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Thamesmead Town 5 - 0  Tonbridge Angels

Angels were on the end of a harsh reality check from a strong and resilient Thamesmead Town that were fielding 5 reserve team players and one first team player. Angels went behind after 22 mins when Thamesmead converted from 18 yards after a fine passing move. Angels were 2-0 down at the interval after poor defending let in the opposition striker to head in from 6 yards. The second half saw Angels chasing the game but it took until the 75th minute before Thamesmead killed the game off when a poorly defended corner was headed home by the Thamesmead skipper. Two further goals followed as Angels tired.

Tonbridge Angels  2 - 1  Erith & Belevedere

Colin Blewden and Chris Hollyoak’s under 18’s side put the opening day’s 5-0 defeat against Thamesmead behind them, writes Brian Page, with a well-deserved 2-1 victory at home to Erith & Belvedere on Sunday, courtesy of two goals in the opening fifteen minutes.

With several changes in the starting line-up, and early near misses from Nick Hollyoak and Josh Biddlecome, the Angels took the lead in the thirteenth minute when Biddlecombe turned in the box with the ball, and calmly slotted home. Continued pressure from the ‘blues’ was rewarded two minutes later when Luke Blewden struck from 35-yards into an empty net, after a misjudged clearance from the visiting goalkeeper. Tonbridge were unlucky not to extend their first-half lead, with midfielder Chris Page having his on-target shot deflected, and Blewden seeing his next long-range effort fired high & wide of the target.

After the interval, continued attacks won the Angels a succession of corners, with Page having another shot blocked, and Liam Herbert pushing the ball narrowly wide of the target, before Erith scored against the run of play, with a strike that Ally Hamilton could only get his fingertips to. With this consolation goal and an equaliser in sight, the visitors strung together a few half-decent chances, before Hollyoak struck the upright with a fierce shot for the home side, in a half that saw the Angels play attractive and confident passing football.

After securing the first three points of the season, with Biddlecombe and Page sharing the ‘Man of the Match’ accolade, manager Blewden commented “It was a much better performance than last week.”

The Angels travel to play Welling United on Sunday 16th September.

Goal Scorers:  Josh Biddlecombe and Luke Blewden

Man of the Match:  Josh Biddlecombe and Chris Page

Welling United  1 - 0Tonbridge Angels

Angels’ under 18’s Kent Youth League side continued their up and down start to this season’s campaign, losing by the narrowest of margins against joint league-leaders Welling United on Sunday.

The Angels struggled to find the previous week’s form that yielded an early two-goal lead against Erith & Belvedere, after failing to score from two clear-cut chances, and having an appeal for a blatant penalty harshly denied.

Striker Josh Biddlecombe slipped the defence and struck the upright after ten minutes, with ‘Man of the Match’ Jake Miller pushing the ball narrowly wide of the goal on the half-hour mark, before being denied a spot-kick in a goalless first half that saw Biddlecombe yellow-carded for the second successive week.

Quick-thinking Ollie Funnell almost gave the Angels the lead when he struck the ball inches wide of the target from the restart, after seeing Welling’s goalkeeper off his line. But Welling striker Joe Goodwin’s calculated lob from a ball up the centre of the pitch, put the home side in front eight minutes after the interval during a momentary lapse of concentration. Angels were unlucky not to pull level when substitute Sonny Miles had his on-target shot blocked, with Biddlecombe’s follow-up shot being thwarted by Welling’s keeper. Another chance saw Chris Page’s chip from the edge of the penalty area captured before Elliot Harland’s head could connect with it.

Despite a late showing and the majority of the possession in the second half, Angels were unable to recover and convert any further chances and gain some valuable points.

In the post-match talk, manager Colin Blewden stated “I am not too disheartened, I am pleased with a lot of the performances today.”

Man of the Match:  Jake Miller

Cray Wanderers 1 - 1 Tonbridge Angels

Angels’ under 18’s Kent Youth League side sit two points off mid-table after picking up a point from their travels to Woolwich on Sunday, after a frustrating 1-1 draw against Cray Wanderers.

After an evenly-matched and uneventful start to the match, Angels eventually took the lead midway through the first half when striker Josh Biddlecombe latched onto Luke Blewden’s through-ball, to clinically slot home his second goal of the campaign.

Wanderers’ responded by putting Angels under a tough three minute spell, resulting in finding the side-netting, pulling a save from Ally Hamilton, and forcing a well-judged clearance from defender Elliott Harland.

Angels looked to extend the lead with a speculative 30-yard attempt from Blewden, and Biddlecombe was denied by Wanderers’ in-form goalkeeper after superb linking play with Nick Hollyoak.

A late first-half succession of corners from the home side saw Mike Holden forced to head the ball out of the goalmouth, resulting in a counter attack that ended when Olly Funnell headed narrowly wide of the target from Biddlecombe’s pin-point cross.

After the break, Angels had the wind-assisted advantage, and despite three substitutions and further goal-scoring attempts from Biddlecombe, Blewden, Funnell and substitute Sonny Miles, they were unable to increase their lead and secure a more comfortable margin.

Sporadic efforts from the Wanderers kept Hamilton occupied in the Angels’ goal until seven minutes from the final whistle when they were punished for not killing the game off in the wind-assisted second half. Wanderers pulled level with a free-kick taken from a contentious distance after Angels had three players yellow-carded for expressing discontent to the official over the decision.

After the match, Will Jagger was named ‘Man of the Match’ for his performance in defence, and Coach Chris Hollyoak remarked “We didn’t kill the game off when we had the chances; we lacked commitment and the killer instinct.”

Goal Scorers:  Josh Biddlecombe

Man of the Match:  Will Jagger

Tonbridge Angels  2 - 1  Phoenix Sports

Tonbridge Angels’ under 18’s Kent Youth League side keep their 100% home record intact, after recording a convincing 2-1 victory in a mid-table clash against a physical Phoenix side at Edenbridge on Sunday.

Despite total domination from the kick-off, the Angels got an early indication of what was to be a frustrating first half, when Sonny Miles blasted over from close range. An early free-kick gave Nick Hollyoak a chance to open the scoring, but his on-target strike was thwarted by the visiting goalkeeper, before Phoenix gave the Angels a rare moment of panic at the other end. The Angels then witnessed a spell of physical play midway through the half, as they were awarded seven free-kicks in as many minutes, with striker Josh Biddlecombe falling victim to the majority of the offences.

Apart from Angels’ goalkeeper Ally Hamilton being forced to make a save on the half-hour mark, a constant onslaught of attacks from Colin Blewden’s side saw Biddlecombe and Elliott (Rambo) Harland both denied on two occasions, with Miles seeing his 25-yard ‘screamer’ tipped over the crossbar by the Phoenix keeper. As the interval approached with the teams somehow locked goalless, two late efforts from midfielder Chris Page were blocked in a sustained spell of pressure.

After Chris Hollyoak’s halftime talk on “needing the end product”, new-signing Joel Sanders obliged and netted two minutes after the re-start from Nick Hollyoak’s probing corner. The Angels doubled their lead as the hour approached, with Jake Miller’s pinpoint pass across the penalty area being driven home by Miles. An unfortunate misunderstanding at the back in an otherwise flawless performance allowed Barrnehurst-based Phoenix to grab a lifeline midway through the half, but a continued strong defensive performance from the Angels kept the single-goal advantage with further unconverted goal-scoring opportunities from Hollyoak, Joe Adams and Olly Funnell.

Nick Hollyoak and skipper Luke Blewden shared the “Man-of-the Match” accolade for strong match-long performances.

Goal Scorers: Joel Sanders and Sonny Miles

Man of the Match:  Nick Hollyoak and Luke Blewden