A hectic schedule pre-season finally ended on this wet and miserable August day at . The run of a dozen games had a sour end with four defeats out of four in the final week, culminating in this 3-2 loss at newly-promoted Ryman Premier side East Thurrock United.

Tonbridge began in good shape containing their higher level opponents well but lost their rhythm and soon succumbed to a chain of defensive errors that gifted the Essex side a 3-0 lead. When the back four failed to clear a cross from the right on 14 minutes the number 8 was on hand to slide the ball home under pressure. The forward then set up the second goal four minutes later beating right-back Matt Hollyoak to the ball, crossing to meet the perfectly timed run into the box from the number 7 who duly stabbed home.

A third goal was on the cards minutes later. The young goalkeeper Shayne Goldsmith, deputising again for the injured Jerome John, fluffed a pass out to Craig Roser badly getting no distance at all on his throw. The number 7 nipped in and rounded Goldsmith on the wing but his cross was of equally poor quality sailing high over the tall number 9's head and out for a throw. The diminuitive Goldsmith proved his strength of character by pulling off a fantastic point-blank save to deny a volley in the area from the number 7. The youngster has had a tough introduction to first-team football being beaten five times on Thursday night - two of which would have tested the world's best goalkeepers - and his save was of first-class quality.

The third goal was not long in arriving and it was the number 9 again, a constant aerial threat in the first half, scoring with his feet, tapping in off the post after another bad error of judgment from the defence with Matt Hollyoak trying a cross-field ball that was too high for Steve Aris to reach and too short for Roser, but these are errors that the young players can iron out in their development this season and that the more experienced players must avoid in competitive games.

Tonbridge needed a lucky break to get back in the game and just one minute after the third goal had appeared to kill the game off it was 3-1. Nick Barnes' floated free-kick was flicked on by the head of an East Thurrock defender and it sailed over the goalkeeper's head into the net. Warren Haughton was among the second-half substitutions and his performance was perhaps his best since signing, rounding it off with a goal on 51 minutes. Haughton set Jon Heath free down the left-wing and the midfielder cut the ball inside to Leroy Huggins, who nearly lost control of the ball, but Haughton was following up to steer a left-footed bullet into the far corner to make it 3-2. A much-improved second-half performance was not quite enough to clinch a draw, Ollie Miles heading the Angels' best chance over the bar from a pinpoint Roser cross.

Report by: Dan Couldridge

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