Tonbridge Angels 5 Cray Valley PM 0

Match 27/25/2370 - Tuesday, 30th September 2025 - FA Cup 3QR Replay

Tonbridge Angels (4) 5 Tumkaya 11 (o.g.) Higgs 25 Simon 31,45+3 (pen) Peart 51
Cray Valley PM (0) 0
Attendance: 572
Admission: Pass
Mileage: 38/1,941

Tonbridge Angels cruised into the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round, where they will meet Chatham Town, after an emphatic replay win over Cray Valley Paper Mills.

From the moment that Ali Tumkaya turned Brody Peart’s cross into his own net after 11 minutes, the Angels were in cruise control and added three more goals in a clinical first half performance.

Alan Dunne, in the Longmead dug-out for the first time, made three changes from Saturday’s goalless encounter at the Artic Stadium with Matty Warren, Marcus Sablier and Bunmi Babajide coming into the starting XI for Scott Wagstaff, Bobby Unwin and Brody Peart, who took places on the bench.

Dunney was forced into a reshuffle after just six minutes when Arthur Penney sustained a shoulder injury following a Cray Valley corner, Peart taking his place.

In his post-match interview, Alan reflected: “I’m really pleased and thought we were excellent, good for it in all departments. We shifted the ball and looked dangerous on the counter. I wanted us to go out there and be expansive, we tweaked the shape to be a bit more aggressive and I felt that worked for us. Losing Arthur early on might have disrupted our momentum but we reacted brilliantly. I’m pleased with the clean sheet and the application of the boys.”

Peart was quickly into the action, picking up a yellow card, before his cross led to the opening goal.

After 25 minutes the Angels doubled their advantage when a right sided corner was only cleared to the edge of the box from where Jordan Higgs drove in a shot, that took a hefty deflection to wrong-foot the Cray goalkeeper, Shaun Rowley-Peart.

The game was effectively over as a contest just past the half-hour as Eddie Simon was on hand to side-foot home from close range after Sablier’s left wing cross had eluded Kurtis Cumberbatch.

The Angels were rampant with further chances for Peart and Bailey Akehurst before a Simon penalty set the seal on a first half of total dominance. A great interchange of passes between Sablier and Babajide saw the latter surge into the box before being unceremoniously blocked by ex-Angel Crossley Lema to offer referee Daniel Baines the opportunity to point to the spot.

The second half was only 10 minutes old when a quickly taken free from Higgs sent Peart away down the right, and after cutting in, his goal bound shot took a deflection to nestle into the corner, adding Tonbridge’s fifth goal.

Game safe, progress in the FA Cup made, Dunney rattled the changes giving minutes to Ben Mundele, Wagstaff, Brandon Pierrick and Martell Taylor-Crossdale at various times through the half.

Jacob Adams made his only real save of the match on the hour, with a low stop from Marcel Barrington and when Lema steered a header wide a minute later it rather summed up the evening for Steve McKimm’s lads. Du

nney was full of praise for the support of his team: “The atmosphere was electric and even after when the boys were in front of them, with the beating of drum, it does help the lads, it creates energy, it was a really good night for the club.”