After the below-par display from the Angels at Culverden Stadium on Saturday, Tonbridge raised their game to give one of their best displays so far in pre-season. Conference South side Eastbourne Borough fell at the final hurdle in their promotion chase last season, losing to Altrincham in the Promotion Play-Off Final at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium, but became the second side from their division to lose at Longmead Stadium this summer following Sutton United. Similar form over such esteemed opposition in Cup games later this season would go down very well with the ‘Angels’ faithful.
The big news prior to the match was that Ray ‘Razor’ Powell would be making his first appearance in Tonbridge colours for 18 months, after moving to Fisher Athletic. Making way for the popular returning Angel was John Farley, who had departed the club this week and signed for Horsham, and Kieron Wilson who starts a two-year scholarship in Memphis. We all wish Kieron well. Powell joined his former Fisher team-mates Jerome John and Steve Aris in the defence by playing in his preferred right-back position, although many Tonbridge supporters will hope to see him in attack in future games where he has served us so well in the past. John Beales joined Aris at centre-back with Craig Roser on the left. A four-man diamond midfield took shape with Danny Lye, Darren Smith, Tim Hambley and Nick Barnes, while Warren Haughton partnered Jay May up front.
Straight from the kick-off Borough attacked their opponents and nearly scored inside a minute. The highly impressive forward Yemi Odubade, a local lad returning to his home town from League One side Yeovil Town, made a run down the left but his cross was just too deep for the number 9 who could only reach to convert over the bar. The Tonbridge defence would settle though, with John Beales and Powell immediately working well together on the right side, and Eastbourne would find it increasingly difficult to break down the back four. Darren Smith, who only signed for the Angels from Eastbourne a week prior to the game, found space in the box but had his shot saved easily by goalkeeper Lee Hook.
Nick Barnes has been in fine form in recent games and showed why on 20 minutes, when he tracked back from the penalty area to win the ball back with a perfectly-timed tackle, then proceeded to round three players on the edge of the area before moving outside and lifting a left-footed cross into the box, but it failed to find an Angels forward. Warren Haughton also had a chance when the goalkeeper Lee Hook found himself stranded way outside the box having tried to clear the ball. Jay May beat Hook to the ball allowing Haughton a glimpse of the empty net, but from distance Haughton could not control the ball and his effort did not have the height or pace to beat the back-pedalling Hook.
In the second half the quiet nature of the game continued although Odubade for once managed to beat the solid Angels defence, surging past his marker before crashing a shot against the crossbar. This proved to be Eastbourne’s best, and last chance of the match. Leroy Huggins and Luke Piscina replaced May and Haughton up front, and Jon Heath and Ian Parkes joined the midfield. The switch of players proved to be a masterstroke as the Angels hit something of a purple patch. Nick Barnes made a run down the right and cut the ball in to May who shot straight at Hook from distance, before Piscina replaced him on the field. Barnes, as ever involved in all the action, managed to keep the ball in play before cutting back to Danny Lye, whose first-touch cross was nodded down by Huggins for Piscina to shoot over. A similar exhibition of passing build-up play on 82 minutes saw the ball land in the penalty area at the feet of both Huggins and Piscina – the latter immediately claimed possession by thumping the ball into the net at the near post.
An excellent and solid display then from the Angels which almost wipes out the memory of Saturday’s damp performance, with four friendlies in a week coming up Tony Dolby has plenty of scope to fine-tune his side for the opening league game, now just 17 days away.
Report by: Dan Couldridge
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