Tonbridge Angels 4 Eastbourne Borough 2

Match 9/26/2437 - Tuesday, 28th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 4 Tanga 61 Sutcliffe 71 Trialist 78 Lintott 84
Eastbourne Borough (1) 1 Rees 27 Phillips 46
Attendance: 389
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/374

FULL MARKS FOR SPIRIT

Full marks for spirit. For a second consecutive time Tonbridge Angels came from behind to record a pre-season victory, this time against newly-relegated to the Isthmian League Premier, Eastbourne Borough.

Matches against Borough are rarely without goals and this one proved no different with Tonbridge coming back from two goals down after an hour to score four times in a spirited recovery.

Nobody expected Eastbourne Borough to produce the season they had last term, in fact, given the resources available to them, many had them down as promotion candidates. But, in a season that saw them go through four managers, they finished rock bottom. Their final manager, Steve King, was unable to recover an impossible situation and remains in-situ to mount a campaign to return to National League South at the first attempt. King is a proven manager with a lengthy CV that has seen success and failure in equal measure. He’s a colourful character and his passion, if we can call it that, has shown no sign of abating from the touchline.

On a very warm evening after another day of intense heat, Ricky Korboa was available for his first start; one trialist started and another two entered the fray in the second half.

The opening quarter, as we are seemingly now bound to call it, up to the hydration break was competitive, if uneventful, before Ethan Sutcliffe headed narrowly wide following a Harry Gardner free kick.

Eastbourne opened the scoring on 27 minutes with a soft goal conceded. A pass inside the defender from Kai Corbett found Josh Rees who scored into the far corner despite Nathan Harness getting a hand to the ball.

Early in the second period, the visitors doubled their advantage with a goal that would frustrate both the manager and supporters alike. A Corbett corner from the right saw Giles Phillips rise at the far post, virtually unchallenged, to head home.

It was such a poor goal, but if it did nothing else, it stung the Angels into recovery mode and the deficit was halved on 61 minutes, when Jephte Tanga, cut in from the right to despatch his shot into the bottom corner.

On 71 minutes, a Bailey Akehurst free kick was dropped by the Eastbourne goalkeeper, ex-Angel Lewis Carey, and Sutcliffe was on hand to stab the ball home.

Tonbridge were now swarming all over their visitors and when Frankie Baker worked himself into a crossing position, he picked out a trialist who swept the ball home.

A change to the rules of the game caught Carey out for the final goal as he took too long to take a goal kick which became a corner from which Akehurst sent to the near post for Harvey Lintott to touch home.

That is the last of Tonbridge’s PSF’s at Longmead with a visit to Wingate and Finchley next Saturday. A trip around London’s South Circular is far from enticing and I will toddle down the road to Staplehurst Monarchs.

Tonbridge Angels 3 Dulwich Hamlet 1

Match 7/26/2435 - Saturday, 25th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 3 Babajide 48,57 Trialist 54
Dulwich Hamlet (1) 1 Mico 41
Attendance: 362
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/298

THAT'S BETTER!

At half-time my waining sense of preseason optimism had further evaporated as visitors Dulwich Hamlet had taken advantage of another lacklustre performance from Tonbridge Angels and, four minutes from the break a simple pass into the right channel from Sean Bonnett-Johnson sent Gaspar Mico clear to slide in his shot into the far corner from a relatively tight angle.

But, the half-time team talk had the desired effect and produced the best 45 minutes from the home side this season with three goals in the opening 12 minutes to reverse the ills of the first period.

Dulwich Hamlet are old foes from our Isthmian days when they were always seen as one of the giants of that division and are probably still considered that by their present day counterparts. Last season, despite a ninth place finish, five points adrift of the play-offs, they still managed an average attendance of 2,226 with gates of over 3,000 for the visits of Welling United, St Albans City, Chichester City, Billericay Town and Burgess Hill Town. Much was always made of their clusters of craft ale drinking groups seemingly unaware that a football match was taking place behind them, but the club that has survived endless battles with the Champions Hill stadium owners and Southwark Council now have in place planning approval that will secure their future and, with the depth of support they hold, drive the club forward.

Indeed, on a hot afternoon that brought a necessary return of the hydration breaks, the south London club brought a decent following for a preseason friendly.

Dulwich should have gone in front on seven minutes when David Smith put a shot wide when well placed and further chances were spurned as they controlled the half, despite losing a player stretchered off on the half-hour.

On 38 minutes, the Angels produced their first chance of note when Jephte Tanga struck a post before Dulwich took the lead.

A different Tonbridge side emerged from the dressing rooms, not necessarily in personnel, but in attitude and that brought early reward as they were gifted an equaliser when the goalkeeper, under pressure, cleared only a few yards to the feet of Bunmi Babajide, who had the simple task of scoring from close range.

After 54 minutes, a pinpoint free kick from Bailey Akehurst found the head of a trialist to put the Angels in front and three minutes later a third was added when Babajide dribbled his way into a shooting position to find the bottom corner.

After a second half of mostly Tonbridge dominance, Dulwich produced a final five minutes of pressure that saw a shot from Nyren Clunis come back from the inside of the post and a shot, also from Clunis, that Nathan Harness turned over the bar.

Altogether a second half that restored optimism as we enter the final fortnight of preseason.

Pictures: Dave Couldridge

Tonbridge Angels 2 Sittingbourne 2

Match 5/26/2433 - Tuesday, 21st July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (1) 2 Gardner 14 Tanga 74
Sittingbourne (1) 2 Smith 39 Trialist 69
Estimated Attendance: 200
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/226

PRESEASON BEGINNING TO DRAG

We’ve reached the halfway point in preseason, about the time when it becomes a bit tiresome. The new season fixtures are out, the preliminary round draws of the FA Cup, Vase and Trophy have been made, giving something to look forward too but also the wish to get the next three weeks out of the way and on to competitive games.

As football supporters we know what preseason is about from the outset. We pitch up, pay our fiver and stare at our team not knowing who half of them are, whether that be a new signing or one of many trialists who have the thankless task of trying to fit into a team’s pattern of play whilst also, on a personal level, needing to impress the manager sufficiently to earn a contract. It is what it is, but it rarely makes for a good watch.

With due respect to Sittingbourne, a couple of steps below Tonbridge Angels, they came to the Yeomans and played a bit of football, found themselves 2-1 up before conceding in a relatively entertaining game. There was some old faces in their line-up with 2019 play-off final goalscorer D’Sean Theobalds, Joe Boachie and, the unmistakeable figure of Jordan Greenidge.

Some of the trialists are now on their fourth game and some have looked technically quite good players, but as with any preseason, most will fall by the wayside in the search for the gem that the bigger fish have missed.

On an evening cool enough to warrant a jumper, the trialist goalkeeper that has had time in each game, got a full 90 minutes. Who he is, perhaps we will never know. There was a first appearance on home territory for Lamar Reynolds that only lasted 45 minutes whilst the giant Lexus Beeden had his first start at the back.

The visitors made a bright start but it was Tonbridge who took the lead with a great strike from 20 yards by Harry Gardner into the top corner. Gardner has been, by far, my stand-out in preseason and looks a great acquisition from Hampton and Richmond with his box-to-box energy and, hopefully, this strike shows there is also a goal in him.

Tonbridge dominated for a period, but towards the back end of the half, Sittingbourne came back into the game and equalised on 39 minutes when a cross from the left found Harvey Smith at the far post to bury a header.

Into the second period, Tonbridge had a goal disallowed before Sittingbourne took the lead when a throw-in was poorly defended with the ball falling at the feet of a Sittingbourne trialist to poke home.

Stung a little, the Angels mustered a fightback and after Bunmi Babajide fed a short pass into Jephte Tanga, the midfielder turned outside of a defender before scoring from around 10 yards.

So other step towards opening day at Braintree Town is completed, I’m sure manager Alan Dunne is learning a lot, I’m not sure I am!

Tonbridge Angels 0 Sutton United 2

Match 3/26/2431 - Tuesday, 14th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (0) 0
Sutton United (1) 2
Estimated Attendance: 200
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/111

FAR FROM DISGRACED

The World Cup produced a dilemma, stay at home for the France v Spain semi-final or stay loyal to Tonbridge Angels and their pre-season friendly with Sutton United. Tonbridge won the argument, lost the game, but overall, I didn’t regret my choice.

Mobile phone charged in full, match alerts on, I was able to view the key moments in Dallas quickly after they had happened as tournament favourites France deservedly fell to defeat against the best side of the last month. The highlights reel emphasised that I had set aside a good game rather than a classic.

National League Sutton United paid Tonbridge the compliment of bringing a strong squad to the Yeomans with Charlie Carter, last season of Dorking Wanderers and David Ogbonna, previously of Slough Town, old adversaries.

Angels manager, Alan Dunne, chose to go with much the same format as Saturday’s opening friendly with only two trialists starting, but plenty to be seen in the second half as the starting XI this time made it to the hour mark.

On a cooler evening, with a nice breeze, the much maligned hydration breaks were ditched.

Sutton showed their quality from the outset and were ahead within four minutes when a pass down the left from Adam Reeves found the visitors only first half trialist who rounded Nathan Harness, who had left his line to advance to the edge of the box. With the goalkeeper absent, the ball was played back to Charlie Bell who unselfishly moved it on to Carter to slot home.

Credit to the Angels who recovered from the setback and were the equal of their step one opposition with efforts from Harry Gardner and a trialist testing goalkeeper Chris Haigh, whilst Sutton rattled the woodwork on 37 minutes.

Sutton doubled their advantage two minutes into the second half when a inch perfect cross following a dribble across the face of the Angels goal from Jermaine Francis found Sam Folarin who headed home.

As the changes rang on both sides, the Angels might have folded but they took the game to Sutton and in the closing moments, a trialist produced a mazy run into the box that was ended when he was brought down. He picked himself up to take the spot kick himself, but his shot was too close to the keeper who saved with relative ease.

Another solid run-out that leaves the impression that things are moving in the right direction.

Picture: David Couldridge

Tonbridge Angels 1 Biggleswade 0

Match 2/26/2430 - Saturday, 11th July 2026 - Pre-Season Friendly

Tonbridge Angels (1) 1 Trialist 40
Biggleswade (0) 0
Attendance: 352
Admission: £5
Mileage: 38/73

GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME (ALMOST)

On the face of it the summer has been very productive for Alan Dunne and Tonbridge Angels. The signing of Maidstone United’s captain Sam Corne opened the door and the players that have followed have dropped a few jaws and heightened expectations.

The first pre-season game brought a cooling breeze that took the edge off the stifling heat of the third heatwave of the summer. Thoughts drift to a freezing Tuesday evening in December at the Yeomans and it almost sounds appealing.

The newly-installed tannoy boomed out the team line-ups in crystal clear clarity, lottery tickets at the ready boys and girls, you will now hear the winning number!

On the pitch, Alan Dunne chose to field a strong first half team whilst his second half troops were made up of nine trialists. alongside Bradley Williams and Lexus Beeden, the latest recruit from the A26 neighbours against Biggleswade of the Southern League Division One Central.

Given the heat, the tempo and the pressing was eye-catching with Corne pulling all the strings in the middle of the park. Bunmi Babajide had a shot cleared from the line on eight minutes and a good combination between Corne and Frankie Baker ended with the visiting goalkeeper making a save.

On 38 minutes, Harry Gardner won the ball in midfield, spotted the goalkeeper off his line and was unlucky from 35 yards to see his effort strike the post.

Tonbridge took the lead on 40 minutes when Corne crossed from the right with pinpoint accuracy to find the Angels only first half trialist at the far post to finish well.

The second half with the multiple changes saw much of the momentum taken out of the game and, right at the death, Biggleswade fashioned an opportunity to return home with an honourable draw but the effort narrowly cleared the bar.

A couple of the trialists probably did enough to earn a second or third look, but nine trialists thrown together is a tough ask.

Pre-season for a supporter is about getting back amongst friends, chewing the fat over summer signings, and of course, the World Cup, in the surroundings of the green, green FIFA approved surface of home.

Picture: Dave Couldridge