Tonbridge Angels 2-3 Bury Town - I take full responsibility. It wasn't good enough! - Warrilow

Tuesday 24th August 2010

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 2-3 BURY TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 24th August 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Longmead Stadium

TONBRIDGE ANGELS boss Tommy Warrilow says he takes full responsibility for the club’s dismal start to the new Ryman Premier League season, which sees one of the promotion contenders rooted to the foot of the table after two games.

An opening 3-0 defeat away to Billericay Town surprised many, but the expectant Longmead faithful expected a reaction against a Bury Town side that clinched promotion via the Zamaretto League Midland Division, scoring 115 goals and collecting 102 points in the process.

The Suffolk side only arrived an hour before kick-off, having left their ground at half-past-three and their sole attention during a one-sided first half was to frustrate the Kent side.

The breakthrough finally came as a late brace from striker Paul Booth ensured the Angels went in at the break two goals up - richly deserved as was their dominance.

But what was to follow stunned the home fans into silence as Sam Read’s excellent free-kick curled into the far corner after 50 minutes, before Lee Read slotted home 12 minutes later, before Sam Read had the freedom of Tonbridge to score a deserved winner with ten minutes remaining - a stark reminder just how bad England’s defending was against Germany in the World Cup.

Tonight’s second half shambles means the Angels are rooted to the foot of the table - with an identical playing record to arch-rivals Maidstone United.

Warrilow, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, laid into his players.

“We didn’t come out second half,” he fumed. “I defended them a bit Saturday. First half I thought we played some good stuff, got a couple of goals.

“To be fair they broke a few times and we warned the lads. We put Paul (Semakula) in the middle to protect the back three as it was tonight and told Heathy (Jon Heath) and Jake Beecroft to get on as and when.

“Second half, we completely lost it. We weren’t tracking our runners. Apart from the last two or three minutes of the game a bit of urgency came into it. We just completely lost our shape and our discipline and it’s not good enough.

“I take full responsibility. It wasn’t good enough!”

Winger Kirk Watts - who featured for the final thirteen minutes - summed the night perfectly when he said: “We were cruising before half-time and then we just lost the plot!”

The Angels, who began with a 3-5-2 formation (with wing-backs Jon Heath and Jake Beecroft bombing forward at every opportunity), took the game to their opponents and Jacob Mingle (who played in a central three alongside Paul Semakula and Lee Browning) rolled a scuffed shot into Marcus Garnham’s arms after just 96 seconds on the clock.

Garnham was called into more serious action when he got a strong arm to tip over Frannie Collins’ right-footed curler from inside the box after the former Dover Athletic striker almost punished some poor defending from Bury’s skipper Tom Bullard.

Tonbridge keeper Lee Worgan, back in the side following his one-match suspension, was never going to be troubled by Kieran Leabon’s ambitious low effort.

But he made a fine save after 24 minutes when Lee Read cut the ball back to supporting right-back Russell Short, who whipped in a first time cross towards the near post where Leabon’s glancing header, which was heading towards the top near corner, was tipped over by the Welshman.

It seemed that Bury Town had done enough to frustrate the home fans to go in at the break on level terms, but Booth netted a quick-fire brace for his home-town club.

Full credit must go to Browning for his penetrating run, which involved Beecroft and Mingle before he slipped the ball into the box for Collin to flick the ball forward, before his progress was ended by a cynical foul by midfielder Michael Steward, who was booked.

Booth stepped up and sent the diving Garnham the wrong way with a right-footed penalty, which nestled into the bottom right-hand corner with 43:34 on the clock.

Tonbridge Angels doubled their lead just 79 seconds later, when a ball over the top was latched on by Booth and he slammed his shot past a stranded Garnham.

But what was to follow was a shockingly poor defensive display from Tonbridge Angels, who capitulated.

Striker Collin did bend a right-footed shot just around the far post early on in the second half, before Bury Town pulled a goal back after 50 minutes.

Mingle gave away a cheap free-kick on the edge of the penalty box - in fact on the curve of the D - and Sam Read cracked an excellent right-footed free-kick around the wall to find the far corner.

That began the onslaught and a shot on the turn from midfielder Scott Chaplin from 30-yards was shortly tipped over by Worgan.

Bury Town equalised after 62 minutes when Mark Coulson’s ball carved open the Tonbridge back three and Lee Read clinically executed a low drive, which flashed across Worgan to find the bottom far corner.

Warrilow acted swiftly and reverted to a 4-4-2 formation sacrificing Semakula for substitute Matt Hollyoak - but things just went from bad to worse!

A good move from Bury saw Tonbridge fail miserably to track the free flowing Sam Read and his cut back found Short in a good position but his shot flew past both Worgan and the near post.

A rare Tonbridge break saw Beecroft ignore any offside trap to deliver an excellent cross but Booth struggled to get his header on target at the far post.

Winger Watts then went on one of his trademark runs down the left and his cross picked out Collin at the far post, who out jumped his marker to head down and wide.

But the entire ground was stunned into silence when Bury netted the winner with ten minutes left.

It looked like a re-run of England’s shocking defending against Germany as Callum Kearns’ low centre found an unmarked Sam Read at the far post and he slammed his shot past an exposed Worgan from 12-yards out.

Pardon the pun, but Tonbridge were dead and buried, but they finally woke up late on but it was too little too late, although man-of-the-match Beecroft sent a long-range drive arrowing over the top of the far post whilst on the run and Heath’s low shot was collected at the near post by Garnham - the two wing-backs were the only Tonbridge players that can take any credit from this embarrassing night.

Warrilow knows his side must play better if they are to be counted as serious promotion challengers.

He said: “I said pre-season, teams are going to come here and frustrate us, but we’ve got to be patient. I feel sometimes we were a little bit too direct.

“The two goals before half-time, you couldn’t ask much more, that’s it, take them in bang on half-time, but we started the second half and we never came out of the blocks.

“I was disappointed with the free-kick going in, but since then we just folded. It’s not acceptable and I’ve got to sort it out!

Tonbridge Angels are notoriously slow starters as under Warrilow they tend to make progress up the league after Christmas.

“It’s the same as last year,” he bemoaned. “It’s not all over after two games but obviously we’ve let in six goals in two games. We can’t keep doing that. I’m not going to panic but obviously I’m not very happy with the first two games.

“The first goal went in, we lost our shape and our discipline and didn’t start using our brains. We just started shouting and hollering at each other and didn’t get ourselves organised and you can’t do that!

“I can’t condone and defend the second half performance like that.

“Listen, whatever we do, we do it the hard way here. Don’t ask me why we do. I’m going greyer by the month, but it’s not new, I’ll get it right. I just want people to be patient and get behind us as they have done and hopefully we can crack on, but we knew that second half was not acceptable and I take full responsibility and I’ll get it sorted out.”

On the subject of formations, Warrilow explained his thinking. “I made four changes tonight, obviously it looked like a good decision at the start of the game and after the game you can question it.

“Two-nil up at half-time there’s no issues but after the game today at the way they were coming through that was a little concern so we’ll have a look and a think and a sleep on it.

“Teams are going to come here and put one up and that’s why it’s going to be frustrating. If we go gun-ho teams are going to do what Bury did to us second half, but I think a lot of teams now, when you’re watching them one week to the other change their formations and systems home and away and see what it brings them.

“If you do it and you win it’s great decisions and if it goes wrong it’s bad decisions so there the decisions I’m paid to make and at half-time I was happy with it, but I didn’t think we’d put a performance in like we did in the second half.

“If you watched the first half you wouldn’t believe we could change so much and be so poor in the second half.”

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Jake Beecroft, Jon Heath, Sonny Miles, Liam Harwood (Kirk Watts 77), Peter Hawkins (Jay May 83), Paul Semakula (Matt Hollyoak 65), Jacob Mingle, Frannie Collin, Paul Booth, Lee Browning.
Subs: Alex O’Brien, Luke Blewden.

Goals: Paul Booth 44 (pen), 45

Bury Town: Marcus Garnham, Russell Short, Mark Coulson, Michael Steward (Neil Andrews 57), Sam Nunn, Tom Bullard, Callum Kearns, Sam Read, Kieran Leabon, Lee Read (Roscoe Hipperson 85), Scott Chaplin (Ashley Slotts 75).
Subs: Craig Nurse, Nick Pope.

Goals: Sam Read 50, 80, Lee Read 62

Booked: Michael Steward 44

Attendance: 429
Referee: Mr Darren Blunden (Dartford)
Assistants: Mr Craig Wood (Gravesend) & Mr Kevin Welsh (Sittingbourne)