Cold air and a bone-chilling wind made this the coldest matchday of the season so far at Longmead, but Wade Falana's double either side of half-time set Tonbridge on their way to a comfortable and much-needed victory over lowly Lymington. Luke Piscina came off the bench to score a fine third on his return to first team action after a long absence.

With Ray Powell and Jay May still suspended, Dobla once again changed things around up front. Falana earned his first start since returning to the club alongside Steve Sodje, with Jon Main on the bench. Danny Ward kept his place in a three-man midfield alongside Nick Barnes and Fraser Logan, with Drew Watkins providing support from his right-back position. Steve Aris, John Beales and Lew Watts all started in central defensive positions.

The Angels struggled to unlock the Linnets defence early on, and it was the visitors who had the first opening midway through the first session when Dave Allen fed Danny Cann just inside the box - but the shot flew wide. Falana's precision header gave Sodje a glimpse of goal, but Stevo's flick with the outside of his left boot drifted wide as 'keeper Mark Watson rushed out to block.

Piscina made his entrance on 36 minutes at the expense of Sodje, and Tonbridge were three up in little more than 15 minutes. Falana took advantage of hesitancy in the Linnets defence to nip in and hook a long clearance past Watson four minutes from the break, then doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half - heading home at the far post after Piscina chased down a seemingly lost cause, hustled right back Jon Grace out of possession and put over a superb deep cross.

The on-fire Piscina rifled in from the edge of the box soon afterwards and it seemed the visitors might be in for a torrid time - but they gradually pulled themselves back into the game, taking advantage of the biting wind at their backs. Michael Walker's header was cleared from close to the Tonbridge line before Falana set up Logan with a good chance to make it four; Logan elected to lob the advancing Watson, but just cleared the bar as well.

Lymington kept plugging away though. JJ turned Walker's stinging 20-yarder round the post, and Allen's drive flew just wide with JJ diving. Piscina nearly made it 4-0 late on, his header from Main's cross being somewhat fortunately cleared off the line by Grace - but the Linnets got their consolation with the best goal of the game in the last minute. Cann cleverly spun inside Beales and left JJ helpless with a screamer into the top corner from all of 20 yards, and everyone finally got to go and thaw out.

Report by: Tony Browne

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