Woking Under-21 2 Tonbridge Angels Under-21 3

Match 66/17/1516 - Thursday, 30th November 2017 - Suburban League Premier

Woking U-21 (1) 2
Tonbridge Angels U-21 (2) 3
Headcount: 21
Played at Knaphill

Entrance: £2 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 140/4,323

Knaphill holds one of my best memories of last season when an outstanding performance from Tonbridge Under-18s took them through to the final of the Lucas Fettes Cup after taking apart a Woking side to the tune of 5-1. That under-18 side were well established over a number of years and were, almost certainly, the best youth side seen at Tonbridge for a generation. Chris Wye has had no such luxury and it has been an arduous task to assemble a team that is competitive.

Back at Knaphill, a ground of which I’m fond but not the torturous journey, 10 months later it was a pleasure to witness the progress that this development team has made, if even it was brass monkeys.

Woking started the game brightly and it didn’t need the eye of a top scout to recognise that their left winger, Reggie Young, was going to be a source of problems for the right side of the Angels’ backline. He set up a chance for Decan Appuh, a mountain of a lad, after eight minutes that goalkeeper, Ibrahim Attiah, did well to tip over and shot wide after skipping past Ciaran Naddison-Singh.

It was somewhat against the run of play when the visitors took the lead from the penalty spot after 16 minutes. Andrew Sesay is a rough diamond that Wye has unearthed and it was his pace that took him into the box to be brought down. Skipper Ryan McFarlane drove the ball to the left of the goalkeeper to open the scoring.

The lead was not to last long, just three minutes. Appuh was proffered too much time and space to pick his spot into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

The game went into a period of Woking dominance with Young and Appuh at the heart of everything.

On the break, good work from Steve Panayi opened up an opportunity for Sesay that was deflected wide and Sesay set up a chance for Luciano Osbourne to fire over the bar.

In the closing stages of the half, Tonbridge gained some real momentum. Woking goalkeeper, Dimi Kyriateis saved low to his left from Sesay; he tipped over an effort from Jordan James and parried one from Osbourne away. From the resultant corner, a knock-on found Kobie Ambrose at the far post to steer the ball home giving the Angels a half-time lead.

Into the second half, the pace of Sesay was troubling the Woking defence and in the 52nd minute he took a pass from Osbourne to rifle a shot into the centre of the goal.

Unfortunately, once again, the breathing space of a two goal lead was not to last and five minutes later, Young’s direct running set up a chance for Ross Murdoch which he buried from the edge of the six yard box.

Woking, with half-an-hour left on the clock, set about repairing the damage but resolute defending and some good goalkeeping kept them at bay whilst the Angels’ always looked dangerous on the counter.

Sesay had run himself into the ground by the time he was substituted with nine minutes remaining to be replaced by Charlie Dumas. Tonbridge game-managed the remaining time with added minutes being added to the added minutes to record consecutive wins that takes them above Woking in the league.

Woking U18 0 Tonbridge Angels U18 5

Match 94/16/1401 - Monday, 20th February 2017 - Lucas Fettes Ryman League Cup SF

Woking U18 (0) 0
Tonbridge Angels U18 (2) 5 Fenton 6,85 Ikeije 10 Sollis 54,63
Attendance: 53
Played at Knaphill Football Club
New Ground: 304

Entrance: £2 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 143/6,630

Tonbridge Angels’ Under-18 side made it through to the Final of the Lucas Fettes Ryman League Cup after demolishing the long-time leaders of the Central section, Woking, at Knaphill Football Club.

The Angels blew their opposition away with an early salvo of two goals in the opening 10 minutes and never allowed their opponents to get a foothold in the game at any point.

Olle Baker and Will Jump returned to the starting line-up after a long while on the sidelines through injury and manager Jay Stubberfield sprang a surprise by playing Liam Smith as a right winger. He explained after the game: “We knew they played a narrow diamond in midfield so our plan was to expose their full backs as much as possible. Every time we got in behind we looked a threat.”

The plan worked well with Tommy Chapman and Smith enjoying acres of space in the wide areas.

Tonbridge were ahead in the sixth minute when a beautifully flighted free kick from Chapman was met with a glancing header from Jack Fenton.

Four minutes later the lead was doubled when Henry Ikeije finished a surging run into the box with a shot that nestled in the far corner.

Woking recovered from their dreadful start but were doing little more than stemming the blue tide that was flowing in their direction.

After 30 minutes Ikeije pulled a pass across the face of goal that begged a touch but evaded everyone.

Three minutes before the break, Smith skipped along the bye-line but once more there was no touch to the final pass.

Four minutes into the second period, a Chapman free kick was brilliantly saved by the Woking goalkeeper with the rebound cleared from the line before Fenton’s shot was tipped over the bar by the keeper.

Such was the one-way traffic of the game, a third goal would surely put the game beyond doubt and that duly arrived after 54 minutes when a free kick was poorly cleared to the feet of Sid Sollis who duly despatched the ball into the bottom corner.

The Angels were served a wake-up call on the hour when the Woking number 11, who is unfortunately name-less without a team sheet but was their best player, shot against a post.

Three minutes later it was 4-0 as the Woking goalkeeper strayed from this line to collect but was beaten in the air by Jack Bray which allowed Sollis a tap-in.

Woking needed to defend stoutly to avoided being completely routed as Harvey Killick, on as a substitute, brought a save and a surging run from Smith ended with his shot being deflected wide.

The fifth goal finally arrived with five minutes remaining when Fenton hooked in from around the penalty spot as the ball ran loose following a Chapman corner.

A joyous Angels side, still very much in a title challenge, now have a Cup Final against Sussex side Whitehawk to look forward to with a date and venue to be announced.

Jay Stubberfield added: “Congratulations to the players, they deserve to be in the final and will do the club proud regardless.”

Of that we can be sure.

Pictures by Lisa Fenton

This was a first visit to Redding Way, home of Combined Counties League side Knaphill. I found it a pleasant, little ground with two covered seating enclosures seating around 55 people in each. There was hardstanding on all four sides and a very small, bus stop style, covered standing enclosure. With this not being a Knaphill fixture, the catering facilities were on the sparse side with only hot drinks on offer but the clubhouse looked capable of holding a fair few on matchday. My own trip was not helped by a hold-up on the M25 which delayed my arrival until the ground at a timely 19:45, only to find out that is wasn't timely at all as the game had kicked off at 19:30. Despite my reporting above, I had missed the opening two goals.