Kentish Football 
If we get sloppy Hitchin will punish us, warns Tonbridge Angels boss Tommy Warrilow
The Angels have climbed up to eleventh-place in the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South table, following wins over Dorchester Town (2-1) and Staines Town (4-1).
Warrilow said: “I was talking about the importance of back-to-back victories before the game and how much the importance of back-to-back victories can do for you in this league.
“It’s so tight. We went to Dorchester the week before and put in a good performance in not good conditions and we took that performance to Staines and played some good stuff and thoroughly deserved the win. I’m hoping now we can start pushing on a little bit.”
The Angels have collected 19 points from 15 games and are three points adrift of the play-off zone – or five points clear of the relegation zone.
Warrilow said: “I’ve never been one to worry about tables – it’s the points!
“We’re eleventh now but I’m fully aware it can go either way if you lose a couple you can go back down there and if you win one you can go into the top five – it’s just crazy!
“I’ve never been one to worry about top, middle or bottom – it’s just how the points are stacking up against the other teams in the league.
“Everyone seems to be coughing and spluttering because it’s such a tight league. The important thing is not to panic.”
Tonbridge Angels welcome Hitchin Town in the FA Carlsberg Trophy Third Qualifying Round on Saturday.
The Hertfordshire side are fifth-from-bottom in the Evo-Stick Southern Premier League table, with four wins and seven defeats from their eleven league outings so far.
Warrilow said: “Everyone is fit for selection and I think that’s not coincidental that we’ve won a couple. If everyone can stay fit and suspension free, competition makes players’ raise their game and we’re bearing the fruits of it.”
When asked what he knows about the Canaries, Warrilow said: “I’ve spoken to a couple of people who have played against them. It doesn’t matter if a team are bottom of the Kent League – look at the game you went to last night (Hollands & Blair v Ramsgate in the Kent Senior Cup), you just don’t know what happens in football.
“The most important thing for me was to get us playing well. We’ve lost a couple on the spin, which didn’t do us any favours but the team are a little bit more (confident) after the last two performances.
“We were poor against Farnborough and at home to Bath City. I don’t think we were poor but we’ve lost a game of football again so we just had to stay strong and the last two performances have given the lads’ a lift.
“If we can play the way we did in the last two games with work-rate and style of play, we can’t ask for much more, but if we get sloppy Hitchin will punish us.
“They’ve got a couple of good players there that on their day have got Hitchin quite a few wins.
“It might be somebody else’s day against us but we just have an all-round assessment on the side but we’ll be working on what we’re good at as per normal and what we’re not good at and hope they’re worrying about us more.”
Warrilow would like to enjoy a good run in The FA Carlsberg Trophy, especially as the club have suffered first hurdle exits in the FA Cup during the past six years.
“Any run, any cup run. You go into every game and you want to win every game. Wealdstone proved last year what you can do in this competition if on the day you get everything right.
“The club want a little cup run and try and resurrect the Oxford run when I first got here, but let’s get Saturday out of the way first!
Warrilow provided the latest update on striker Mikel Suarez, who went into a coma after going into hospital after clashing heads with team-mate Lee Browning against Farnborough last month.
“I spoke to Mikel yesterday, he’s been back to the specialist regarding his eye socket and thankfully it looks like he doesn’t need an operation on that, they’re monitoring his actual eye,” revealed the Angels boss.
“He’s sleeping a lot. He’s still on heavy tablets that makes him sleep quite a lot of the day. He’s going for ten minute walks, which is a big step forward for Mikel. It’s just going to be a slow, slow progress for him.
“He’s at home with his family and that’s the main thing. He sounded a lot better yesterday in himself but he’s very tired because of the drugs they’re giving him.
“He’s still got to go back and see the specialist regarding the injury and that’s understandable.”
When asked how he felt when the well-liked player suffered his life-threatening injuries, Warrilow replied, “I didn’t really face it because we just thought he took a whack on the head. We knew it was a bad collision and both of the lads went to hospital but once we heard all what happened after that it became a massive issue for the club, not just myself or the players, the fans and the board and anyone who know Mikel and the amount of support we got around non-league football was fantastic.
“When it’s one of your own you can’t get your head around it. The lad was in a coma. It did change the mood of the changing room but it’s a hard thing to take in when it happens to one of your own.
“I’m just glad he’s back at home. It’s nice speaking to him and it’s nice that he is on the road to recovery. He’s got long rehabilitation sessions to go through but the main thing he’s got his health back and he’s off and running and going in the right direction.
“He’s employers have been brilliant. His job has been fantastic with him and we don’t forget our own either. Everyone around us has been fantastic and he can’t thank everyone enough. He’s got his family here and it’s nice to know he’s got his work are on the same boat as well.”
Visit Tonbridge Angels’ website: www.tonbridgeangelsonline.co.uk
Tonbridge Angels v Hitchin Town
The FA Carlsberg Trophy Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 10th November 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Longmead Stadium, Darenth Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent TN10 3JF
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd