Tonbridge Angels close to smashing £28,000 target to screen the young

TONBRIDGE ANGELS manager Steve McKimm says the club are ahead of schedule.

The Angels held league leaders Dulwich Hamlet to a 1-1 draw at a rain-drenched Longmead Stadium on Saturday to climb one place to third in the Ryman Premier League table on 47 points from 25 games.

It was a game of two halves for the Angels, dominating and creating a number of first half chances, before Gavin Rose did exactly the same in the second half.

Dulwich Hamlet took the lead through Mitchell Nelson’s header, but Nathan Elder headed home a last-gasp equaliser for a share of the spoils.

Tonbridge Angels are next in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Aveley to play 12^th placed Grays Athletic.

Victory in Essex will see Tonbridge Angels leap frog over both Hampton & Richmond Borough and Dulwich Hamlet to reach the summit with 20 games remaining.

“Grays are a good side.  The pitch isn’t going to be the best but you’ve got to equip to what’s been put in front of you,” said McKimm, 40.

“It will make for another entertaining game because Mark Bentley’s sides like to play football and if we can do the same I’m sure it will be entertaining for everyone.”

The Angels have slipped up on more than one occasion by drawing games that had they won they would have reached the top of the Ryman Premier League table.

“I won’t get carried away or run away with predictions,” McKimm said of his side’s prospects in 2016.

“We’re going to do better than what we did last year and we’ll then build on that in the third year and that was always going to be my plan.”

The visit of Dulwich Hamlet attracted the largest crowd of the season to Longmead Stadium this season when 1,095 turned out on a miserable wet day.

McKimm said: “Great for the club, Dulwich travel well. The atmosphere was brilliant. They were noisy, we were noisy. I just felt it was a good game of football to be involved in, the first one of 2016.

“You’ve got to enjoy them and embrace them and that’s what we’ll do,” McKimm said of their last 20 games.”

Meanwhile, off the pitch, Tonbridge Angels have raised funds in their Football Fightback campaign that aims to screen 800 young people in the quest to eradicate death through undetected cardiac issues.

The Football Fightback campaign has received significant support and advice from the charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) which promotes the prevention of young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness, screening and research together with the provision of support for affected families.

“Next weekend sees the first 200 young people being screened for potentially hidden cardiac issues,” said chairman Steve Churcher.

“I still find it incredible that we have raised over £23,000 in just under six months since we lost Junior Dian – thank you for your support.”

Dian collapsed and tragically died on the pitch during the second half of the club’s opening pre-season friendly at Whyteleafe in July.

Tonbridge Angels’ footballers will be taking part in the screening and also members of the West Kent Sunday League, Tonbridge & District Football League and Tonbridge Juniors FC.  All Tonbridge Angels members and their families who qualify by age have also received invitations.

Anyone wanting to donate to the Football Fightback campaign and help prevent unnecessary sudden death amongst young people can visit https://www.justgiving.com/footballfightback to make a contribution.

So far, £23, 460.64 has been raised in the shape of 101 donations and www.kentishfootball.co.uk readers have been asked to donate what they can this week to smash the £28,000 target.

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ website:  www.tonbridgeangelsonline.co.uk

Grays Athletic  v  Tonbridge Angels
Ryman Premier League
Wednesday 6^th January 2016
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Mill Lane, Mill Field Road, Aveley, Essex RM15 4SJ