Farnborough (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (2) 4 Sutcliffe 26 Thomas (OG) 45+2 Korboa 68 Baker 84
Attendance: 905
Admission: £12
Mileage: 152/1,116
WE ARE REALLY GOOD!
“Ah, but they haven’t played anyone as good as us” said an Angels faithful responding to his friend’s assertion of Farnborough’s good early form. It was a statement I haven’t heard in many years, if ever, but later I reflected that we can’t keep doing ourselves down just because we’ve won a match easily. It doesn’t mean the opposition were poor but, more so, that we were really good.
Alan Dunne was rightly proud of his side, he always is, we as supporters can also be proud but without raising expectations to ridiculous levels. We’re not Dagenham, Torquay or dare I say it, even Maidstone but we are a good side that can look upwards rather than over our shoulder.
At the end of last season with the weather very warm, a foretaste of the summer to come, Tonbridge ruined the hosts’ end of season party with a 6-1 demolition that left manager Spencer Day ruing that he even had to attend the function. Fast forward six months, weather still very warm, and Day’s post-match interview, like him or loathe him they are always good value, had him once more a frustrated man admitting that his side could have been beaten by a similar scoreline.
Farnborough’s grass pitch looked resplendent, far removed from the burnt hayfield of Braintree just a month ago and, following the Bank Holiday five-star performance, Dunne was able to field an unchanged side.
Day bemoaned his side’s early lethargy but, in truth, Tonbridge swarmed all over them from the opening whistle of referee Jamie Stevenson, more of him to come!
Jepthe Tanga got the ball stuck under his feet in front of goal after seven minutes and Lucas Thomas, an 18-year-old goalkeeper on loan from Luton Town, did well to save at the feet of Lamar Reynolds.
Tonbridge hit the front on 26 minutes when a long throw into the box from Bailey Akehurst was headed on at the near post by Reynolds to the far post where Ethan Sutcliffe was there steer his header home.
Tonbridge were dominant but had to wait until the second minute of added time before doubling their advantage following an Akehurst corner that was swung into the mass of bodies into which Thomas came to make his punch but only succeeded in deflecting it into his own net.
Farnborough responded in the early part of the second half, no doubt with the proverbial flea in the ear from Day, but despite a succession of corners there was no suggestion of them getting a foothold in the game.
Mr Stevenson took centre stage on 63 minutes when Frankie Baker was hauled down which both looked a free kick and a potential red card but the official saw nothing illegal in the challenge. Dunney certainly did and was booked for his protest.
Justice was served within five minutes when Ricky Korboa lashed a shot into the roof of the net to make the points safe.
Six minutes remained when Baker got his reward for an afternoon of honest endeavour when he picked up the scraps of some hapless defending to add a fourth.
Farnborough were a long way better than the hopeless category of Walton and Hersham of Monday, but they met a side that were actually very good.
Photo: Dave Couldridge
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