Tonbridge Angels 2-1 Hayes & Yeading United - We left everyone on the edge of their seats - Warrilow

TONBRIDGE ANGELS  2-1  HAYES & YEADING UNITED
The FA Cup with Budweiser Second Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday 1^st October 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Longmead Stadium

TONBRIDGE ANGELS boss Tommy Warrilow says he is pleased that he’s won his first FA Cup tie in four years after his side deservedly progressed past ten-man Hayes & Yeading United at the second attempt.

The Angels can now look forward to a trip to Calor Premier League side St Albans City in the Third Qualifying Round on 12 October.

Tonbridge Angels, who went into the two games against their Conference South rivals in seventeenth-place in the table with eight points from eight games, deserved to go through to the penultimate qualifying round against their ninth-placed rivals.

The two sides played out a goal-less draw at Woking’s Kingfield Stadium on Sunday afternoon, but Tonbridge Angels received a boost when Hayes & Yeading United striker Kelvin Bossman was controversially red-carded after 21 minutes for allegedly swearing at referee Barry Holderness in tonight’s replay.

Tonbridge Angels took advantage of that by scoring twice in twelve minutes through central defender Gary Elphick and target-man Mikel Suarez.

The pair join eight other players who have scored a goal apiece from their eleven games this season.

Hayes & Yeading United pulled a goal back when Frankie Merrifield slotted home with eleven minutes remaining to set up a tense finish but Tonbridge Angels sealed their first ever victory over their opponents.

It was Warrilow’s third FA Cup victory in nine and ended a miserable run of going out at the first attempt to Guildford City, Chelmsford City and Dover Athletic in the past three seasons.

Warrilow’s previous FA Cup wins for the club came in 2009 when Metropolitan Police (1-0) and Horsham YMCA (4-0) were defeated at Longmead Stadium.

He said: “I suppose it gets the monkey off my back sort of thing. But we’re talking about it earlier was that your first one? I don’t think it’s my first one (FA Cup win) but it’s my first one in three years. I can’t remember further back than that!”

Warrilow added: “We’ve had two hard games. They’re a decent side. I know it sounds stupid when you go 2-0 up at half-time and they’re down to ten men. We knew they had nothing to lose and were just going to go for it so we knew the second half would be difficult but I don’t think we helped ourselves in certain situations but over the 90 minutes we deserved to win.”

The Angels collected a welcomed £4,500 in prize money from The Football Association and Warrilow said: “We’re through to the next round and that’s the most important thing. 

“It’s important to every club. We’re no different. Obviously this year we need all the help we can get, not just for the players as well, it doesn’t all go in to the players, it’s about keeping the facilities right and make sure we keep our Conference South status.

“We’ve got another difficult tie against St Albans but again it’s another winnable game so if we can eradicate a few little bits and bobs like we do because we always leave everyone on the edge of their seats down here. I’d like it a bit easier but the main thing is we’re through!”

Phil Babb’s side posed an early threat with a couple of headed chances within the opening 12 minutes.

Jack Mills’ swung in a high corner from the left with his right-foot and Charlie Wassmer came up from the back to loop his header into Clark Masters’ gloves, before left-back Tom Bird ghosted in to glance Jake Reid’s cross from the left, which sailed past the far post.

Tonbridge Angels’ first chance arrived in the sixteenth-minute when Phillip Appiah (who was playing against his former club) whipped in a low cross and Elphick’s near post flicked shot brought a smart low save from former Dover Athletic stopper Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, low to his right.

Tonbridge Angels keeper Masters made a comfortable save just 64 seconds later after Louis Soares made progress before playing the ball inside to Bossman, whose right-footed shot on the turn deflected into the keeper’s gloves.

But Hayes & Yeading United faced an uphill task when Bossman was shown a straight red card for what could only have been for verbal dissent.

When asked about the red card, Warrilow was just as puzzled as everyone else in the ground.

He claimed: “He swore at the ref so the ref sent him off!  I didn’t see what happened. I saw the card come out. I didn’t know if he hit anyone or whatever but apparently he swore at the ref.”

Warrilow added: “I don’t know why but everyone will tell you when teams go down to ten men and when you go a couple of goals down you’ve got nothing to lose so you just throw caution to the wind and that’s when you’ve got to be disciplined and take your chances when you hit teams on the break.

“Tonight, all the time that third goal didn’t go in, they’re in with a shout.

“At 2-0, again, the next goal’s important and they got it but we showed character to keep going and see it out but I feel we should’ve had a couple more at the end to make it a bit more comfortable.”

Suarez issued Hayes & Yeading United a warning when he planted a header across goal and past the post following a cross from the left from his hard-working strike partner Luke Blewden.

Another chance fell to Tonbridge Angels within two minutes when Nathan Green swung in a corner from the right, the ball was flicked across goal by Elphick and the unmarked Appiah cracked a right-footed volley over.

Jaimez-Ruiz was forced to dive to his right to push Appiah’s right-footed drive from 35-yards around the post after a good progress down the right from attacking full-back Henry Muggeridge.

Tonbridge Angels finally got the breakthrough, by taking the lead in the 31^st minute.

David Ijaha pumped the ball into the penalty area from the right and Blewden rose to head the ball across goal. Suarez challenged the goalkeeper and the ball dropped down for Elphick to turn the ball in to the back of the net from close range before celebrating wildly with his team-mates.

Warrilow was pleased with Elphick’s desire to score to become joint top goalscorer on ONE GOAL!

He said: “I was telling the boys about set-pieces and attacking things and having desire to get on the end of things.

“When you see everyone in a crumpled heap at the end with lumps on their head like Gary Elphick’s got a golf ball on his head at the moment you get your just rewards. The goalkeeper’s on the floor and my centre forward and everyone’s on the floor but it’s having that desire to die and get in the box and that’s how we got the first goal.”

The Angels’ had one foot in the next round when they doubled their lead in the 43^rd minute.

Warrilow was full of praise for Green for producing an excellent cross from the left for Suarez, who powered his header into the roof the net despite the former AFC Wimbledon keeper getting a hand to the ball.

He said: “Greenie’s waking up a little bit now. He’s not had the best of times.  It’s a great, great cross in and Mikel’s timed it perfectly and powered it in. I don’t think anyone would have stopped that!”

Warrilow told his troops during the interval to expect a second half backlash from Hayes & Yeading United.

He said: “Just it’s not over and believe you me they’re going to come at us in the second half because I’d be the same if I was 2-0 down with ten-men.  You might as well lose 4-0!

“We knew they’d be a bit more direct and one thing they have got is they do have pace in their side and the lads they kept bringing on, one was faster than the other. It was pace, pace, pace and pace.”

Just like Sunday’s game in Woking, Tonbridge Angels squandered some decent second half chances to put the game beyond their opponents’ reach.

Lee Browning swung in a free-kick towards the far post where Appiah was not tracked and the midfielder guided a close-range header straight at the 29-year-old goalkeeper at the near post.

Tonbridge Angels defender Sonny Miles – who had stayed up for a long throw from Blewden – stroked his shot from inside the penalty area across the keeper and narrowly wide of the far post after Ijaha chipped the ball back into the penalty area.

Hayes & Yeading United almost grabbed a goal inside the opening 12 minutes of the second half when presented with a free-kick just outside the corner of the penalty area.

Soares clipped his right-footed free-kick over the wall and was denied his first goal of the season when the ball bounced off the near post with Masters beaten.

The Tonbridge Angels boss said: “You know what, I’ll give Clark the benefit because he knew that wasn’t going in. He sort of went across and not even go to parry it. It’s a bit tight the judgement but I think he had it covered. I’d rather that than give a corner away.”

Just past the hour-mark, the Angels burst forward through Elphick before he laid the ball off to Green, who stroked a right-footed shot on the turn straight at Jaimez-Ruiz from 25-yards.

Left-sided midfielder Green was denied again when his low left-footed free-kick rolled to the visiting keeper who made a comfortable save beside his post.

Masters made a comfortable save at his near post to prevent Merrifield from scoring with a right-footed shot on the turn from 22-yards.

The chance to win the game more comfortably was squandered by the Angels with seventeen minutes left.

Muggeridge, Browning and Appiah kept possession of the ball down the right channel and Browning threaded the ball through to Muggeridge to reach the by-line before floating his cross back to an unmarked Blewden, who glanced his header agonisingly wide of the far post when he should have scored from six-yards.

Warrilow said: “It’s about seeing the game out at the end. To be fair we should’ve really wrapped it up.  We had about four chances in the second half that we’ve not put away and all the time you do that you’re dreading the worse.

“We’ve got to put them away and it makes life easier for us but we’re not at the moment.

“Blewey works his socks off. He’s still a raw, raw talent but he gives you 110%. He should have scored tonight. 

“I think that perhaps if I want to be really cynical that’s probably the difference at the moment. Other teams may have had a few more goals tonight but as long as my lads give me what they’ve got, I’m happy with them.”

Tonbridge Angels were made to pay for that miss as Hayes & Yeading United pulled a goal back through nineteen-year-old former AFC Wimbledon midfielder Merrifield.

Wassmer did well to shrug off the attentions of Green in midfield before playing the ball up to Luke Williams who slipped the ball through to Merrifield, who took advantage of Masters going to ground early before slotting his right-footed shot into the bottom corner to silence the home faithful.

“We’ve got lads there who have put a lot in to the last two games,” said Warrilow.

“I was alright with it but when you’ve got a lot of pace up top one ball can undo you, which they were trying to do all the time really.

“We lost possession again and they’ve slid the ball in and he’s through the lad.

“At the time there were a few tired legs setting in.  That’s what happens. They’re knocking on the door and we didn’t take our chances to make it three and they’ve got one back and it made it a tense finish.

“The goal has taken the gloss of it. It leaves you biting your nails for the last ten minutes so I was disappointed that they got the lifeline.

“We got into good areas and we should’ve finished them of – but we didn’t!”

Williams squandered an excellent chance to level the game up but he lashed his shot high over the bar.

Green put his head in his hands when he missed a sitter for Tonbridge Angels – blasting a left-footed shot agonisingly wide of the foot of the left-hand post from sixteen-yards.

Hayes & Yeading United pressed late on and relied on hitting long balls out of defence.

Williams was thwarted by Masters, who caught the ball out to his right after the Hayes & Yeading United striker drove his left-footed shot towards the near corner.

And another long ball released Williams down the inside left channel, who chipped the ball over Masters but the ball drifted away from goal and substitute defender Garry Borrowdale, who has been booked seven times in nine appearances, hooked the ball clear from inside the six-yard box.

Since their back-to-back wins over Chelmsford City and Havant & Waterlooville at the end of August, the Angels have collected three draws, two defeats and tonight’s win.

“We’re becoming now more and more difficult to beat and we’re getting good results now. We’ve played some good sides.  Hayes & Yeading have been on a great run and they’re up there as well.

“Over the two games I felt we deserved the win.  All in all, I’m very pleased with tonight.”

Looking ahead to their trip to Clarence Park to play St Albans City, who have picked up four wins and a draw from their opening 9 league games and stand in eleventh-place in the table, the Angels boss said: “At least it’s something different! It could’ve been somebody else in our league or whatever.  They’ve got some good players over there so we’ll go there confident and respecting them.”

But before that, fifth-placed Staines Town visit Longmead Stadium in The Skrill South on Saturday.

“We’ve got a good FA Cup win tonight and we’ve got to carry that into Staines. We don’t put our feet up. The most important thing is the league so Saturday is a massive game as well.”

Meanwhile, Warrilow was disappointed that tonight’s game against the worst supported club in Conference South was the Kent club’s lowest crowd of the season.

“Hopefully there will be a few more Saturday,” he said.  “I can’t do nothing about the attendances. I’m sure there will be someone deep in thought about why.  When you get gates like tonight the only plus is that we’ve got FA Cup money on top of it. I expected a few more tonight but then football’s on the television.”

Tonbridge Angels: Clark Masters, Henry Muggeridge, Ryan Watts, Mikel Suarez (Mark Lovell 84), Gary Elphick (Gary Borrowdale 83), Sonny Miles, Phillip Appiah (Chris Piper 87), David Ijaha, Luke Blewden, Lee Browning, Nathan Green.
Subs: Nathan Pinney, Luke Olley, Scott Chalmers-Stevens

Goals: Gary Elphick 31, Mikel Suarez 43

Booked: Phillip Appiah 56

Hayes & Yeading United: Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, Adam Everitt, Tom Bird, Jack Mills, Charlie Wassmer, Dean Inman (Anthony Furlonge 72), Louis Soares (Kameron English 75), Frankie Merrifield, Kelvin Bossman, Luke Williams, Jake Reid (Seb Schoburgh 66).
Subs: Lewis Cole, Luke Bersey, Jack Thomson-Wheeler, James Warrington

Goal: Frankie Merrifield 79

Booked: Charlie Wassmer 90

Sent Off:  Kelvin Bossman 21

Attendance: 297
Referee: Mr Barry Holderness (Wickford, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Daniel Bonnywell (Herne Bay) & Mr David Smart (Maidstone)