Tonbridge Angels 2-0 Bognor Regis Town - Patched-up Angels turn ugly

Tuesday 22nd September 2009

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 2-0 BOGNOR REGIS TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 22nd September 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Longmead Stadium

TONBRIDGE ANGELS boss Tommy Warrilow says there’s more to come from his side - but once his injury crisis clears up.

The Angels made hard work to beat basement side Bognor Regis Town with a poor performance tonight - but Warrilow insisted that was due to three defensive players pulling out prior to kick-off.

Gavin Dayes (leg), Lewis Hamilton (calf/hamstring) and Tom Bryant (suspected ligaments) forced the Angels boss to tweak his line-up as the versatile Lee Minshull moved back to the heart of the defence with Jon Heath and Paul Butler either side of him.

Frenchman Jean-Michal Sigere (holding midfield role) and Butler (right back) were both promoted from the bench to start the game and with news that central defensive rock, Scott Gooding is to have a scan on his injury on Thursday, Warrilow faces a defensive nightmare for Saturday’s home game against Ryman One South side Horsham YMCA in the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Had Bognor Regis Town tucked away their chances, then it would have been a different story, as it was the Angels sealed a flattering 2-0 win.

On what was a frustrating night for the Longmead faithful, the home side almost snatched the lead in the 13th minute.

Butler floated in a cross from the right and Carl Rook and Paul Booth exchanged passes and after Rook shot weakly towards goal, although Jamie Cade’s stabbed shot was cleared off the line beside the near post.

Warrilow was forced into starting the game with a 3-5-2 formation, although he reverted back to 4-4-2 when the points were in the bag later on.

Plucky Bognor Regis, with Sam Tucknott impressive on the right-hand side of a four man midfield, should have levelled when Michael Birmingham’s initial high hanging cross from the right was hooked back into the danger area by Jason Prior and Tucknott was denied by a fine block from Tonbridge stopper Lee Worgan.

Bognor wasted a great chance to take a deserved lead in a spell when the visitors - with just four points to show for their efforts so far this season - were in control.

Once again Tucknott showed his talents down the right and he whipped in a dangerous cross into the middle, only for supporting central midfielder Charlie Oatway to blast a drive wide.

That was a wake-up call for injury-hit Tonbridge and they grabbed the lead, totally against the run of play, in the 23rd minute.

Anthony Storey’s free-kick was flicked across the box by Sigere, who won his aerial battle on the right-hand side of the penalty area and Rook turned Tim Bond to flick the ball into the bottom far corner from eight-yards.

Tonbridge’s first chance of the second half arrived in the 56th minute when Steve Ferguson cut in from the right and drove a shot towards the near post where goalkeeper Anthony Ender spilt and pounced on the loose ball at the second attempt.

But Bognor Regis wasted glorious chances to level and take the lead in and around the hour-mark.

Mickey Demetriou raced down the left and his low centre, although behind Prior, saw the striker turn and crack a left-footed drive from inside the box just over the crossbar.

Demetriou then touched a short free-kick into Birmingham’s path, and the long-serving midfielder cracked a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which flew just over.

Bognor were playing some bright football and in the 72nd minute Birmingham cut back a rolling free-kick for Tucknott to float in a cross and Worgan comfortably plucked Prior’s glancing header out of the air.

But Tonbridge Angels were playing like their old selves - when they reverted back to 4-4-2 - and grabbed a flattering second with fifteen minutes remaining.

Left-winger Kirk Watts did his magic and after cutting inside his driven cross was blocked and the ball rolled out to Storey, who smashed a low right-footed drive from 25-yards, which bounced into the bottom right-hand corner, a wicked deflection deceiving Ender.

The Angels handed substitute Ebenezer Masade (a recent signing from Sutton United’s reserves) his debut late on, although Warrilow said the pacy striker will feature for the reserves tomorrow night.

Despite a below-par performance, the Angels moved up to fourth in the Ryman Premier League table - 10 points behind early runaway leaders Dartford.

“I’ve never known a game like it prior to it because we lost three of the lads in the warm-up,” bemoaned Warrilow, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“We just had to shuffle it around the best we could. I never had four defenders, it was one of them, patch them up and put them out there and all I could ask for was for them to work hard.

“We lost our shape at times but that was to be expected with what we had to go with.

“The most important thing was to get three points after (losing to a last minute goal at home to Sutton United) Saturday.”

Warrilow highlighted the fact that losing three players forced him into changing formation and shape and that put paid to their flair play.

“It wasn’t the best game of football, it was never going to be,” he said.

“Bognor are not a poor side, you’ve seen tonight. Everyone’s beating them and the most important thing was not to be the first team (after Hornchurch) they’ve turned over.

“We’ve not played well tonight, the second time we’ve not played well and we’ve kept a clean sheet and won again.

“But they had a couple of chances second half that they’re kicking themselves that they’ve not hit the back of the net but we need that little bit of luck at the moment with what went on prior to the game.”

Whilst some supporters would have gone home unsatisfied with their side’s performance, Warrilow is taking the positives from the disappointing 90 minutes of football.

“The most important thing was to get three points tonight and hopefully get into the next round of the FA Cup on Saturday,” he said.

“We’re sitting nicely in fourth place tonight and it’s not too bad but I’m not kidding myself. It’s not brilliant tonight but it was always going to be a scrappy affair especially after what happened prior to the match.

“I’d love to freshen things up and be creative but I’ve got loads playing out of position as it is and we’ve got youngsters on the bench and it’s very hard to change a game when they’ve not played in the Ryman Premier.

“I’m not happy that we didn’t play that nice tonight but sometimes you’ve got to win ugly and that was what tonight was about.”

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Paul Butler, Jon Heath, Jamie Cade, Lee Minshull, Jean-Michal Sigere (Richard Styles 69), Steve Ferguson, Anthony Storey, Paul Booth (Ebenezer Masade 88), Carl Rook, Kirk Watts.

Sub: Steffan Ball.

Goals: Carl Rook 23, Anthony Storey 75

Booked: Steve Ferguson 34

Bognor Regis Town: Anthony Ender, Jack Smith, James Crane, Lewis Ide, Tim Bond, Stuart Tuck (Richard Greenfield 76), Sam Tucknott, Michael Birmingham (Matt Wood 83), Jason Prior, Charlie Oatway (James Fraser 60), Mickey Demetriou.

Subs: Howard Neighbour, Ruben French, Richard Greenfield, Matt Wood.

Booked: Michael Birmingham 9

Attendance: 348

Referee: Mr Tony Mason (Sidcup)

Assistants: Mr Tim Burman (Welling) & Mr Adam Bakalarz (Bromley)