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Tonbridge Angels 1 - 2  Thamesmead Town

Colin Blewden and Chris Hollyoak’s under 18’s were dealt a late and low blow, narrowly losing 2-1 to Thamesmead Town, after a solid and gutsy team performance on Thursday evening.

With Longmead being unavailable, the Angels gave up home advantage and travelled to high-flying Thamesmead, to face the team that gave them a rude 5-0 awakening on the opening day of the season. With a new-look starting eleven, where at least three key players started on the bench, the gallant Angels stepped into the arena for what could be deemed as ‘Clash of the Titans', where both teams were carrying memories of beating Long Lane 6-1 in their previous league outings.

A rapid start saw Ally Hamilton called off his line twice in the opening few minutes, and Mike Holden pulled down just outside Town’s eighteen-yard box, for Olly Funnell to send the resulting free-kick hurtling over the crossbar.

Thamesmead replied with a slow succession of corners, rattling the side-netting with the first one. Moments after Funnell was beaten to Chris Page’s curling free-kick at one end, the Angels goal came under attack at the other end, with Nat Janks heading the next corner clear, before it was flicked back into the arms of Hamilton. A surge of attacking play from Town, brought two more outstanding blocks from Hamilton, coupled with further headed clearances from Janks.

Eventually Angels were awarded a corner as Matt Knight’s cross was headed out of play, which was taken by Hollyoak, with Luke Blewden rising high above his marker to head powerfully over the bar. The Angels continued applying the pressure, with Joe Adams forcing himself through central midfield, seeking out Funnel, whose goalbound effort from the left flank was securely held by the Thamesmead keeper.

Town’s reply, was to storm down the pitch and win their sixth corner of the game, one that was partially cleared by Jake Miller, before being pinged around the six-yard box, blocked by Pagey on the goal-line, and then threaded under the crossbar for a slender lead. With only eleven minutes of the half left to play, Adams tried to make amends, squeezing a low shot through from his midfield position, but to no avail.

With the interval approaching, both sides threatened; Thamesmead with a free-kick that was driven high over the target, and the Angels with Miller, whose low shot forced another save from the ‘visiting’ keeper, before Elliot Harland tracked back to make a valuable late first-half clearance from a counter-attack.

Despite the Angels bringing on the legendary striker Josh Biddlecombe as a half-time replacement for Matt Knight, it was Hamilton who was brought into action first, with a fully outstretched save to yield the first corner of the second half.

Only eight minutes into the half, Biddlecombe ended his three-match goal drought, receiving the ball on the edge of the eighteen-yard box, turning and slotting home clinically in a familiar style to bring the scores level.

A continued spell of pressure ensued, with Thamesmead looking to regain the lead with a series of corners, not to mention the occasional enthusiastic, if not dubious waving of the linesman’s flag. The Angels held on with a commendable defensive spell that saw Hamilton in fine form, punching clear and diving all over the show, as Adams, Harland, Hollyoak and Page all pulled into the affray to contend with the onslaught of free-kicks and corners. The second substitution saw Sonny ‘The Wrong’un’ Miles replace the battle-ravaged Miller with only seventeen minutes on the clock, and a few more precarious decisions left.

The onslaught continued, with Hamilton pulling off a superb block from a powerful drive, with the follow-up shot being driven into the side-netting. As both sides looked for the goal that would give three valuable points, the battle became more intense, with Hollyoak warned for a late or mis-timed tackle.

A final substitution saw Liam Herbert replace Funnell, as the game entered the final ten minutes of what was to be most shambolic spell of the match. This was a spell that besides yielding a well-taken winning goal by Thamesmead, produced an incredible save from Town’s keeper when Biddlecombe was through on another one-to-one encounter. After a late spate of ‘injuries’ brought about from a spell of frustration, coupled with some odd decisions swayed by an enthusiastic ‘linesman’, the match official eventually called time after five minutes of injury time.

Joe Adams was unanimously awarded ‘Man-of-the-Match’ for an impressive midfield performance, with Jake Miller in contention.

A spokesman commented: “This was a solid and confident team performance, showing the versatility of all squad members. This performance should fire the boys up for their match against Welling on Sunday.”

Goal Scorers:  Josh Biddlescombe

Man of the Match:  Joe Adams

Tonbridge Angels 2 - 4  Welling United

Despite another strong team performance, Colin Blewden and Chris Hollyoak’s under 18’s were left wondering what else they have to do to secure three points, after suffering another shock defeat on Sunday morning. After what was seemingly a healthy 2-1 lead shortly after the interval, the Angels were left reeling after being on the wrong side of a 4-2 scoreline against Welling United.

Still fired up after the Thamesmead match, the Angels started confidently, with the first seven minutes spent firmly in the visitors’ half, ending only when Olly Stell left his area to clear a non-threatening ball. During this opening spell, both Joe Adams and Matt Knight both narrowly missed half-chances.

Further scoring opportunities fell when Adams unleashed a shot after superb build-up play from Knight & Olly Funnell, followed by Sonny Miles picking out Jake Miller with a cross-field pass, which was fired over the target.

Shortly after the mid-point of the first half, a deep curling free-kick from Chris Page was punched clear by United’s keeper as Elliot Harland and Miles closed in. Apart from a Welling free-kick that was driven over the target, the Angels had an almost unrelenting command on the half, with Page and Miller patrolling the flanks, whilst Miles controlled the midfield.

After Miller was closed down as he prepared to pull the trigger, Welling took the lead with a classic breakaway goal that had more than a hint of offside, that somehow managed to escape both of the League-appointed officials. Incensed by this surprise gift, the visitors tried to build on their ill-gotten gain, testing Stell twice in the following minutes with free-kicks that were tipped over for a rare corner, or securely held by the Angels’ custodian.

Trying to get back on level terms, Funnell tested the opposition with a shot that curled past the far upright, before Nat Janks’ powerful upfield clearance, was cheekily back-heeled by Knight, but captured by the keeper before the tormented striker could set his sight on goal.

Welling strengthened as the interval approached, testing Stell on no less than three occasions, but interspersed by assaults from the tireless Knight, terrorising United’s defence and goalkeeper as regular as clockwork, the most noticeable being from Mike Holden’s quality pass up the touchline.

After the break, Funnell took the opportunity to shoot straight from kick-off, but only found the hands of the awaiting goalkeeper. The industrious Knight continued where he left off in the first half, beating off all competition on the right touchline, to deliver a low cross that Pagey duly slotted home at full stretch to bring the scores level again.

The Angels now appeared to have the upper hand, and despite a point-blank save from Stell, continued surging forward, with Funnell picking out Knight, who skilfully chipped the ball across the keeper, to record his fourteenth goal of the campaign, and more importantly to establish a well-deserved 2-1 lead.

Now, with a commanding lead and an intense spell of domination, what could go wrong? Knight and Page combined to supply Funnell, who blasted over. Miller’s ball into a crowded penalty area found Knight, whom three defenders quickly surrounded much to his growing frustration. A quickly taken free-kick from Liam Herbert found Knight, whose searing shot must have blistered the paint on the top of the upright.

Under pressure, United played the dangerous game of passing the ball across the face of their own goal, which somehow turned into a rapid breakaway, and one that yielded an equaliser from an acutely struck shot.

Now unbelievably level, Miles’ response was to send a warning shot, showing that he meant business. The quest to regain the lead had begun, and the offside flag nullified Adams ’ flighted pass to Knight, while Funnell was beaten to the ball by the keeper from Page’s probing cross.

The first of three substitutions followed, with striker Josh Biddlecombe relieving Adams, which dropped Funnell into central midfield. Then during a short but sustained spell of midfield play, Will Jagger ‘replaced’ the almost irreplaceable Sonny Miles.

After a brief incident that saw the match official flash a yellow card after Biddlecombe was unceremoniously pushed over, Stell was forced to pull off yet another save, Nick Hollyoak was bought on for Miller, and Harland frustratingly headed Funnell’s corner wide of the upright.

Two further unconverted chances as Knight fired Hollyoak’s pass across the face of goal, and Page being blocked as he connected in the eighteen-yard box, proved to be expensive, as Welling got a corner with only a minute of normal time left on the clock. Surely it was only the crowded goalmouth that left the referee unsighted as Stell was manhandled, and the ball was headed into the net?

With everything to play for, Knight had a further effort albeit solo, muscling his way round defenders, before unleashing his final offering across the face of the goal in search of salvaging a point from what had been another match of epic proportions.

But to rub salt into the wounds, one final breakaway and goal was to follow deep in injury time, and one that would compound the disbelief as to how yet another incredulous display could be punished so severely by an unsuspecting defeat.

Matt Knight and Nat Janks were nominated for the ‘Man-of-the-Match accolade, with Sonny Miles and Jake Miller continuing to impress.

Goal Scorers:  Chris Page and Matt Knight

Man of the Match:  Matt Knight and Nat Janks

Sevenoaks Town 1 - 3  Tonbridge Angels

Despite a comparatively lacklustre performance to those of late, and a first half marred with offside decisions, Colin Blewden and Chris Hollyoak’s under 18’s secured three critical points after beating neighbouring Sevenoaks Town 3-1 on Sunday morning.

After a series of early assaults on the home side’s penalty area, orange-shirted Angels were awarded a fourth-minute free-kick after Joe Adams had been tripped as he broke through the defence. The resulting kick saw Sonny Miles felled deep in the penalty area as he challenged for the ball, but to no avail.

Adams reaped reward for his persistence moments later, latching onto Mike Holden’s through-ball and chipping the keeper from an acute angle to open his account in a campaign that is looking likely to close prematurely, with two outstanding home matches still to be played.

Incensed by this early lead, the Angels looked to capitalise, but had to contend against virtually every assault being flagged to a halt by an enthusiastic official that was rarely in-line with the back four.

As regular as the blasts from the referee’s whistle, striker Josh Biddlecombe terrorised the eighteen-yard box, only narrowly missing out from doubling the lead as his on-target shot from the right flank was headed clear for a corner with the keeper well-beaten.

With Olly Funnell’s poorly defended set-piece, both Adams and Elliot Harland were unable to connect cleanly before unmarked skipper Luke Blewden stabbed home from close range to double the advantage.

Just before the match entered a spell of cautious midfield play mid-way through the half, a calculated ball from Chris Page to Funnell, was picked up on route by Biddlecombe, who netted, but was naturally deemed as being offside in the process.

Adams continued to impress, sending a searing shot over the target, before being denied with only the keeper to beat, in the absence of any support up front.

With very little trouble in the first-half, Angels keeper Ally Hamilton confidently held onto the home side’s first attack on goal, with Blewden creating a rapid breakaway that saw Biddlecombe force a save from Oaks’ keeper. There followed a rapid succession of corners that yielded blocked shots from Miles and a frustrated Biddlecombe, before a free-kick from Funnell was lashed over the goal as the Angels looked to increase their lead in what had now become a one-sided half.

A late surge down the left flank from Adams produced a probing low cross that was clinically finished by on-side Biddlecombe, but the final strike proved purely academic as the official had ‘spotted an infringement’ by Adams in the build-up.

It was only as the interval approached, that Sevenoaks had their first on-target strike, with Hamilton getting down soundly to smother the ball.

After the half-time substitution of vociferous Biddlecombe for midfielder Jake Miller, Angels appeared to lack the final sparkle up front, proven when Blewden’s low ball into the six-yard box had no poaching strike-force to pounce on it. With the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ missing at one end of the pitch, Sevenoaks launched a brief attack at the other end, with Page and Harland both combining to head clear.

Midfielder Funnell figured strongly in the Angels next two attempts on goal, narrowly missing with an outstretched lunge, before finding Blewden’s head with a short cross, which was effectively cleared in a move from a rejuvenated Sevenoaks side, that forced an outstanding save from Hamilton in the Angels’ goal.

An injury to defender Holden saw both Liam Herbert and Will Jagger brought into the affray, in a ploy that put Adams back onto the touchline and Harland in the frontline as the defence re-formed. As play restarted and the substitutes settled down, Sevenoaks fired a warning that Hamilton somehow tipped onto the crossbar, that led to some hastily but effectively defended corners.

After the brief respite, a poor clearance from the home keeper was intercepted by Harland, but put out for a corner before the intrepid striker could unleash a shot. Harland was again denied, as Blewden’s threatening long throw-in to the near-post was cleared erratically.

With further unproductive balls deep into the penalty box from Miller and Jagger, Town broke away again, this time pulling yet another world-class save from Hamilton . With only five minutes left on the clock, the resulting corner forced another save from Hamilton , but only as far as an opportune striker, who duly fired into the roof of the net to bring the score back to 2-1.

With time slipping by, it was the sheer persistence of Harland that eventually paid off, finally restoring the two-goal advantage in the closing stages of the game, poaching in his own unique and inimitable style, to slot the ball home calmly to record his seventh goal of the season.

Elliot Harland was unanimously awarded the ‘Man-of-the-Match’ accolade for a versatile all-round performance, with Joe Adams and Ally Hamilton in contention for their contributions.

A spokesman commented: “Despite a seemingly one-sided first half that was initially marred by a succession of off-side decisions and the early substitution of Biddlecombe, Hamilton pulled off three outstanding saves during the second-half that should be reflected upon when looking at the final score.”

Goal Scorers:  Joe Adams, Luke Blewden and Elliot Harland

Man of the Match:  Elliot Harland

Tonbridge Angels 2 - 3  Dulwich Hamlet

Despite a superlative end-of-season performance Colin Blewden and Chris Hollyoak’s depleted under 18’s squad narrowly lost out on third spot in the league in a furious-paced match that yielded five second-half goals.

The hurriedly gathered twelve-man squad kicked off in a nervous start on a dry and dusty South London pitch, after a Tunbridge Wells based venue had been rejected by the League and the high-flying opponents.

Hamlet launched the first assault of the evening, firing high and wide onto the neighbouring astro-turf in a determined attempt to cement third position in the league, before Sonny Miles produced the first Angels’ threat, in the form of a deep penetrating free-kick.

The Angels continued applying the pressure, with Nick Rich pushing wide after connecting with Elliot Harland’s low penetrating cross. Further deep swinging balls flew into the frontline from Miles in central midfield, while yet another long throw-in from Luke Blewden dipped towards Harland, who was pushed off the ball as the ‘visiting’ keeper gathered. Hamlet replied with their second attack of the evening, with a square ball that flashed worryingly through a vacant Angels’ six-yard box.

After a brief stoppage for injury, Blewden had a stunning shot blocked, which he returned back over Hamlet’s back-line, only for Angels’ intrepid strike force of Harland and Josh Biddlecombe to be waved offside.

All Hamlet had to offer was a shot that clattered through to Stell as the half reached the midway point, but all was to change… Their first corner pulled a fingertip save from Olly Stell, before they eventually found the net, only for a sharp-eyed official to spot a welcome infringement before the ball was released. A further onslaught was negated single-handedly by Nat Janks, before the tables turned, and the Angels took control again.

Blewden’s low rolling strike was followed with Biddlecombe beating two defenders before firing a warning perilously close to the far upright, which lead to a surging and sustained dual-pronged attacked from Harland and Biddlecombe.

The pressure continued with Will Jagger sending a deep probing ball hurtling into the danger zone before Hamlet recovered sufficiently for Janks to save a certain embarrassment after Stell had mis-handled in the six-yard box. After a brief respite where Olly Funnell thumped a shot into Hamlet’s keeper, Dulwich sent a low thirty-yard effort rolling towards Stell.

The end-to-end play continued with Nick Rich’s well-flighted cross being confidently plucked out of the air as Harland moved in, followed by Hamlet flashing a shot wide of the target. Again Janks was on hand to spare the blushes, clearing of the line after Stell tipped the ball onto the crossbar.

Quick-thinking Miles sent a defence penetrating free-kick into the path of invading Harland, who was fractionally beaten to the swinging ball by the advancing keeper. The final move of the half being Rich’s cross from the corner flag reaching the heads of both Biddlecombe and Nick Hollyoak to yield an injury-time goal-kick that brought an intense forty-five minute to a close.

Unsurprisingly, Dulwich started the half confidently, with Stell forced to make an early clearance, as Jagger wrestled his opponent to the ground. Only a brief and distracting thirty-five yard speculative shot from Biddlecombe followed by Rich’s Blewden-bound in-swinging cross brought a brief respite, before a defensive error was taken advantage of, giving the South Londoners an early second half lead.

A brief panic-stricken spell saw Funnell’s solo run end with a blocked shot, before tempers were tested, as Jagger and his latest ‘opponent’ got involved in a showing of heads and handbags as the referee delivered a stern warning to both offenders.

As play resumed, Dulwich produced an articulate string of passes, which left an astounded defence as the ball was picked out of Stell’s net for the second time in a hectic five minutes.

Suddenly, the silver-lining appeared on the edge of the cloud, a free-kick was awarded on the edge of the eighteen-yard box, which Funnell drove low and hard through the wall into the corner of the net. The difference was halved, and Hamlet’s keeper saw yellow for a verbal outburst. Proving that actions speak louder than words, Hamlet replied with a searing shot that Stell managed to divert for a corner, one that was punched away, before recovering enough to catch the next volley.

Dulwich were intent on regaining the two-goal cushion, but were thwarted in the first instance as Janks and Jagger combined to thwart a striker that tried to muscle in between them. But a virtual carbon copy of the second goal ensued, leaving Stell with little chance, and the task of retrieving the ball from the net for the third time in fifteen minutes.

Midway through the half Chris Page replaced the hard-working Adam Humphries, in what will be his final appearance for the side, settling into his favoured left-back position. Within minutes, a Page-Blewden combination found Biddlecombe on the left flank, whose square ball was clinically finished by the intruding Funnell, and again the Angels were only one goal adrift.

Once more, Dulwich were intent on regaining the two-goal cushion, and Jagger stepped in to intervene, with Stell plucking a goal-bound free-kick out of the air, a move that was repeated only moments later, this time as three players moved in and lined up for a deep probing cross.

With five minutes left and both teams looking for a share of the spoils, Hamlet headed wide of a seemingly open goal, with Pagey forced to clear as a gaping hole appeared in the defence. This allowed a counter-attack from the Angels led by Rich, whose darting run and fleeting shot flickered off the crossbar. Hamlet responded with yet another effort, this time with a shot dropping dangerously low over Stell’s crossbar, after the striker’s latest tussle with Jagger, in what now was a spirited spell of free-flowing football.

With three minutes left, Angels had the rub of the green, and almost scraped a vital draw as Hollyoak’s thirty-yard thunderbolt was somehow deflected over the crossbar for a corner, which was driven in by Funnell and headed wide by Harland. With the Angels now throwing nine men forward, the final effort from Funnell was struck wide, giving the gallant side a creditable sixth place in the league in what has been a rollercoaster second half to the season.

Luke Blewden (solid Captains’ performance) and Olly Funnell (two goals and inspired midfield performance) shared the Man-of-the-Match accolade, whilst Sonny Miles (deep penetrating play) and Nick Rich (impressive debut performance) were amongst the nominations in a solid team performance.

A spokesman declared: “Ironically, this was possibly the most depleted squad to date, giving what was probably one of the most inspiring performances of the season. This particular squad and management team are a credit to the Club’s Youth section.”

Goal Scorers:  Olly Funnell - 2

Man of the Match:  Luke Blewden and Olly Funnell