PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY
Att : N/A
TONBRIDGE ANGELS – 1 [May 54]
SUTTON UNITED – 0
Hello everyone, we’re baaaaaack! Bet you’ve missed us eh?
It’s been a long summer. Well, it’s seemed like it, despite probably being one of the shortest post-season breaks we’ve ever had! Perhaps it was fact that the only football to keep us amused during the summer was the Womens European Championships. Which was frankly rubbish. Sadly the Confederations Cup came round that bit too late to prevent cold turkey setting in.
So, naturally, you can imagine we’ve been champing at the bit over the last few days for the friendlies to get going. Our mood isn’t helped by Redhill calling off saturdays game due to their pitch not being ready.
So it’s a midweek trip into Kent to get our fix.
I’ll sum the match up in events rather than doing a full report, simply as I can’t be arsed. And it’s hot.
23 min – Sort corner from the right finds Tydeman on the corner of 18 yard box. His cross drifts just over and onto roof of the net.
24 min – Decent move from home side. Ball switched right to left, acres of space leads to unchallenged shot just wide of Wilson’s near post.
25 min – Tonbridge deep cross from the left leads to header at back post. Effort goes across face of goal.
29 min – Brake finds room in centre, moves forward before playing out to Watkins on right. He carries on his run to meet the cross, but puts header yard wide of far post.
33 min – Low corner from the left finds Douglas near post. His clever flick going the wrong side of the upright into side netting. First piss poor refereeing decision of the season arrives as ref gives a free-kick against the Sutton man for ‘dangerous play’. Because the man he ‘fouled’ had dived in at ankle height trying to make a daft header.
42 min – Good chance for Tonbridge. Ball in from left to edge of box is laid into path of attacker, but despite being well placed, fires over the target.
45 min – Watkins robs defender 30 yards out & runs unchallenged on goal. Elects to shoot rather than square to unmarked Douglas in centre and blazes shot straight at the ‘keeper.
To sum up the 1st half, neither side really managed to produce any consistent play. Tonbridge had the better sights of goal and Wilson had to make a couple of reasonable stops, but Watkins had the best chance of the half right at the death and probably should’ve squared it. But then again, Steve Douglas should’ve been a bit more vocal in calling for it.
Several changes are made, with Wilson, Scooby, Donka, McDonald, Tydeman and the unnamed trialist wearing no8 (I’ll explain at the end!) are replaced with Honey, Gonsalves, Adam, Emberson, Howard and and unnamed triallist wearing the no22 shirt. His tiny size instantly earning him the name ‘Wee Man’.
52 min – Tonbridge corner in from the right. Poor marking gives free header at near post. Ball loops over target.
54 min – GOAL 1-0. Home side go ahead when they take advantage of reshuffled defence. Ball is played through behind the back line & the no10 nips onto the ball and pulls it across Emberson, finding it’s way into the near corner via the base of the far post.
61 min – Sutton hit back with best move of the match. Watkins ball out to right finds Gray. His run and low cross finds Douglas at the near post, who then feeds it into the path of Watkins 8 yards out. But his snap shot is straight at the ‘keeper.
75 min – Diagonal ball across area from No22 (Wee Man) into left channel brings snap shot & good save from keeper. Resulting corner from right finds Watkins near post. His clever flick zips just over bar.
76 min – Good play down left to edge of box. Ball laid out to Honey, low strike flashes just wide of near post with ‘keeper scrambling.
87 min – Tonbridge miss a sitter with seemingly well offside no20 running in on goal. Emberson forces him very wide and his shot rolls across the face of goal before being cleared by the re-introduced Scooby.
Overall a fairly uninspiring first friendly. For me, of the 3 triallists, two didn’t really shine that much. With the no8 only really looking useful when re-introduced up front in the second half. The defender did look useful though.
Still, it’s only the first friendly and there was no Vansittart, Quinton, Nurse or Akuamouah tonight.
As for the reason why the triallists must remain unnamed, it’s because the club doesn’t want their names made public in case anyone tries to ‘nick’ em before we’ve had chance to have a look. Normally in this situation, we’d rail against censorship of the press and go into a 2 hour rant about our right to free speech.
But as they said ‘please’….
TEAM : Wilson, Scarborough, Victor Doutzer, A. Trialist, Palmer, Brake, Gray, A. Trialist, Watkins, Douglas, Tydeman SUBS : Carl Emberson (GK), Paul Honey, Lewis Gonsalves, Luke Adam, Craig Howard, A Trialist.