Tonbridge Angels 2 Potters Bar Town 1

Match 41/18/1634 - Saturday, 6th October 2018 - Bostik Premier

Tonbridge Angels (0) 2 Parkinson 47 Turner 72
Potters Bar Town (0) 1 Casey 49
Attendance: 393

Admission: Season Ticket
Programme: £2.50
Mileage: 38/2,769

The first half of this game was as dank as the weather that probably took around a hundred off the gate with those that had braved the elements deserting their usual positions in the open to take refuge under cover.

At 20 minutes thoughts had been that this has been a little dull with very little happening. By 40 minutes the game was edging towards tedious and at 45 minutes the half-time whistle was more than welcome.

Potters Bar’s goalkeeper, Berkley Laurencin saved well from Jack Richards and in time-added Bradley Sach just about dirtied the gloves of Jonny Henly.

The game begged a goal and it duly arrived for the home side in the first minute of the second half. A free kick from Joe Turner was met at the far post, headed back across the face for Tom Parkinson to score.

Potters Bar’s response was immediate with a free kick from Keegan Cole that rebounded back off the wall to the taker whose second attempt was driven against the underside of the bar for Eoin Casey to nod home from no more than a yard.

The visitors tails were briefly up and Dernell Wynter fired over but from the hour mark Tonbridge took the ascendancy with Turner very much to the fore. He tested Laurencin and after 70 minutes had a trio of shots that the Scholar’s defence managed to block. But Turner was not to be denied and three minutes later he powered through the centre of the defence before rifling in a shot that gave the goalkeeper no chance.

A wonderful move involving substitutes Jared Small and Liam King ended with Turner firing over before Potters Bar’s Sean Grace somewhat harshly saw red for a challenge when King was sent clear.

Two defeats had nowhere near represented a downturn in form but getting back to winning ways was welcome.

Dulwich Hamlet U18 2 Tonbridge Angels U18 1

Match 40/18/1633 - Thursday, 3rd October 2018 - FA Youth Cup 2QR

Dulwich Hamlet U18 (1) 2 Salvatierra 10 Adeniran 72
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Snowden-Lewis 71
Headcount: 50

Admission: £1 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 110/2,731

If ever proof was needed that goalkeeping is the loneliest place on a football pitch then a perfect illustration came in the shape of Tonbridge’s young custodian, Joe Roberts.

In this FA Youth Cup tie, Roberts had been truly superb with breathtaking saves that had single-handedly kept the Angels in the game especially in a first half that had been relentlessly dominated by the hosts, Dulwich Hamlet.

But, less than a minute after Tonbridge had found their way back into the game with a 71st minute equaliser from Ned Snowdon-Lewis, Roberts made a mistake that he will make just the once in his entire career.

From the restart, Dulwich worked the ball through to Henry Adeniran who was through one-on-one with Roberts. From point-blank range the Dulwich striker’s shot was smothered at his feet and Roberts had saved the day once more. Adeniran hurdled the prostrate goalkeeper, who rose to his feet and looked to set the visitors forward. He dropped the ball to the ground to kick it forward completely unaware of Adeniran’s presence behind him and to everyone’s horror he nipped in from behind to collect the ball and roll it into the unguarded goal. I can remember a famous incident involving Rob Green, but I’ve never seen it happen before in a live game. It was a harsh lesson for a young goalkeeper to learn but looking over their shoulders has become commonplace since the Green incident and I’m not guessing that it is something that the young man will be doing game in, game out for the rest of his career.

Tonbridge spent the first period pressed back and struggling to get any forward momentum although they did have the ball in the net after 10 minutes only for it to be chalked off for a very marginal offside.

Immediately after, Roberts was called into action, brilliantly tipping over an effort from Tyrell Tayo. But, from the resultant corner, the ball was only half-cleared to Breno Carmago Salvatierra who struck clinically from 12 yards.

Tonbridge’s rearguard was being asked bravely stick bodies on the line which they did, but when Dulwich broke through the lines they found Roberts, or the woodwork, in their path. The goalkeeper saved well low to his left to deny Jargal Enkh quickly followed by a shot that struck a post.

Roberts excelled from Salvatierra and Enkh, who were both very impressive for Dulwich as the Angels were mightily relieved to get to the break just the goal adrift.

Tom Parkinson’s words after the match suggested that his side had paid their hosts too much respect in the first period and they with those words his young charges came out to make a serious game of it with the addition of the returning Josh Stirman.

Snowdon-Lewis saw a shot deflected safely into the Dulwich keeper’s hands and also had another goal disallowed for offside but this was not before Salvatierra once more rattled the woodwork from 25 yards.

Tonbridge’s moment arrived after 71 minutes when, following a Stirman cross, the ball was looped up for Snowden-Lewis to send a header over the goalkeeper and into the net.

Much credit should go to both the Angels team as a whole and Roberts in particular for putting that moment behind him, going on to make further saves whilst caution was thrown to the wind in search of an equaliser. Saul Musengey fired over, a header from Harry Hudson suffered the same outcome and with the final kick, Snowdon-Lewis’ effort sailed in the same direction.

Ultimately, you need the bluest of tinted glasses to claim anything other than a deserved Dulwich win but it would have been more appropriate for it to have been settled by a worldie.

Rusthall 1 Corinthian 3

Match 39/18/1632 - Wednesday, 2nd October 2018 - SCEFL

Rusthall (0) 1
Corinthian (1) 3 Clover 20 Tanner 37,50
Attendance: 98

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: None
Mileage: 38/2,621

The season is still in its early stages but it already appears that next season’s local derby between Rusthall and Tunbridge Wells could be in SCEFL Division One unless there is an upsurge of form before it is too late. Admittedly, pointless Croydon are at present the favourites to occupy one of the relegation spots.

Rusthall came into the game, in the bottom two, with just the four points from their nine games but with a vastly inferior goal difference than their neighbours.

On a chilly evening, visitors Corinthian started on the front foot with Rusthall’s stand-in goalkeeper Jake Cornish turning over an fifth minute effort from Charlie Clover.

Cornish was required to make further saves from Connor Johnson before a soft free kick was floated into the box for Johnson to touch in.

Corinthian went on to dominate the half with chances to increase their lead arriving at regular intervals. Oscar Housego fired into the side netting and stretched Cornish into a good stop, low to his left.

It took all of 37 minutes before a tame header managed to dirty the Corinthian goalkeeper’s hands. But within a minute, Corinthian doubled their advantage when a low cross from Johnson was swept home by Luke Tanner from close range.

The game was put beyond Rusthall when a stroke of misfortune saw an attempted clearance strike Tanner and rebound into the net.

The game became ridiculously one-sided with Rusthall only surviving a heavy defeat by the wastefulness of their visitors.

Eventually, with the referee playing just a single minute of time added (as he had done in the first half), Rusthall struck from the right side of the box to give the scoreline some respectability.

Bearsted 3 Tunbridge Wells 2

Match 38/18/1631 - Tuesday, 2nd October 2018 - SCEFL

Bearsted (1) 3 Collins 11 Garner 70 Baranowski 90
Tunbridge Wells (1) 2 Beecroft 27 Diau 52
Attendance: 86

Admission: £4 Senior
Programme: With Entrance
Mileage: 15/2,583

Tunbridge Wells fielded their rash of new signings and produced a better performance but, ultimately departed Bearsted without any points. There has been an influx of four new players, some well known to supporters, Lewis Mingle, Rhys Bartlett and new faces Tom Pearson and Brandon Diau. Whilst Diau opened his account with a goal, Bartlett and Pearson suffered injuries and didn’t last the evening.

Diau is an archetypical big target man that does encourage a one-dimensional long ball game that has its obvious positives but, for me, it negates the influence of the best player in a Tunbridge Wells shirt, Jake Beecroft.

Despite a bright opening from the visitors it was Bearsted that opened the scoring after 11 minutes. Lucien Scarlat was sent clear but was brilliantly denied twice by Cameron Hall only for the ball to fall to Reece Collins to score.

Tunbridge Wells responded to the setback and equalised on 26 minutes when a free kick conceded centrally was superbly converted by Beecroft whose curled effort could only be helped into the net by goalkeeper, Scott Andrews.

Bartlett, who had looked inhibited by an injury from the opening minutes, finally called an end to his evening following the goal.

Hall was once more called into action making a great save at the feet of Constantin Scarlat with the rebound being cleared from the line by Alexx Kendall.

A minor bout of handbags brought a couple of bookings with the referee quickly turning it into a rash issuing another three before the break.

The Wells were quickly on the ascendancy in the second period. After six minutes, a flowing move involving Beecroft and substitute Tresperderne whose cross from the left exacted all the rewards of the big man up front as Diau was able to nod the cross home from close range without barely jumping.

Bearsted were stung into a response and efforts from Jonathan Rogers, Collins and Cameron Croucher were dealt with by Hall.

Pearson, who had an electrifying start to the game with his pace exposing the right hand side departed the scene having taken a heavy knock before Diau might have put the game to bed heading wide from Tresperderne’s cross.

This was to prove costly as, after 67 minutes, a cross into a goalkeeper’s corridor of uncertainty, travelled to Matt Garner at the far point who applied the finish.

The last 20 minutes became backs to the wall stuff for the Wells with Bearsted substitute, David Borowski missing a sitter before five minutes from the end he got onto a right sided cross to score.

It was one of those games whereby if you are at the right end of the table, you scratch out a result of some sort but at the bottom you don’t. Whether the Wells deserved anything, is open to debate.

Shrewsbury Town 2 Gillingham 2

Match 37/18/1630 - Saturday, 29th September 2018 - League One

Shrewsbury Town (0) 2 Angol 59 Norburn 89
Gillingham (1) 2 Hanlon 17 Eaves 90+3
Attendance: 5,695

Admission: £15 Senior
Programme: £3
Mileage: 448/2,568

A family history trip took us on to a rare Gillingham away day and, in terms of satisfaction, the genealogy aspect of the trip bore the greatest fruit.

A late, very late, strike from Tom Eaves brought Gillingham a welcome point and, whilst not banishing it at least diminished from the memory our last visit to Shrewsbury, a 7-1 defeat.

The game started late after the linesman discovered a hole in the net of the goal behind which we were seated and suffered further delays with lengthy injuries to Gillingham goalkeeper, Tomas Holy and defender Gabriel Zakuani. The second half was also delayed as Holy slowly emerged from the tunnel with his head swathed in a heavy bandage. Given the quality of the game, one began to despair at ever getting out of the place.

Brandon Hanlon managed to give the small travelling support something to cheer when he bundled the ball home after the Shrewsbury goalkeeper, Joel Coleman failed to hold Max Ehmer's initial effort. But, in truth, the quality of the first half was woeful from both sides.

Shrewsbury put the pressure on at the start of the second half, constantly attacking down Gills’ left flank, and that’s where a deserved equaliser came from after 59 minutes. Ollie Norburn’s cross found its way to Angol who spun and curled the ball beyond Holy from inside the box.

Shrewsbury thought they had won it when Norburn turned home a cross from substitute Alex Gilliead on 87 minutes but moments later the Gills levelled, when Eaves shrugged off a defender and fired home low past the keeper.

Through locked gates, a peep at Newcastle Town

Tonbridge Angels Academy 5 Eastbourne Borough Academy 2

Match 36/18/1629 - Wednesday, 26th September 2018 - National League Under-19 Alliance

Tonbridge Angels (3) 5 Snowden-Lewis 6,21,39 Bartlett 69,88 (2 pens)
Eastbourne Borough (2) 2
Headcount: 13
Played at Kings Hill FC
New Ground: 327

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Mileage: 32/2,120

Tonbridge Angels Academy eased to a comfortable 5-2 win over Eastbourne Borough at a warm, sunny King’s Hill Football Club after going into the break 3-2 up and receiving a dressing down from their manager including a criticism that some of his players had stayed up too late playing the new release of FIFA!

King’s Hill might turn out to be the new home for Academy matches and on a nice day it was very pleasant but with no covered area it might be a different story in January.

Tonbridge started the game in a positive way with Ned Snowden-Lewis showing his threat in the first couple of minutes when he twice sent efforts over the bar.

But the striker was not to be denied and when he chased down a long ball forward from Regan Bowden, the visiting goalkeeper and defender dithered long enough for Snowden-Lewis to intercept and slot into an unguarded goal.

The lead was not to last and in the ninth minute a cross from the right was met by a strapping centre forward who fired into the bottom corner.

Eastbourne looked particularly vulnerable to a ball over the top and they were undone again when Snowden-Lewis fastened onto one such pass to lob the advancing goalkeeper from the edge of the box.

But, once again, the lead lasted just three minutes when the visiting centre forward was sent through to finish clinically. The Angels protests for an offside decision were waved away.

Both sides had good chances before Snowden-Lewis (pictured) completed his hat-trick after 39 minutes when he deftly turned in a cross from Sam Babayale at the near post.

With Tom Parkinson’s words stinging their ears the second half was dominated by his charges who only allowed Eastbourne a couple of efforts that were off target.

Tonbridge eventually gave themselves some breathing space when Jacob Lambert was unceremoniously brought down for Rhys Bartlett to convert from the spot.

Bartlett fired two shots over the bar in quick succession before being brought down to allow him to complete his double from the spot with a couple of minutes remaining.

A good performance but not without a reminder that games are won out on the pitch, not in front of a computer screen!

Dulwich Hamlet 3 Tonbridge Angels 1

Match 35/18/1628 - Saturday, 22nd September 2018 - FA Cup 2QR

Dulwich Hamlet (2) 3 Ferguson 35 Green 44 Akinyemi 87
Tonbridge Angels (0) 1 Miles 53
Attendance: 569
Played at Tooting & Mitcham FC

Admission: £5 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 110/2,088

I felt nothing but a sense of injustice walking away from Imperial Fields after another season’s FA Cup ended in despair.

It seems a fait acompli that every season the Gods turn against Tonbridge as this competition unfolds.

National South Dulwich Hamlet, even at their adopted home, was always a poor draw but for large periods of the game, the visitors were the better side.

The game turned in the favour of Dulwich in a two minute period just prior to half-time when not only did the home double their advantage with a disputed goal but Tonbridge Angels were reduced to 10 men when the referee decided that the aggrieved James Folkes had offered a comment too far.

The Angels’ 10 men strove every sinew to rescue the game in the second period and can walk away from the game with a great amount of pride.

Tonbridge started the game with the confidence borne from their league form and were inches away from a seventh minute lead when Adem Ramadan’s pass across the face of the goal eluded Joe Turner by the said inches.

Preston Edwards in the Dulwich goal was tested by Tommy Whitnell and Turner before ex-Angel Nathan Green forced Jonny Henly into his first save, low to his left.

On the half-hour a good interchange between Alex Read and Whitnell ended with Preston deflecting the ball for a corner with his feet. From the resultant corner, Tommy Parkinson’s headed effort only found the hands of Edwards.

After 34 minutes, Dulwich carved out their best chance with Henly making a fine stop at his near post to deny another ex-Angel Jay May. But the resultant corner found Nathan Ferguson making a late, unchallenged run into the box and his powerful header gave Henly no chance.

Tonbridge nearly benefited from May inadvertently directing the ball towards his own net but Edwards reacted well to palm the ball to safety.

The controversial, and defining, moment of the game came with a minute of the half remaining when a ball into the box was about to be cleared by Folkes when May slid in, felling the Tonbridge full back with the ball running loose to Green who had a relatively easy finish.

The visitors were naturally aggrieved with the decision not to award a free kick and, in the confusion, a red card was shown to Folkes for foul language.

Manager Steve McKimm reacted during the break by withdrawing Ramadan in favour of defender Liam Smith.

Tonbridge were not about to roll over and bow out of the FA Cup with a whimper despite their adversity and were quickly back in the game after 53 minutes when a corner from Turner fell at the feet of Sonny Miles who finished sharply into the bottom corner with the deftness of a proven striker.

With their tails up, and with little to lose, McKimm introduced Jared Small for Craig Stone for more forward momentum.

Tonbridge created chances and the Dulwich defence looked nervy as a ricochet off Turner saw the ball looping towards the goal for Edwards to save and headed chances for Smith and Parkinson were wide of the target.

Hearts went into mouths as Ifeanyi Allen went to ground in the area but as the referee appeared to point towards the spot he actually booked the Dulwich substitute for simulation.

Tonbridge continued to search for the goal to take the tie back to Longmed but were always in danger of getting caught on the break and Miles needed to be at his defensive best to clear after Henly had parried a Nyren Clunis effort.

But the inevitable was about to happen and from a Tonbridge attack the ball was swept downfield and a cross from the right was met with a tap-in for Dipo Akinyemi for seal the game for Dulwich Hamlet.

Henly made saves in added time from Gavin Tomlin and Akinyemi to prevent the scoreline from becoming even more flattering that it already was.

A sense of injustice doesn’t see Tonbridge’s name in the hat for the next round, time to file it away and return to the task of maintaining their position at the head of Bostik Premier.