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Ramsgate Youth  2 - 0  Tonbridge Angels 

Tesco Youth Cup - Semi Final

The Angels cup run came to an end with a disappointing performance. After a bright first 5 minutes, the boys then seemed to be constantly on the back foot.  The front men were unable to make the ball stick and with the midfield backing off it was hard for the boys to keep possession and string any passes together. The first goal conceded would have to be put down as a failure to clear from a corner. Individually the team worked hard but seemed to lack cohesion. At 1-0 down you thought there might be a way back but with the Angels failing to threaten Ramsgate’s goal, a killer 2nd goal from an unstoppable free kick sealed their fate.

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Fisher Athletic 4 - 4  Tonbridge Angels 

On a beautiful sunny morning and a perfect pitch the conditions were ideal for the Angels to bounce back from their last two results. Unfortunately the boys seemed a little slow off the mark. With both teams following the ball and the boys drifting out of position there was little space for any creative play. No out ball meant the Angels could not clear their lines and it was only a matter of time before Fisher took the lead which they did with a dubious penalty. Fisher added a second after 15 minutes and it was only then that the Angels started to show flashes of the way they can play leading to a period of pressure resulting in a shot being pushed out for Allen to follow-up and coolly dispatch. With only a minute remaining in the half Fisher notched up their third.

The second half was very entertaining. With more space appearing the Angels were able to move the ball around their opponents. Leek was tremendous on the right, Allen tireless and “Man of the Match” Keens closing down and linking up play for numerous attacks. One such attack saw the ball come out to the edge of the box where Garwood on the half volley struck an unstoppable shot into the top corner. With Green and Garwood starting to click in centre midfield, assured Healy at the back and fantastic handling by Keeper Shimmin, Fishers attacks were comfortably handled. More Angel pressure saw them awarded a penalty which Keens duly dispatched to make the comeback complete. To the delight of the away fans a goalmouth scramble gave Green the chance to poke home to give the Angels the lead for the first time. With only two minutes remaining and with everyone willing the boys to hold on a Fisher corner was not cleared and they grabbed another to make it 4-4. Overall, probably a fair result.

Goal Scorers:  George Allen, Sam Garwood, Jack Keens and David Green

Man of the Match: Jack Keens - Constant battling and creative link-up play.

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Tonbridge Angels 2 - 3  Crayford Arrows

Though the first half ended 0-0, the Angels looked organised and comfortable. With Ricketts and Leek keeping their width, Green and “Man of the Match” Garwood in centre midfield combining and closing down well it seemed all that was missing was a bit of intensity and creativity for the Angels to take control. The second half was completely different with the Angels knack of making a very ordinary team look good emerging. With the boys now following the ball and drifting out of position, holes emerged which were gratefully exploited by Crayford leading to 2 quick goals in the 46th and 50th minute. Left winger Ricketts deserves a mention, unable to be found in the attacking third he selflessly saw the gaps appearing and tried to cover for others, culminating in a tremendous tackle on the edge of his own box to deny the Arrows a goal scoring opportunity. A brief 10 minute period saw the Angels get their passing game together which saw Leek pull one back with a rebounded header which was the result of a nice move. Murrain grabbed the equaliser after a nice passing move involving multiple players was slotted home but unfortunately this was the highlight of the Angels second-half. A last minute corner for Crayford was swung in and with the Angels 4 defenders tight on their men an untracked runner grabbed the winner with an uncontested header.

Goal Scorers:  Tom Leek and Jackson Murrain

Man of the Match: Sam Garwood - Positional awareness and combining attacking and defensive roles in the first half.

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Blackheath Wanderers 10 - 2  Tonbridge Angels

3-0 down after 7 minutes left the Angels a mountain to climb. A lack of competing combined with no organisation yet again there was only going to be one outcome. It took until the 15th minute for the Angels to have their first meaningful attack but the shot was put wide. An unstoppable free-kick saw the blues go 4 down. A failure to keep possession and build a move as a team saw a beleaguered defence constantly put under pressure. Now 5 down “Man of the Match” Healy, who showed great spirit and determination and covered everything he could, found Ricketts wide on the right with a perfectly weighted pass. Rickets looking up and seeing the keeper off his line beautifully lobbed the keeper to pull one back for the Angels but the joy was short-lived as Blackheath banged in their 6th .

Keeper Shimmins’ handling deserves a mention but it was all one-way traffic with the Angels unable to make the ball stick. There were a few flashes of how the Angels can play with attackers Murrain, Keens and Allen combining nicely but unable to find the net. With uncontested balls fired at the defence who were continually in running races and on the back foot our opponents grabbed their 7th . The real Angels emerged briefly with Allen finding Murrain who powered on and squared the ball to Keens to finish decisively. This was just a brief respite as Blackheath went on to score their 8th, 9th and 10th goal in the last 10 minutes.

Goal Scorers:  Jonathan Ricketts and Jack Keens

Man of the Match: Tadgh Healy - All round defensive display and tried hard to link-up with the midfield.

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