Tonbridge Angels 1-4 Dartford - I just told them to believe in themselves, revealed Burman

Saturday 13th February 2010

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 1-4 DARTFORD
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 13th February 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Longmead Stadium

TONY BURMAN revealed exactly what he said to his players during the half-time interval, which inspired his side to turn around a poor first half performance to prove exactly why his Dartford side are going to clinch the Ryman Premier League title this season.

Tonbridge Angels appeared to perform like the runaway table toppers during a scintillating first half performance, which left the Darts looking ordinary, and it was no surprise when striker Paul Booth netted his fourteenth goal of the season to give the home side a deserved half-time lead.

Maybe it was the news that Kingstonian (who kicked off at one o’clock this afternoon) moved to within four points of the Darts by kick-off time following their 2-1 home win over fourth-from-bottom side Billericay Town, but Burman’s wise words clearly had the desired effect as Dartford went on to romp to a clinical 4-1 win.

Second half goals for Ryan Johnson (his first for the club), Danny Harris, Elliot Bradbrook and Rob Haworth’s eleventh of the season, made up for last season’s defeat by the same scoreline here last season.

Burman made a quintet of changes from the side that lost their second successive game last weekend, with John Beales, Johnson, Ryan Hayes and Lee Noble all coming into the side to relegate Jamie Coyle, Danny Dafter, James White and Haworth to the subs bench.

Tonbridge Angels, meanwhile, kept faith with the same starting eleven that ended their eight-game winless league run - a 3-2 home win over Cray Wanderers - in midweek, although former Dover Athletic right-winger, Jerahl Hughes started on the bench, like he did for Andy Hessenthaler’s side this season before being released, before signing forms for Sussex County League side Whitehawk and for Ryman League Division One South outfit Eastbourne Town.

But it were the Angels that were clearly the better side during a one-sided first half, although the 400 or so travelling Dartford supporters won the terrace battle throughout the game with their passionate support.

Tonbridge left-back, Liam Harwood, played an excellent diagonal ball over the top of Dartford left-back Adam Gross, which Sam Long latched upon but his angled drive brought a low save out of Andrew Young, his opposite number, Lee Worgan was a virtual spectator during the half.

Kirk Watts then swung in a corner from the left, which caused a goal-mouth scramble, and Booth’s flick bounced off the post before the Dartford defence were able to clear their lines.

Tonbridge Angels deservedly took the lead after nineteen minutes, through some lovely slick football.

Box-to-box central midfielder, Lee Minshull, released Long down the right and after cutting inside his pass found Kamie Cade inside the box, who set up Booth to place a right-footed shot across the beaten Young and the ball caressed off the foot of the far post to find the back of the net.

Tonbridge dominated the remainder of the first half, although both keeper’s weren’t to be tested again, but whatever Burman said inside the away dressing room at the interval had the desired effect and turned the game on its head.

They were level inside the first six minutes of the second half, and from that moment on they ran Tonbridge ragged with some excellent attacking football.

An excellent move down the right saw left-footed, right-winger, Hayes find Harris inside the box and he found Johnson, who placed his shot across Worgan to find the bottom left-hand corner.

Tonbridge were left to rue a couple of good chances to regain the lead.

Booth picked the ball up yards outside the Dartford penalty area in a central position, but he stroked the ball into Young’s arms.

Then, Harwood had time and space to cross the ball from the left and this was flicked on by Booth but Jamie Cade swept the ball agonisingly past the foot of the near post with his left-foot.

Dartford, meanwhile, took the lead for the first time just 110 seconds later.

The Angels two central defenders (Sonny Miles and Marc Cumberbatch) didn’t deal with a Young punt up field down the middle of the pitch and Lee Burns flicked the ball, via a deflection, into Harris’ path and he slotted the ball past the advancing Worgan to find the far corner via the post.

With fifteen minutes remaining, Tonbridge missed another good chance when Long found Booth inside the penalty area and his swept right-footed shot brought a low save from the Darts keeper.

Two goals inside the final nine minutes wrapped up the win for Dartford.

Bradbrook (who had just skimmed the far post with a curling drive on the angle) picked up the ball some 30-yards from goal, following Cumberbatch’s clearance, and lashed a left-footed pile-driver into the top left-hand corner, giving Worgan no chance at all.

And then full-back Adam Gross was released down the left and his pin-point cross was met by a bullet header from target-man Haworth from six-yards, which rocketed into the roof of the net.

So Mr Burman, what exactly did you say during the half-time interval?

“Not too much really,” came Burman’s reply, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“I just felt that at half-time we reached rock bottom and to be fair in the last couple of games we haven’t performed.

“I thought the first half, again it just wasn’t good enough.

“Basically, we just put it back to the players and just asked them to roll their sleeves up and get out and have a go because they’re better players than what they’re showing.

“It’s a game about belief and they came out, to be fair to them, they’ve done well in the first five or ten minutes and we managed to score a goal to equalise and once you score that first goal it breeds that belief and a little bit of confidence.

“They’ve gone and done it themselves, the players, but I think they owe it to themselves to go and do it so fair play to them.”

He added: “We’ve just got ourselves in a little bit of a rut. Winning is a good habit and losing becomes a bad habit and you’ve got to get yourself out of it.

“We’ve gone a goal down, again, gave a team a lifeline, which made it a bit more difficult for us to get back into things.

“I was fuming at half-time, but there wasn’t no shouting or anything. I just told them how I felt and they responded in an excellent manner and I think they showed what good players they actually are.”

Speaking about Tonbridge’s dominant first-half performance, Burman said: “Teams are coming at us and giving their 110% in the first half against us and if we can hold that to a nil-nil or nick a goal we’ll go and win the games. I’ve got no doubt about that.

“At the moment we’ve been dangling the carrot and teams have taken the lead against us and given them a lift.

“Second half, we were a more fitter side going down the slope, which we were pleased about. We were defending the slope in the first half.”

Seven points clear at the summit, things are tickling alone nicely for the Princes Park outfit.

“I’m confident that the players that I’ve got can get us promoted,” said Burman. “We set our stall out to get promoted this year and we’re focused in getting promoted this year.”

For Tonbridge Angels boss Tommy Warrilow, it was definitely a game of two halves for his side.

“First half, we started well,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards. “If anything, I thought we could have got a couple more goals to go in with but half-time we calmed the lads down.

“We knew it would be a bit different second half going down the hill with a little bit of a wind but we just didn’t get out for the second half. We never got out of the box, balls upfield are meat and drink for Flans (Adam Flanagan) at the back.

“We never really turned them and the ball just kept coming back. We’ve got to stop and organise but we didn’t, we didn’t re-group.

“We didn’t deserve anything out of the second half to be honest, just the occasional break away but the first half was good stuff.”

Warrilow’s men remain one place above the drop zone, and the disappointed boss added: “We’ve had a bad run of results but I don’t think we’ve been playing that badly, but it’s about the results. You pick (the newspaper) up tomorrow and it’s 4-1.

“The second half, we couldn’t get at them. They got two in the last ten minutes. There wasn’t a lot of options regarding changing it around. I put Anthony Storey and Jon Heath on the bench but they couldn’t really get on. They’re a couple of days off from tying to compete again.”

“I’m disappointed because 4-1 is not a nice result to have, but first half I thought perhaps if we had one more, we had a couple of chances second half, if Boothy stuck one of them away, you never know.

“I’m clutching at straws trying to get something out of the second half performance really.”

Warrilow revealed why he has brought Hughes to the club.

“We’ve signed him and said come down until the end of the season.” he said. “He’s not had a game since the start of the new year. He had the disappointment of being let go at Dover.

“He signed a couple of forms down in Sussex. I believe he signed forms for Whitehawk and had a couple of games for them and signed for Eastbourne Town, but he didn’t kick a ball for them.

“He was trying to get his head right and I’m hoping to get his career back on track. The boy’s got ability but he’s literally walked in today, it’s the first time I’ve met him.

“He’s a good player and we know what he can bring to the club.”

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Phil Starkey, Liam Harwood, Lee Minshull, Sonny Miles (Jerahl Hughes 84) Marc Cumberbatch, Sam Long, Scott Kinch, Jamie Cade, Paul Booth, Kirk Watts.
Subs: Akwasi Edusei, Anthony Storey, Jon Heath, Liam Baker.

Goal: Paul Booth 19
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Booked: Sonny Miles 48

Dartford: Andrew Young, Billy Burgess, Adam Gross, Adam Flanagan, John Beales, Ryan Johnson, Ryan Hayes (James White 83), Lee Noble, Danny Harris, Lee Burns (Rob Haworth 73), Elliot Bradbrook (Jamie Coyle 89).
Subs: Danny Dafter, Adam Burchell.

Goals: Ryan Johnson 51, Danny Harris 72, Elliot Bradbrook 81, Rob Haworth 85

Booked: Ryan Hayes 33, Adam Flanagan 41, Adam Gross 45, Rob Haworth 83

Attendance: 842
Referee: Mr Phillip Knight (Canterbury)
Assistants: Mr Baris Erguven (Brighton, East Sussex) & Mr Andrew Colwell (Eastbourne, East Sussex)