Canvey Island 0 Tonbridge Angels 1

Match 64/21/1928 - Saturday, 27th November 2021 - National League South

Canvey Island (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Turner 57
Attendance: 363

Admission: £6 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 108/3,614

It was horrible. The wind howled and it’s bitterness cut through you like a knife. As the second half progressed the rain added to the discomfort for the players, at least we had the sanctuary of a roof. This was Canvey Island in the bleak midwinter and this was a banana skin, an accident waiting to happen.

Canvey Island might be two divisions lower but they lead Isthmian North, undefeated, with 33 points out of a possible 39 and one could only imagine, brimming with confidence.

The wind was so strong that it barely mattered which way you were kicking. Against the wind and goalkeepers were seeing the ball returning to them; with it, the deftest of passes just ran away.

Tonbridge dominated and Jonny Henly barely had a meaningful save to make but emerged as the hero with two saves of top quality, the first later described as one of the best ever seen in non-league.

You had to tip your hat to the hardy souls that took up their normal place behind the goal on the open terrace that carries a decent height for watching the game but also leaves you exposed to the worst of the gale. I was not so brave and took my place with an element of shelter.

Tonbridge showed their intention to get a grip of the game from the start and had efforts from Tom Beere, Sonny Miles and Joe Turner before Canvey managed to muddy the gloves of Henly after 25 minutes.

After 31 minutes, the visitors went desperately close as from a corner, Tommy Wood’s shot was cleared from the line by a defender on the far post, the ball fell to Turner on the edge of the box but his shot was wide.

Canvey were having great difficulty making any use of their advantage of the wind at their back with almost all of their passes over hit given the conditions.

Two minutes before the break, Tonbridge went the closest of the half when Wood’s shot looked like it was at least bound for the inside of the post but agonisingly rolled the other side.

Rain started to lash down in the second half to add to the impossible conditions and the wind continued to be the winner with the ball sailing over the bar and carried into the sea!

Tonbridge took the lead on 57 minutes when Craig Braham-Bennett crossed the ball into the box to Wood who laid it back to Turner whose 20 yard shot took a deflection enroute to the back of the net.

Braham-Bennett was needed for his defensive duties three minutes later clearing from the line before Tonbridge had the ball in the net a second time through Smith-Joseph only for it to be mysteriously ruled out for offside after the referee consulted the linesman.

Canvey, with now nothing to lose, threw bodies forward to rescue the game that would go straight to penalties should they find an equaliser and in the 89th minute they so nearly did. A cross from the left found Connor Hubble, who dummied a defender giving himself the space for a clear shooting opportunity 12 yards out. His shot was well struck but somehow Henly got across to push it away, it was a truly great save. In the bar after the game, a Canvey supporter said there wasn’t another player on the pitch that he would have wished the chance to fall to. Hubble didn’t miss, he was denied.

Henly was called into action again in time added as a shot from the right of the box looped towards the far post but Henly was there again to palm the ball to safety.

The banana skin was avoided, the elements denied but the day had one final frustration to throw at us as the bridge was closed for about 45 minutes for a three car crash. But, we were warm in the car with the knowledge that our name was in the hat for Monday’s draw.

Canvey Island 0 Tonbridge 1

Match 85/16/1392 - Saturday, 4th February 2017 - Ryman Premier

Canvey Island (0) 0
Tonbridge (1) 1 Akrofi 4
Attendance: 325

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 126/6,021

Match Report

A first-ever victory at Park Lane is not to be sniffed at, despite Canvey Island's lowly league position, but Tonbridge gave their travelling support some anxious second half moments after dominating a first period that should have yielded more than a single goal, scored by Alex Akrofi after just four minutes.

Arrival at Canvey Island was greeted with warm spring-like sunshine. Since our last visit, the hosts have a new, impressive clubhouse recently officially opened by Peter Taylor. However, the strange little mound directly in front of one of the goals remains.

Tom Phipp sat out the game with the injury sustained on Tuesday evening with the other notable absentee being manager Steve McKimm who was forced to stay at home with a bout of the flu.

The Angels could not have had a better start. Phipp's replacement, Luke Allen, slid a ball into the path of Akrofi who shot past the giant Conor Gough from 12 yards.

The home side responded with a good effort from Jay Curran whose shot was narrowly wide of the right hand post.

Tonbridge were unlucky not to extend their lead after 26 minutes when, following a cross by Jack Parter, Luke Blewden struck a fierce shot against the post. They were further frustrated when Nick Wheeler's goalbound shot was cleared from the line by Canvey's striker, George Sykes.

Gough did well to palm away Mitchell Nelson's header from Wheeler's corner as the teams went into the break both wondering how the game was not well beyond the hosts.

Canvey had a double opportunity to equalise after five minutes of the second half when John Mbamarah miskicked in front of goal and from the resultant cross Sykes directed a header wide.

Tonbridge might have extended their advantage after 70 minutes when a Wheeler corner was headed back to George Beavan whose shot was perfectly hit but only found Ashley Dumas on the line to clear. Two minutes later, another Wheeler corner, gave Nelson a free header inside the box but he directed it over the bar.

By this time, Canvey were huffing and puffing their way to a big finish and dominating pressure for a 10 minute period but, without stretching Di Bernardo to other than a couple of catches.

Nathan Elder had another chance to allow the Tonbridge support the luxury of a nerve-free injury time when his header from a Luke Blewden cross was brilliantly tipped over by Gough.

An injury in added time took the designated four minutes up to seven and, with recent experience, nobody was taking anything for granted. Finally, the whistle was blown and the mini hoodoo, after all we've only ever played there six times (and managed a couple of draws), was put to bed.

Action pictures courtesy of Chris Coolbear

Canvey Island 1 Tonbridge 1

Match 58/15/1263 - Saturday, 9th January 2016 - Ryman Premier

Canvey Island (1) 1 James-Lewis 20
Tonbridge (1) 1 Parkinson 28
Attendance: 361

Entrance: £6 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 107/4,157

There cannot be a Saturday gone by, ever, when within earshot, somebody has verbally abused a referee for what they consider has been a wrong decision made against their team. I might even have directed said abuse myself on the odd occasion.

Most right-minded supporters understand that the man-in-the-middle's job is difficult and at times thankless, regardless of the fact that they are paid, and some would argue, paid well.

A curious incident, late in the second half of this game provided a heavily debated discussion on social media with, in my opinion, no definitive answer, but also proof that despite years of watching the game, I still don't know the rules!

I can play Arsene Wenger's card as having not seen the incident in the first instance. A ball was played to around the penalty box and a couple of players made a challenge for it. At that point there were loud appeals from Tonbridge supporters behind the goal. The referee immediately brought the game to a halt and appeared to be pointing at the penalty spot. Slightly bemused, I thought he had given a handball, but it was for dangerous play on behalf of the Canvey Island defender, but the referee had not given a penalty but an indirect free kick.

This is where my lack of knowledge of the rules surfaced, but it seems I was far from alone. Around me, Tonbridge fans were incensed that a penalty was the only option available to the referee, but seemingly not. I have two ex-referees among my friends and they concurred with the decision, whilst in the stands, a Tonbridge forum member was being told by the referee's assessor that he didn't know what he was talking about.

The decision centres around intent. In the referee's opinion there was no contact or intent, so although the foot was dangerously high, no penalty. Sonny Miles later tweeted about the mud down Tom Parkinson's face indicating, in his opinion, contact had been made. Chris Varney, from the Tonbridge bench, also posted that was what the official had told them as they left the pitch.

Dave Couldridge's photograph appears to clearly show contact, but even this brought alternative viewpoints.

I think my greatest gripe, whilst accepting the referee's decision, is that anywhere else on the pitch it would have been seen as dangerous play with intent. Several other qualified referee's joined in the debate on social media and they pretty much stood by each other.

As usual, a stiff wind blew from behind the sea wall making playing conditions difficult for both sides. Meanwhile, on a another day of local postponements through waterlogged pitches, there was no inspection required at Canvey Island.

Tonbridge started brightly with Charlie Webster bringing a comfortable save out of the towering Connor Gough. The visitors also had the ball in the net within the opening five minutes when Nathan Elder converted after being sent through by James Folkes, but a linesman's flag ruled it out in a very tight call.

Canvey Island grew into the game and, after quarter of an hour, Tambeson Eyong was sent clear but was denied by firstly a blocking save from Anthony Di Bernardo and then a further block from Laurence Ball.

The home side took the lead after 20 minutes. A corner from the left was only cleared by an upward header that was knocked back to the edge of the box to the waiting Merrick James-Lewis, whose first touch flicked the ball in the air and his second that was a very sweet volley that took a heavy deflection off Miles, wrong footing Di Barnardo.

Canvey had a spell in the ascendancy whilst Tonbridge were struggling to get Nicky Wheeler into the game. Wheeler's value came to the fore after 27 minutes when his corner was met at the far post with a Parkinson header that found the bottom corner for an equaliser.

Tonbridge, with the wind at their backs, created a number of chances in the last quarter hour of the half. Wheeler shot wide; a Webster cross offered another heading opportunity for Parkinson, but this one drifted wide and similarly Elder headed wide in the final throes of the half.

After Contactgate, Tonbridge made a wasted a host of chances that should have made that particular decision irrelevant. Elder's radar wasn't quite on beam, a Webster cross was steered wide and another from Whitnell saw his header clip the top of the bar. With seven minutes remaining Luke Blewden set Elder up with a golden opportunity but once more his header was wide.

With a couple of minutes remaining, it looked like those wasted chances would come back to bite the visitors when Di Barnardo suffered a rush of blood racing from his goal and robbed at the left hand corner flag. His blushes were spared by two fine blocks, firstly by Ball and then by a combination of Miles and Ball before the ball was ballooned over the bar.

A nick off the left hand post in the final act of the afternoon proved it just wasn't to be Nathan Elder's day as Tonbridge had to accept a share of the points for the umpteenth time in the last 10 games. It is a run of draws that is becoming damaging to their hopes of automatic promotion.

Canvey Island 5 Tonbridge 2

Match 61/14/1170 - Saturday 31st January 2015 - Ryman Premier

Canvey Island (3) 5 Sykes 6,24,36 Showunmi 59 Tweddell 87
Tonbridge (1) 2 Taylor 39, Parter 86
Att. 321

Entrance: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 120/4,582

Match Report

Sometimes these posts write themselves, others are more difficult and the odd one becomes virtually impossible. This was definitely one of the latter. All sorts of emotive words spring to mind, but if this is what we can expect from Tonbridge in the closing weeks of this season, then despair (as to its conclusion) is the one that I would choose.

More text to follow, when the frame of mind is a bit more level-headed.

Okay, so it didn’t take a week to calm down, but there have only been a couple of times when I’ve been quite as angry leaving a football ground this season. Once was Gillingham’s home defeat against Scunthorpe United, which at the time I hoped was their low point and the other was Tonbridge’s FA Cup exit at Redhill.

I can take losing on the chin; the clubs that I support do so all too often. I also respect player’s abilities and lower my expectations according to the level that I’m watching, but whether that be at Wembley or Westfield, Barcelona or Beckenham as a paying customer I deserve nothing less than wholehearted commitment and as a supporter nothing is going to stick in the throat quite like watching your team throw in the towel.

It was a bitterly cold afternoon on Canvey Island, the kick off was preceded by a heavy snow shower and the wind blowing off the estuary cut through as many layers of clothing as you had chosen to wear. It was the type of afternoon where a good football match in front of your eyes would distract you from the frost that was already eating at the extremities, what wasn’t required was a capitulation.

Since my last visit to the Prospects Stadium, a couple of small enclosures have been added on the far touchline, a welcome, sheltered alternative to the quite impressive terracing behind the goal.

Tonbridge are a side without confidence, but coming into the game, Canvey were in little better form without a win in six weeks.

After six minutes a poor clearance was returned to the feet of George Sykes, a 20-year-old loanee from Barnet, who shot across the diving body of Kyle Merson into the far corner to put the Essex side in front. It might be harsh, be it did look like a shot that Merson might have saved, and whilst the poor clearance did him no favours, it was the forerunner of an absolute nightmare for the Angels’ goalkeeper.

Enoch Showunmi, whose clubs in his Football League days featured the likes of Bristol City and Leeds United and also made two international appearances for Nigeria, was sent through on goal, but he took an age to steady himself allowing a Tonbridge defender to clear from the line.

A second goal, though, was not too far away and, on 24 minutes, Sykes crashed in a shot from the edge of the box following a corner.

After 36 minutes the game was over as a contest as Sykes completed his first half hat trick. A corner from the left from the rather portly Dave Collis, found Merson flapping hopelessly at the cross and once the ball fell at the feet of the youngster the finish was academic.

On the odd occasion that Tonbridge were able to get forward, Canvey’s own frailties at the back were exposed. A ball into the box caused confusion and Joe Taylor was on hand to stab the ball into the net from close range to give visitors a little bit of hope going into the break.

On the hour that hope was extinguished and Merson’s afternoon of despair was almost complete. Canvey were awarded a free kick, 20 yards from goal, Showunmi’s attempt wasn’t a stunning effort but somehow the ball found its way over the body of Merson after the keeper had seemingly the ball in his grasp.

The final throes of the game saw Jack Parter reduce the deficit to two with a shot from the edge of the box, once again proving the point that had Tonbridge put their hosts under serious pressure there were goals for the taking before Harrison Tweddell, who was at Longmead earlier in the season, inflicted Merson’s final indignity. A shot from Sykes was parried only into the path of Tweddell, who had the simplest of chances to round-up the nap hand.

It was cold, it was miserable and, for Steve McKimm as much as anybody else, it was a chastening experience and completely unacceptable. We understand the budget restraints, but Tonbridge, on this performance, are not sleepwalking to relegation, they are freefalling.