 |
| MAIN |
| NEWS |
| FIXTURES & RESULTS |
| LEAGUE TABLES |
| STATISTICS |
| MATCH REPORTS |
| INTERACTIVE TABLE |
| RESERVES & YOUTH |
| ARCHIVE |
| CLUB DETAILS |
| LINKS |
| SUPPORTERS' CLUB |
| FORUM |
| MAILING LIST |
| OFFICIAL TAFC SITE? |
 |
| Saturday, 15 February, 2003: Suburban League. Tonbridge Angels Res 3-1 Whyteleafe Reserves Seven points clear at the top of the table with just one League defeat all season, and 4-0 winners over an experienced Angels side earlier in the season, Whyteleafe were comprehensively demolished by one of the youngest line-ups to represent the Angels Reserves in recent seasons in a massive demonstration of the quality of the Angels' youth system. Whyteleafe forced a corner in the fourth minute, from which a shot hit the Angels' post and bounced clear, and must have seen the match as business as usual. But seven minutes later they got a warning, as the visiting defence failed to clear a rebound from a Rick Bryce shot both Bryce and Matt Neal had shots cleared off the line. The Angels almost opened the scoring on eighteen minutes when Bryce broke on the left and rolled a tantalising ball across the face of the Whyteleafe goal which Tom Newbury was unable to convert. By now it was obvious that Whyteleafe's left back was unable to cope with the pace and skill of Newbury. On the stroke of halftime yet another cross from the Angels' winger enabled skipper John Sinclair to calmly control the ball and drill past the advancing keeper to give Whyteleafe the unusual experience of spending halftime a goal down. Expecting an onslaught to start the second half, the Angels very nearly made it two within seconds of the restart with Bryce smacking a shot against the bar. Cassidy equalised for the visitors on 56 minutes against the run of play, one of the few occasions Matt Clark has been beaten in a one-on-one recently. Instead of folding, the Angels kept up the pressure and on 69 minutes scored a second goal. Neal won a freekick on the edge of the Whyteleafe box and, taking the kick himself, chipped a cross over the penalty spot where Simon Dunk was waiting. Dunk’s header gave the keeper no chance and the popular defender's first goal set off wild celebrations throughout the squad. Whyteleafe were struggling, but not yet defeated. Ben Rainbow managed to deflect a shot against the bar, with Darren Pearson on hand to clear the rebound. Neal had to head clear from the goal-line with Clark beaten on 80 minutes. The third goal didn't arrive until the second minute of injury time, when Bryce showed his strength to finish clinically under great pressure from two defenders. Report by: Robin Peterson. |
| Match Report Index |
Squad from:
Goals: |