Two second-half goals from Gavin Tomlin saw Staines home to a comfortable victory, keeping their challenge for a play-off place very much alive and plunging the Angels further into relegation trouble.

Tonbridge fielded new signings Gavin McGowan and Gavin Rose alongside Danny Lye in midfield. Leroy Huggins started up front on his return to Longmead, partnering Brendon Cass and Steve Sodje in a 4-3-3 formation. Luke Piscina and Jay May were the strikers left on the bench.

The Angels made the first opening after just four minutes, Cass firing past Matt Lovett in the Swans goal only to see his effort scrambled off the line by Matt Flitter. That proved to be the last time the Staines goal was seriously threatened as the visitors settled into a solid team performance.

Tomlin nearly opened the scoring on 16 minutes when he got in front of his marker but saw his shot crash against the upright. The Angels responded with a surging run from Sodje which ended with a cross just too strong for Huggins to reach at the far post. A mix-up in midfield between Lye and Craig Roser led to Staines taking the lead seven minutes before the break, Elliot Onochie beating Jamie Turner from 15 yards to finish off the resulting move with Tonbridge caught short at the back.

Tomlin's first came just two minutes after the interval when he squeezed the ball past Turner from close range after some hesitant Angels defending. Tonbridge worked hard to get themselves back into it, but lacked the cohesion and belief to break down a well-organised Staines outfit. Sodje forced Lovett into a rare save, Nick Humphrey was forced to hobble off with an injury, and the game was killed off twelve minutes from time when Staines sub Kevin George went down under challenge from Tony Dolby inside the box. The referee had a good view of the incident and immediately pointed to the spot; Tomlin stepped up to score his second with a cheeky chip.

Report by: Tony Browne