My players think they're better than what they are sometimes, fumes Warrilow

TONBRIDGE ANGELS boss Tommy Warrilow was fuming yesterday as lightening struck twice for the second successive Kent derby at Longmead Stadium, writes Stephen McCartney.

Goals from John Westcott, and Carl Rook’s 20^th goal of the season ensured the Angels went in at the break with a 2-0 lead over fierce rivals Maidstone United in front of their largest crowd of the season.

It could have been even better for Tonbridge had striker Ade Olorunda didn’t bundle over Stones goalkeeper Steve Northwood, following Tommy Tyne’s hanging cross in the first half, and had a 37^th minute goal ruled out.

But Warrilow, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, admitted his side “went into their shell”, and allowed their nearest rivals, who finished the game with ten-men, to earn a deserved draw, courtesy of goals from the impressive Meshach Nugent and Roland Edge.

“I just feel the same as Ramsgate to be honest,” said an upset Warrilow. “I’ve got no qualms with the second half performance because Maidstone were on top.

“When you’re 2-1 up, you expect to finish the game off. I had a dig at the boys at half-time, because we were in the position to add to the two-nil. I thought we could’ve come in with a couple of more goals, but second half we never came out.

“We’ve let one back in to give them a lift and we’ve retreated even more and went into our shell and never really got going, so on reflection it was a fair point. Fair play to Maidstone.

“We’ve got to learn to kill games off, it’s the fourth time we’ve been 2-0 up and thrown it away.

“We’re a young side, the boys think they’re better than what they are sometimes, and they’ve got to learn from it.

“It was sloppy. We were 2-0 up, we should be killing teams off, keeping the ball. Even when they went down to ten men we never got the ball down, stretched them and tested them.”

Not for the first time this season, Angels failed to win to climb above Staines Town into second place. The Swans were held to a goal-less draw here in Kent, against a Dartford that were missing five key players.

Dover Athletic, who have yet drawn after 26 league games, are now a whopping 25 points clear of Staines at the top of the Ryman Premier League table.

And Warrilow, whose side remain in third place, fears too many draws may cost his side a place in the play-off lottery at the end of their 42-match league campaign.

He said: “The main thing is not to be beaten, but with 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw now, you draw too many games it does catch up with you.

“Obviously, I’d rather take one than nothing, but we have drawn a few games this year, but Maidstone are around us, we’ve taken two of them as well, I understand Staines dropped two today.

“We’ve still got to play Carshalton and Staines and teams around us, but destiny is still in our hands, but we can’t keep doing what we’ve done today.

“It’s just frustrating because we should have more points on the table without a shadow of a doubt and that’s through being sloppy and dropping three points here and there.”

Warrilow takes his side to Colston Avenue on Tuesday night to play fifth placed Carshalton Athletic in the third round of the Ryman League Cup.

When asked about team selection, Warrilow replied, “Don’t know yet mate, obviously I’ll sleep on that and decide Monday or Tuesday.

“It’s ruined my weekend as it does and hopefully it has theirs.”

But at least it’ll get yesterday’s surrender quickly out of their system.

“I’m not passing the buck, it stops with me, but they’ve got to take responsibility out there and they’ve got to start organising, re-grouping, getting each other going, because when things are going wrong, it’s alright when it’s going right, when it’s going wrong, you’ve got to nip it in the bud and organise yourselves.

Visit Tonbridge Angels websites: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

Carshalton Athletic v Tonbridge Angels
Ryman League Cup Third Round
Tuesday 20^th January 2009
Kick Off 7:45pm
At War Memorial Sports Ground, Colston Avenue, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2PN