Tonbridge Angels 1-2 Folkestone Invicta

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 1-2 FOLKESTONE INVICTA
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 4^th September 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Betterview Longmead Stadium

Folkestone Invicta manager Neil Cugley is puzzled as to why his side save their best performances for the road, having won their second game of the season tonight.

Having won 3-0 at Harlow Town at the end of last month, Cugley’s men withstood a second half barrage from hosts Tonbridge Angels, before scoring a late sucker punch.

Kevin Watson’s second goal of the season had given Folkestone a 26^th minute lead from the penalty spot, but Tonbridge Angels deserved to level proceedings with only six minutes left when combative midfielder Scott Kinch opened his account for the campaign.

But despite being pegged back, Roland Edge netted his second goal of the season, with a free-kick, just 89 seconds later, which clinched the points.

Both sides wasted chances during a frenetic opening on the chilliest night of the season so far.

Tonbridge Angels’ star-midfielder Hamid Barr shot straight at Kieron Mann - the third goalkeeper that Cugley has used during their first six games this season - inside the opening two minutes, before at the other end, James Corbett blazed over after being played in by the hard-working Leigh Bremner.

And Ray Powell, back leading the Tonbridge line after completing his five-match ban, headed Fraser Logan’s cross over.

Tonbridge goalkeeper, Matt Reed, 20, was called into action after nine minutes when he pushed Corbett’s angled drive around his near-post.

Another squandered Tonbridge chance arrived after 25 minutes when Powell’s glanced his header past the far post from fourteen yards after a penetrating run down the left from Scottish midfielder, Fraser Logan.

But it was Folkestone Invicta that opened the scoring, with 25 minutes and 35 seconds on the clock.

Richard Harris’ header back towards Reed was short and this allowed former Cray Wanderers and Dulwich Hamlet striker Bremner to pounce.

But Bremner was upended by Reed, who escaped punishment, and after referee Mr David Buck had blown his whistle to signal a penalty, Bremner’s blushes for hitting the far post were spared.

And Watson rolled his right-footed penalty to the grounded goalkeeper’s left to hand Invicta the lead.

Tonbridge should have drawn level after 37 minutes.

Striker Jon Main, who didn’t really look like adding to the four goals that he’s scored this season, floated a cross towards Kinch at the far-post.

But Kinch directed his header back across goal from eight-yards, instead of towards goal, and the alert Main burst towards the ball but nodded down and past the foot of the near post from close range.

Invicta were denied a second goal five minutes before the break when Reed made a great save to turn Watson’s shot over the bar after Mark Saunders had played the ball up to Bremner.

And with the last kick of the first half, Watson’s right-footed free-kick was spilt by Reed, who managed to grab the ball before the onrushing Invicta players could pounce.

As expected, it was the home side that dominated for the majority of the second half.

Their first chance fell after three second half minutes when Powell latched onto a big punt up field by Harris, but brave Mann came rushing off his line and Powell could only nod past the right-post.

Kinch then powered his header agonisingly past the near post following Barr’s 55^th minute free-kick.

And Main glanced his header past the far post from six-yards, following Logan’s whipped in cross just two minutes later.

With 22 minutes remaining, Kinch, back to his best, powered his second header over the bar, from another Barr free-kick.

Mann made a fine reflex save to deny Tonbridge defender John Beales scoring with his head following Barr’s corner, which was won when Main’s flicked shot deflected past the far post following Powell’s cross.

But Watson could have wrapped up the victory in the 75^th minute, against the run of play, but his right-footed drive curled just past the far post from 25-yards.

With all their substitutes on the pitch, big central defender, Harris was deployed as a target man, just like he was during the 3-1 defeat at Margate on Saturday - Charlie Side netting a quickfire hat-trick after just nine minutes.

And Harris came close to scoring when his right-footed drive brought a low save by Mann, and this was followed by Main blazing over when he was left unmarked on the right-hand side of the box.

But Tonbridge fully deserved their equaliser with 38 second half minutes and 43 seconds on the clock.

Harris whipped in a cross from the left hand side and Kinch was on hand to stab the ball past Mann from four-yards.

But Kinch turned hero to villain when he was penalised for a high challenge on Bremner - a costly mistake.

Folkestone skipper Edge stroked a left-footed 22-yard free-kick past Reed, who was rooted to the spot, into the bottom left-hand corner, to the delight of the fans thatr had made the trip from east Kent.

“At the moment, were playing very well away from home and the disappointing thing for the club is that we’re not doing very well at home,” Cugley admitted when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“That’s a bit of a shame, something we’ve got to put right but with the attitude and the performance of today’s game, hopefully we can put it right.”

Cugley, in his eleventh season with the club, was pleased with the performance from his side, signalling out teenage defenders, Liam Friend and Frankie Chappell.

“It’s funny really, it’s disappointing that we weren’t winning by more at half-time,” he said.

“We had three or four really good chances and we should have gone in (at the interval) a lot more.

“Then, to be fair to them, they’re the home side and threw everything at us, absolutely everything, and I thought our defending was superb.

“The young two centre halves, both 18, Liam Friend and Frankie Chappell are absolutely outstanding. I couldn’t ask for anymore.

“The pressure, to be fair, Tonbridge put on us, they chucked everyone up at the end and we’re really disappointed to even let a goal in because we defended so well.”

Tonbridge Angels’ player-manager, Tony Dolby, 33, was disappointed afterwards, especially as his side are under performing.

“I fully anticipated us putting in a very good performance and really, really, was looking to take three points tonight,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“I thought it was pretty even, I thought we had a few decent chances.

“They didn’t really create too many chances, I thought it was pretty even until the mistake (by Richard Harris) that lead to the penalty, if you like, and that gives us a little bit of a problem again.

“I think it was more individual errors than us starting slowly tonight.”

Despite putting on so much pressure during a one-sided second half, Dolby felt his side should have gone on and won this Kentish derby.

“We’ve created numerous chances and were very much on top,” he admitted. “Folkestone have got something to hold onto in their lead and when we did get the goal, I thought there was going to be one winner because we were that much on top at the time.

“But then to give a silly free-kick away in the manner in which they scored straight after, really put all the hard work that we put in, caused us a problem again.”

On Invicta’s winner, Dolby fumed: “We were outnumbered on the edge of the box, goodness knows why and Scott Kinch has put in a high tackle, a foot up, which is a free-kick and the wall, I don’t think he’s done a lot with the ball to be honest.

“I don’t think the wall was set up well and obviously the goalkeeper’s positioning weren’t great.”

Tonbridge Angels: Matt Reed, Ian Parkes (James Donovan 79), Jon Heath (Kirk Hushu 45), Robbie Kember, Richard Harris, John Beales, Hamid Barr, Scott Kinch, Ray Powell, Jon Main, Fraser Logan (Antony Storey 62).
Subs: Ryan Martin.

Goal: Scott Kinch 84

Folkestone Invicta: Kieron Mann, James Everitt, Roland Edge, Kevin Watson, Frankie Chappell, Liam Friend, Michael Everitt, Mark Saunders, Leigh Bremner , (Samuel Kola Okikiolu 87), Damian Abel (Ryan Briggs 73), James Corbett (Ellis Remy 90).
Subs: Ben Sly, Luke Stonebridge.

Goals: Kevin Watson 26 (pen), Rowland Edge 86

Attendance: 432
Referee: Mr David Buke (Istead Rise, Kent)
Assistants: Mr Dominic Lyons (Lewes, East Sussex) & Mr J Slaney (Brighton, East Sussex)