46
Wealdstone Academy (1) 4 27,39,56,90+2
Attendance: 15
Admission: Free
Mileage: 38/4,582
Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Tonbridge Angels U18 5 Welling United U18 3
Match 64/24/2303 - Monday, 20th January 2025 - Isthmian Youth League
Tonbridge Angels U18 (1) 5 Larkin 16 Fabimafobee 47,63,69 Hunidzarira 71
Welling United U18 (1) 3 Cragg 9,74,77
Attendance: 35
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 38/4,544
Tonbridge Angels Under-18s stretched their lead at the top of the Isthmian Youth League to five points on Monday evening with a 5-3 win over a Welling United side that will be similarly challenging for the title come April. Sutton Common Rovers reduced the lead the following evening with a 2-1 win at Maidstone United and remain the favourites with their couple of games in hand.
To round up a couple of games that went unreported, on 6th January, the Angels and Maidstone fought out an uninspiring 1-1 draw at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium. A dour game that was out of character for these two sides saw Maidstone hold a lead at half-time with Adam Larkin rescuing a point from the penalty spot with 10 minutes remaining.
On 15th January the top two went head to head in an epic encounter at Whyteleafe that saw 11 goals from a first half that produced eight of them! Tonbridge raced into a 3-0 and 4-2 lead before the half-time whistle saw the game at 5-3 to the Angels. The second half was a bit tighter but Sutton Common pulled the game back to 5-5 before our U18s found the winner. Our goals came from Callum Fincham (2), Robert Penman (2), Tolu Fabimafobee (2). If the season is kept alive until the final games, the encounter back at Whyteleafe on 19th March could be monumental!
Monday evening’s game was an entertaining encounter, as is always the case with fixtures against Welling, with Dom Welsh having to shuffle his squad with 15 year-old goalkeeper Jacob Hunt making his debut.
Tonbridge opened the game brightly but fell behind against the run of play on nine minutes when Alfie Cragg took advantage of a defensive mix-up to pass the ball into an unguarded goal.
The Angels responded well to the set back with the goalkeeper turning over a good effort from Larkin but on 16 minutes, following good work from Noah Millis, Larkin cracked home a good finish to level the score.
The game became very end-to-end with chances falling the way of Fabimafobee and Penman whilst at the other end, Hunt made three good saves.
Only two second half minutes had elapsed when the Angels took the lead when River Ballach’s cross was fired into the bottom corner from Fabimafobee.
Tonbridge took control of the game with Fabimafobee causing the Welling backline all sorts of problems with his direct runs on goal, culminating just past the hour, when a run from deep saw him dribble the ball through the defence before finishing well.
Two goals in two minutes appeared to have put the game well beyond the visitors with Fabimafobee completing his hat-trick as he benefited from a rebound after the goalkeeper had saved a Penman shot and when, on 71 minutes, substitute Ishe Hunidzarira curled a 20 yard free kick into the top corner, the game looked safe.
But within three minutes, one goal had been pulled back when Cragg beat the advancing Hunt to stroke the ball into the empty net and when Cragg scrambled the ball home for his hat-trick on 77 minutes, nerves jangled.
The game was managed to the final whistle for three important points that was hailed by Dom Welsh: “An outstanding performance, with four key players missing through injury and to be 5-1 up against a strong side is a credit to the boys. A few individual errors made the game tighter than it need.”
Picture: Emma Louise Wheeler
Tonbridge Angels U18 (1) 5 Larkin 16 Fabimafobee 47,63,69 Hunidzarira 71
Welling United U18 (1) 3 Cragg 9,74,77
Attendance: 35
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 38/4,544
Tonbridge Angels Under-18s stretched their lead at the top of the Isthmian Youth League to five points on Monday evening with a 5-3 win over a Welling United side that will be similarly challenging for the title come April. Sutton Common Rovers reduced the lead the following evening with a 2-1 win at Maidstone United and remain the favourites with their couple of games in hand.
To round up a couple of games that went unreported, on 6th January, the Angels and Maidstone fought out an uninspiring 1-1 draw at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium. A dour game that was out of character for these two sides saw Maidstone hold a lead at half-time with Adam Larkin rescuing a point from the penalty spot with 10 minutes remaining.
On 15th January the top two went head to head in an epic encounter at Whyteleafe that saw 11 goals from a first half that produced eight of them! Tonbridge raced into a 3-0 and 4-2 lead before the half-time whistle saw the game at 5-3 to the Angels. The second half was a bit tighter but Sutton Common pulled the game back to 5-5 before our U18s found the winner. Our goals came from Callum Fincham (2), Robert Penman (2), Tolu Fabimafobee (2). If the season is kept alive until the final games, the encounter back at Whyteleafe on 19th March could be monumental!
Monday evening’s game was an entertaining encounter, as is always the case with fixtures against Welling, with Dom Welsh having to shuffle his squad with 15 year-old goalkeeper Jacob Hunt making his debut.
Tonbridge opened the game brightly but fell behind against the run of play on nine minutes when Alfie Cragg took advantage of a defensive mix-up to pass the ball into an unguarded goal.
The Angels responded well to the set back with the goalkeeper turning over a good effort from Larkin but on 16 minutes, following good work from Noah Millis, Larkin cracked home a good finish to level the score.
The game became very end-to-end with chances falling the way of Fabimafobee and Penman whilst at the other end, Hunt made three good saves.
Only two second half minutes had elapsed when the Angels took the lead when River Ballach’s cross was fired into the bottom corner from Fabimafobee.
Tonbridge took control of the game with Fabimafobee causing the Welling backline all sorts of problems with his direct runs on goal, culminating just past the hour, when a run from deep saw him dribble the ball through the defence before finishing well.
Two goals in two minutes appeared to have put the game well beyond the visitors with Fabimafobee completing his hat-trick as he benefited from a rebound after the goalkeeper had saved a Penman shot and when, on 71 minutes, substitute Ishe Hunidzarira curled a 20 yard free kick into the top corner, the game looked safe.
But within three minutes, one goal had been pulled back when Cragg beat the advancing Hunt to stroke the ball into the empty net and when Cragg scrambled the ball home for his hat-trick on 77 minutes, nerves jangled.
The game was managed to the final whistle for three important points that was hailed by Dom Welsh: “An outstanding performance, with four key players missing through injury and to be 5-1 up against a strong side is a credit to the boys. A few individual errors made the game tighter than it need.”
Picture: Emma Louise Wheeler
Sunday, 19 January 2025
Hampton & Richmond Borough 2 Tonbridge Angels 0
Match 63/24/2302 - Saturday, 18th January 2025 - National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough (1) 2 Wiltshire 38 Vilhete 78
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 694
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 122/4,506
A goal in each half was enough for a threadbare Tonbridge Angels to lose on the road at Hampton and Richmond Borough and in the process the squad became further depleted with the sending off of Ryan Hanson and an injury to Ronny Nelson.
The win saw the home side stretch their unbeaten record to seven games and move to within a place of the Angels who remain in ninth.
A good contingent of Angels supporters made the journey with rail travellers hampered by the weekend closure of Waterloo East. They arrived at the Beveree on a cold afternoon to the news that Charlie Pegrum had been recalled by Leyton Orient with Harry Ottaway taking his place in the starting XI. Only four substitutes could be named including assistant manager Tommy Parkinson.
Jay Saunders reflected after the game: “I thought we looked leggy after Tuesday. I’m disappointed at the goals we conceded, they were avoidable, and I thought we lost the midfield today.”
Tonbridge were on the back foot from the outset and might have gone behind after four minutes when a through ball from Mauro Vilhete sent Ibrahim Jalloh clear only to be denied by a smothering save from the advancing Matt Rowley. After the ball looped into the air and was recycled, Jalloh put it into the net only to be given offside.
The visitors came close to opening the scoring on eight minutes when Gianluca Botti’s effort from the bye-line rolled along the goal line before being turned away for a corner, from which Crossley Lema headed over.
Hampton took control of the game and Rowley was kept busy before they were awarded a penalty on 20 minutes as Lema hung out a leg to upend Bunmi Babajide. Fortunately for the Angels, Archie Taylor’s spot kick struck the crossbar and was shepherded to safety.
The momentum, nonetheless, stayed with the home side and they eventually broke through on 38 minutes when a corner fell kindly to Jerry Wiltshire who lashed the ball home off the underside of the bar.
Jeremy Santos put a shot wide as Hampton entered the break deserving of their lead.
An injury sustained by Nelson necessitated his half-time substitution with Hanson taking his place.
The Angels started the second period positively with Bailey Akehurst bringing a save out of Max Merrick and just past the hour the Chelsea loanee goalkeeper made a really good stop to deny Sean Shields.
On 77 minutes, Rowley did brilliantly to claw a shot from Jalloh out of the top corner but was helpless a minute later when a cross from the right found Vilhete, unmarked, to bury a header.
Botti brought another save from Merrick but the red card for Hanson for a challenge on Hampton substitute George Hunt killed any hope of a comeback despite the added time board showing 10 minutes.
Trevan Robinson saw an effort cleared from the line and a Shields shot cleared the bar as the Angels valiantly sought a consolation goal.
After what can only be described as a difficult week for the Angels, Jay added: “The boys put in a hell of a shift on Tuesday night and the squad is very thin and it is hard for us to make changes because we’ve ended up today with four on the bench including Parky. We are very thin on the ground. In an ideal world, if you had everyone available, you make changes from the other night but we are not in a position to do that. I’m not going to be too harsh on the boys, I’m a big believer that it evens itself out, but certainly at the moment, we are getting a bad run of luck.”
Hampton & Richmond Borough (1) 2 Wiltshire 38 Vilhete 78
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Attendance: 694
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 122/4,506
A goal in each half was enough for a threadbare Tonbridge Angels to lose on the road at Hampton and Richmond Borough and in the process the squad became further depleted with the sending off of Ryan Hanson and an injury to Ronny Nelson.
The win saw the home side stretch their unbeaten record to seven games and move to within a place of the Angels who remain in ninth.
A good contingent of Angels supporters made the journey with rail travellers hampered by the weekend closure of Waterloo East. They arrived at the Beveree on a cold afternoon to the news that Charlie Pegrum had been recalled by Leyton Orient with Harry Ottaway taking his place in the starting XI. Only four substitutes could be named including assistant manager Tommy Parkinson.
Jay Saunders reflected after the game: “I thought we looked leggy after Tuesday. I’m disappointed at the goals we conceded, they were avoidable, and I thought we lost the midfield today.”
Tonbridge were on the back foot from the outset and might have gone behind after four minutes when a through ball from Mauro Vilhete sent Ibrahim Jalloh clear only to be denied by a smothering save from the advancing Matt Rowley. After the ball looped into the air and was recycled, Jalloh put it into the net only to be given offside.
The visitors came close to opening the scoring on eight minutes when Gianluca Botti’s effort from the bye-line rolled along the goal line before being turned away for a corner, from which Crossley Lema headed over.
Hampton took control of the game and Rowley was kept busy before they were awarded a penalty on 20 minutes as Lema hung out a leg to upend Bunmi Babajide. Fortunately for the Angels, Archie Taylor’s spot kick struck the crossbar and was shepherded to safety.
The momentum, nonetheless, stayed with the home side and they eventually broke through on 38 minutes when a corner fell kindly to Jerry Wiltshire who lashed the ball home off the underside of the bar.
Jeremy Santos put a shot wide as Hampton entered the break deserving of their lead.
An injury sustained by Nelson necessitated his half-time substitution with Hanson taking his place.
The Angels started the second period positively with Bailey Akehurst bringing a save out of Max Merrick and just past the hour the Chelsea loanee goalkeeper made a really good stop to deny Sean Shields.
On 77 minutes, Rowley did brilliantly to claw a shot from Jalloh out of the top corner but was helpless a minute later when a cross from the right found Vilhete, unmarked, to bury a header.
Botti brought another save from Merrick but the red card for Hanson for a challenge on Hampton substitute George Hunt killed any hope of a comeback despite the added time board showing 10 minutes.
Trevan Robinson saw an effort cleared from the line and a Shields shot cleared the bar as the Angels valiantly sought a consolation goal.
After what can only be described as a difficult week for the Angels, Jay added: “The boys put in a hell of a shift on Tuesday night and the squad is very thin and it is hard for us to make changes because we’ve ended up today with four on the bench including Parky. We are very thin on the ground. In an ideal world, if you had everyone available, you make changes from the other night but we are not in a position to do that. I’m not going to be too harsh on the boys, I’m a big believer that it evens itself out, but certainly at the moment, we are getting a bad run of luck.”
Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Tonbridge Angels 0 Eastbourne Borough 2
Match 62/24/2301 - Tuesday, 14th January 2025 - National League South
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Eastbourne Borough (1) 2 Innocent 38 Shamalo 67
Attendance: 800
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,384
A game that is best filed in the soonest forgotten and move on drawer.
There are strict guidelines regarding opinion of refereeing performances on National League club’s websites, but thankfully they have no control over a humble blog so I can say my piece. I'm not anti women in football and we've had referees that have been good one match and then not so good the next time they officate, much the same as any male. My gripe is not actually with Emily Heaslip but with the powers that be that have promoted an inexperienced referee far too quickly and left her out of her depth. .
On a thankfully milder evening than of late, Jay Saunders made three changes from Saturday’s side with Bailey Akehurst, Jeremy Santos and Gianluca Botti coming in for Scott Wagstaff (injured), Nazir Bakrin and Trevan Robinson who took places on the bench.
An eagerly awaited contest, for a decent Tuesday night attendance of 800, between an Eastbourne Borough team, for whom a win would see them climb into third place whilst for the home side would place them in touching distance of the players-off positions. But, within the opening five minutes, the game was set on an entirely different course.
The Angels had started the game brightly, forcing an early free kick and from that a third minute corner that brought the usual jostling for position in the six yard box as Sean Shields prepared to deliver. The jostling developed into something a little more which ended with Eastbourne’s Brayden Johnson going to ground and with that Ms Heaslip produced a red card and Garrett Kelly’s involvement was at an end.
The game plan was ripped up in a moment and Tonbridge needed to find a level of commitment that impressed their manager greatly: “I’m proud of the boys’ effort, to play 90-odd minutes with, at first, 10 men against a full-time team. I’m frustrated we had an opportunity to show what we’re capable of and close the gap. A lot’s happened out there but I don’t think there was a bad tackle and there’s been God knows how many yellow cards and red cards.”
When the corner did eventually get taken, Ronny Nelson headed marginally over.
As Tonbridge adjusted to the man disadvantage, Eastbourne pressed forward with Pierce Bird bringing a low save from Matt Rowley and a header from John Shamalo that was narrowly wide.
After surviving the opening half-hour, the Angels became to pose a threat of their own with successive corners but, on 36 minutes, the visitors took the lead when a right sided cross found its way to the left side of the box from where Kai Innocent drove his shot into the bottom corner.
The second half opened with then 10 men of Tonbridge containing their opponents relatively comfortably whilst looking to counter on the break. On 65 minutes, an innoculous booking for tossing the ball away a few inches for Botti was to have greater consequences soon after.
Eastbourne doubled their advantage on 67 minutes when Shamalo headed in from close range following a corner and with frustration playing its part, Botti challenged the Eastbourne goalkeeper, Joe Wright as he cleared the ball to bring a second yellow and subsequent red.
The visitors, strangely with a two man advantage, called time on their evening and played out the remaining quarter-hour with possession mainly played out in their half before the referee’s final whistle brought a chorus of irate boos from the home support.
Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Eastbourne Borough (1) 2 Innocent 38 Shamalo 67
Attendance: 800
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,384
A game that is best filed in the soonest forgotten and move on drawer.
There are strict guidelines regarding opinion of refereeing performances on National League club’s websites, but thankfully they have no control over a humble blog so I can say my piece. I'm not anti women in football and we've had referees that have been good one match and then not so good the next time they officate, much the same as any male. My gripe is not actually with Emily Heaslip but with the powers that be that have promoted an inexperienced referee far too quickly and left her out of her depth. .
On a thankfully milder evening than of late, Jay Saunders made three changes from Saturday’s side with Bailey Akehurst, Jeremy Santos and Gianluca Botti coming in for Scott Wagstaff (injured), Nazir Bakrin and Trevan Robinson who took places on the bench.
An eagerly awaited contest, for a decent Tuesday night attendance of 800, between an Eastbourne Borough team, for whom a win would see them climb into third place whilst for the home side would place them in touching distance of the players-off positions. But, within the opening five minutes, the game was set on an entirely different course.
The Angels had started the game brightly, forcing an early free kick and from that a third minute corner that brought the usual jostling for position in the six yard box as Sean Shields prepared to deliver. The jostling developed into something a little more which ended with Eastbourne’s Brayden Johnson going to ground and with that Ms Heaslip produced a red card and Garrett Kelly’s involvement was at an end.
The game plan was ripped up in a moment and Tonbridge needed to find a level of commitment that impressed their manager greatly: “I’m proud of the boys’ effort, to play 90-odd minutes with, at first, 10 men against a full-time team. I’m frustrated we had an opportunity to show what we’re capable of and close the gap. A lot’s happened out there but I don’t think there was a bad tackle and there’s been God knows how many yellow cards and red cards.”
When the corner did eventually get taken, Ronny Nelson headed marginally over.
As Tonbridge adjusted to the man disadvantage, Eastbourne pressed forward with Pierce Bird bringing a low save from Matt Rowley and a header from John Shamalo that was narrowly wide.
After surviving the opening half-hour, the Angels became to pose a threat of their own with successive corners but, on 36 minutes, the visitors took the lead when a right sided cross found its way to the left side of the box from where Kai Innocent drove his shot into the bottom corner.
The second half opened with then 10 men of Tonbridge containing their opponents relatively comfortably whilst looking to counter on the break. On 65 minutes, an innoculous booking for tossing the ball away a few inches for Botti was to have greater consequences soon after.
Eastbourne doubled their advantage on 67 minutes when Shamalo headed in from close range following a corner and with frustration playing its part, Botti challenged the Eastbourne goalkeeper, Joe Wright as he cleared the ball to bring a second yellow and subsequent red.
The visitors, strangely with a two man advantage, called time on their evening and played out the remaining quarter-hour with possession mainly played out in their half before the referee’s final whistle brought a chorus of irate boos from the home support.
Sunday, 12 January 2025
Tonbridge Angels 1 Chippenham Town 1
Match 61/24/2300 - Saturday, 4th January 2025 - National League South
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Lema 58
Chippenham Town (1) 1 Mehew 42
Attendance: 935
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,346
The Angels had to be content with a point, despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession as the happy travellers of National League South, Chippenham Town, showed their resilient selves.
Jay Saunders reflected: “First half we were dominant in possession, we had a perfectly good goal disallowed. We showed a good response to come back into the game but if you go a goal down I suppose you take it as a point gained.”
As fixtures fell to the weather by the dozen, the functionality of a 3G pitch ensured that the game went ahead, despite temperatures that fell five degrees below zero overnight and were not hovering much into positive territory at kick off.
Jay’s team selection saw three changes with Trevan Robinson, Nazir Bakrin and Scott Wagstaff coming into the starting XI for Ryan Hanson (injured), Harry Ottaway (illness) and Mo Dabre, who took a place on the bench but wasn’t fully fit.
In the sixth minute, a left-sided cross from Sean Shields appeared to be spilt by the Chippenham goalkeeper, Will Henry, allowing Charlie Pegrum to pass the ball into an unguarded net but the referee decided that Henry had been impeded under a challenge from Robinson and disallowed the goal.
In a first half, dominated by the Angels, Shields saw an effort turned over the crossbar by Henry and Robinson hooked the ball over the bar from six yards before Tom Mehew had a great chance to open the scoring for the visitors, against the run of play, dragging his shot wide on 39 minutes.
But, three minutes later, a cross from the right was only partially cleared to the edge of the box from where Mehew struck a cleanly hit shot that Matt Rowley got his hands to but couldn’t prevent the ball finding the bottom corner.
Worse might have followed when Mehew then somehow managed to shoot wide from close range, unmarked, in front of goal in first half added time.
The passage of play continued to be hugely in Tonbridge’s favour into the second half with Henry saving from Shields before substitute Akehurst played in Wagstaff to stand up a cross that was headed into the bottom corner by Crossley Lema, who arched his body backwards to make contact with the cross.
Tonbridge had their chances to win the game through Gianluca Botti, Pegrum and Jeremy Santos but the Chippenham defence stayed strong and created a couple of chances of their own on the break, one of which required a low save from Rowley.
Jay added on missed chances: “You have to be clinical. We were in control of the first half, but looking at it, they’ve had two good chances, they’ve scored and then, right after that, we’ve given the ball away and they nearly score again. They could go in 2-0 up when, for the first half-hour, we’ve been in control. Trevan has to score a couple, the keeper has made a good save, but we were not clinical enough and that’s why we have been looking at other options and seeing what’s out there.”
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Lema 58
Chippenham Town (1) 1 Mehew 42
Attendance: 935
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,346
The Angels had to be content with a point, despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession as the happy travellers of National League South, Chippenham Town, showed their resilient selves.
Jay Saunders reflected: “First half we were dominant in possession, we had a perfectly good goal disallowed. We showed a good response to come back into the game but if you go a goal down I suppose you take it as a point gained.”
As fixtures fell to the weather by the dozen, the functionality of a 3G pitch ensured that the game went ahead, despite temperatures that fell five degrees below zero overnight and were not hovering much into positive territory at kick off.
Jay’s team selection saw three changes with Trevan Robinson, Nazir Bakrin and Scott Wagstaff coming into the starting XI for Ryan Hanson (injured), Harry Ottaway (illness) and Mo Dabre, who took a place on the bench but wasn’t fully fit.
In the sixth minute, a left-sided cross from Sean Shields appeared to be spilt by the Chippenham goalkeeper, Will Henry, allowing Charlie Pegrum to pass the ball into an unguarded net but the referee decided that Henry had been impeded under a challenge from Robinson and disallowed the goal.
In a first half, dominated by the Angels, Shields saw an effort turned over the crossbar by Henry and Robinson hooked the ball over the bar from six yards before Tom Mehew had a great chance to open the scoring for the visitors, against the run of play, dragging his shot wide on 39 minutes.
But, three minutes later, a cross from the right was only partially cleared to the edge of the box from where Mehew struck a cleanly hit shot that Matt Rowley got his hands to but couldn’t prevent the ball finding the bottom corner.
Worse might have followed when Mehew then somehow managed to shoot wide from close range, unmarked, in front of goal in first half added time.
The passage of play continued to be hugely in Tonbridge’s favour into the second half with Henry saving from Shields before substitute Akehurst played in Wagstaff to stand up a cross that was headed into the bottom corner by Crossley Lema, who arched his body backwards to make contact with the cross.
Tonbridge had their chances to win the game through Gianluca Botti, Pegrum and Jeremy Santos but the Chippenham defence stayed strong and created a couple of chances of their own on the break, one of which required a low save from Rowley.
Jay added on missed chances: “You have to be clinical. We were in control of the first half, but looking at it, they’ve had two good chances, they’ve scored and then, right after that, we’ve given the ball away and they nearly score again. They could go in 2-0 up when, for the first half-hour, we’ve been in control. Trevan has to score a couple, the keeper has made a good save, but we were not clinical enough and that’s why we have been looking at other options and seeing what’s out there.”
Saturday, 4 January 2025
Tonbridge Angels 2 Weston-super-Mare 0
Match 60/24/2299 - Saturday, 4th January 2025 - National League South
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Shields 25 Nelson 71
Weston-super-Mare (0) 0
Attendance: 832
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,308
Tonbridge Angels eased to a comfortable win over Weston-super-Mare at a bitterly cold Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium with a goal in each half.
Jay Saunders commented after the match: “I thought it was a very impressive performance. Weston are a good side, they have got a lot of players who can hurt you and we limited that.”
Jay made one change from the side that started the abandoned game at Hornchurch with Mo Dabre returning for his 50th appearance for Nazir Bakrin.
The opening minutes of the first half were very much those of Weston-super-Mare who created three chances, each of which needed a good save from the Angels goalkeeper, Matt Rowley. After four minutes, he saved low from Jordan Bastin, then after nine minutes denied James Dodd and two minutes later turned over the bar another effort from Dodd.
In the midst of the brisk opening from the visitors, Charlie Pegrum had a chance for the Angels which he dragged wide of the far post.
After surviving the opening surge from the visitors, the Angels settled and took control of the game with Sean Shields beginning to dominate the midfield. A corner from the left was punched clear by Max Harris but only to the feet of Pegrum whose shot was deflected wide and twice in two minutes Harris needed to save from Shields.
The goal the Angels had been threatening came on 25 minutes when Harry Ottaway picked a pocket for Pegrum to slide a pass through to Shields whose shot found the net via a post.
Tonbridge largely dominated the rest of the half with Shields twice testing Harris but WSM gave fair warning that they were not out of the game with a couple of breaks one of which brought a scramble around the edge of the six yard box.
The second half saw, for the most part, a controlled performance from the Angels without creating too many chances of note until the 71st minutes when a beautifully flighted free kick from Shields was met with a towering header from Ronny Nelson to double the Angels advantage.
Efforts to put the game beyond the visitors came from substitute Trevan Robinson and Crossley Lema; a header from Naz Bakrin and in the dying seconds, Robinson and fellow substitute Jeremy Santos combined well to open up a diving header for the former that was narrowly wide before the referee brought the curtain down to allow the attendance of 832 to hurry to the warmth of their car heaters.
Jay summed up: “We could have gone on and scored another couple but all-in-all it was a really professional performance. Parky and Blacky have said that at times we’ve really looked a young looking side but today it looked like some of those boys have really come of age and I was really pleased with the whole team.”
Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Shields 25 Nelson 71
Weston-super-Mare (0) 0
Attendance: 832
Admission: Season Ticket
Mileage: 38/4,308
Tonbridge Angels eased to a comfortable win over Weston-super-Mare at a bitterly cold Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium with a goal in each half.
Jay Saunders commented after the match: “I thought it was a very impressive performance. Weston are a good side, they have got a lot of players who can hurt you and we limited that.”
Jay made one change from the side that started the abandoned game at Hornchurch with Mo Dabre returning for his 50th appearance for Nazir Bakrin.
The opening minutes of the first half were very much those of Weston-super-Mare who created three chances, each of which needed a good save from the Angels goalkeeper, Matt Rowley. After four minutes, he saved low from Jordan Bastin, then after nine minutes denied James Dodd and two minutes later turned over the bar another effort from Dodd.
In the midst of the brisk opening from the visitors, Charlie Pegrum had a chance for the Angels which he dragged wide of the far post.
After surviving the opening surge from the visitors, the Angels settled and took control of the game with Sean Shields beginning to dominate the midfield. A corner from the left was punched clear by Max Harris but only to the feet of Pegrum whose shot was deflected wide and twice in two minutes Harris needed to save from Shields.
The goal the Angels had been threatening came on 25 minutes when Harry Ottaway picked a pocket for Pegrum to slide a pass through to Shields whose shot found the net via a post.
Tonbridge largely dominated the rest of the half with Shields twice testing Harris but WSM gave fair warning that they were not out of the game with a couple of breaks one of which brought a scramble around the edge of the six yard box.
The second half saw, for the most part, a controlled performance from the Angels without creating too many chances of note until the 71st minutes when a beautifully flighted free kick from Shields was met with a towering header from Ronny Nelson to double the Angels advantage.
Efforts to put the game beyond the visitors came from substitute Trevan Robinson and Crossley Lema; a header from Naz Bakrin and in the dying seconds, Robinson and fellow substitute Jeremy Santos combined well to open up a diving header for the former that was narrowly wide before the referee brought the curtain down to allow the attendance of 832 to hurry to the warmth of their car heaters.
Jay summed up: “We could have gone on and scored another couple but all-in-all it was a really professional performance. Parky and Blacky have said that at times we’ve really looked a young looking side but today it looked like some of those boys have really come of age and I was really pleased with the whole team.”
Friday, 3 January 2025
Gillingham 0 Bromley 3
Match 59/24/2298 - Thursday, 2nd January 2025 - EFL League Two
Gillingham (0) 0
Bromley (2) 3 Dennis 7 Arthurs 26 Grant 76
Attendance: 7,454
Admission: £20
Mileage: 38/4,270
Match Report
Gillingham (0) 0
Bromley (2) 3 Dennis 7 Arthurs 26 Grant 76
Attendance: 7,454
Admission: £20
Mileage: 38/4,270
Match Report
Wednesday, 1 January 2025
Hornchurch A-A Tonbridge Angels
Match 58/24/2297 - Wednesday, 1st January 2025 - National League South
Hornchurch (1) A Muldoon 9
Tonbridge Angels (1) A Bakrin 23
Attendance: TBA
Match Abandoned after 38 minutes - Waterlogged Pitch
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 102/4,232
Tonbridge Angels supporters that had made the journey to Hornchurch were left frustrated as referee Ayrton Hursey brought a halt to proceedings after 38 minutes with player welfare being the prime consideration as the pitch condition worsened following incessant heavy rain.
Jay Saunders, who along with his counterpart Daryl McMahon had been consulted, was in agreement with the decision: “Once you entered the field of play you can understand why the game was abandoned. There were a few doubts when we first got here because of a heavy downpour but then it eased off. It didn’t surprise me, it is more for player’s welfare. We wanted to carry on because we were playing quite well given the conditions. But when you went onto the pitch you understood just how bad it was with players struggling to keep their footing.”
Jay had made four changes from the starting XI that was beaten by Maidstone United on Boxing Day. Liam Vincent had failed to recover from the dead leg that forced his substitution whilst Trevan Robinson, Jeremy Santos and Scott Wagstaff made way for Sean Shields, returning from injury, Charlie Pegrum, Garrett Kelly and Naz Bakrin. There was a surprise inclusion for assistant manager Tommy Parkinson on the bench.
An early chance fell to Shields who drove a shot into the side netting before Hornchurch opened the scoring with a fine strike from Ollie Muldoon into the top corner from 25 yards that gave Matt Rowley no chance.
The goal served as an added impetus to the Angels and they quickly gained control of the game moving the ball well on the sodden surface.
After 23 minutes, the Angels got a well-deserved equaliser. A right-sided corner was headed on by Jamie Fielding and as a headed challenge was made, the ball dropped to Bakrin who struck cleanly into the centre of the goal.
The visitors were firmly in the ascendancy when the referee firstly spoke with both captains before going to the dugouts to inform the respective managers.
Jay said of the 38 minutes of play: “I was pleased, other than the strike for their goal, we looked good, threatening at times. We looked quite sharp and up for it, disappointed that it was called off but it is what it is.”
Hornchurch (1) A Muldoon 9
Tonbridge Angels (1) A Bakrin 23
Attendance: TBA
Match Abandoned after 38 minutes - Waterlogged Pitch
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 102/4,232
Tonbridge Angels supporters that had made the journey to Hornchurch were left frustrated as referee Ayrton Hursey brought a halt to proceedings after 38 minutes with player welfare being the prime consideration as the pitch condition worsened following incessant heavy rain.
Jay Saunders, who along with his counterpart Daryl McMahon had been consulted, was in agreement with the decision: “Once you entered the field of play you can understand why the game was abandoned. There were a few doubts when we first got here because of a heavy downpour but then it eased off. It didn’t surprise me, it is more for player’s welfare. We wanted to carry on because we were playing quite well given the conditions. But when you went onto the pitch you understood just how bad it was with players struggling to keep their footing.”
Jay had made four changes from the starting XI that was beaten by Maidstone United on Boxing Day. Liam Vincent had failed to recover from the dead leg that forced his substitution whilst Trevan Robinson, Jeremy Santos and Scott Wagstaff made way for Sean Shields, returning from injury, Charlie Pegrum, Garrett Kelly and Naz Bakrin. There was a surprise inclusion for assistant manager Tommy Parkinson on the bench.
An early chance fell to Shields who drove a shot into the side netting before Hornchurch opened the scoring with a fine strike from Ollie Muldoon into the top corner from 25 yards that gave Matt Rowley no chance.
The goal served as an added impetus to the Angels and they quickly gained control of the game moving the ball well on the sodden surface.
After 23 minutes, the Angels got a well-deserved equaliser. A right-sided corner was headed on by Jamie Fielding and as a headed challenge was made, the ball dropped to Bakrin who struck cleanly into the centre of the goal.
The visitors were firmly in the ascendancy when the referee firstly spoke with both captains before going to the dugouts to inform the respective managers.
Jay said of the 38 minutes of play: “I was pleased, other than the strike for their goal, we looked good, threatening at times. We looked quite sharp and up for it, disappointed that it was called off but it is what it is.”
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