Tonbridge Angels 2-3 Ramsgate - Rams get the 'rub of the green' to knock out their bogey side

All five goals were scored during the second half at a warm and sunny Longmead Stadium, with two former Angels, Steffan Ball and Jay May, and a stunning strike from Andy Hadden, sealing a rare Ramsgate success.

Tonbridge Angels, who knocked out non-league giants, Oxford United last season, playing two epic games, took the lead through Carl Rook’s penalty, early in the second half, before their visitors netted three times in 25 minutes, before a bizarre own-goal, from the returning, goalkeeper, Danny Twyman, flattered the home side.

Twyman was drafted back into the side as usual number one, Jack Delo was suffering with a knee injury. They were also without captain, Warren Schulz (knee), Simon Pettit (shin) and Aaron Firth (knee).

May, whose on loan from Blue Square South side Bromley, was given permission to play, and the Rams are about to sit down with the former Tonbridge Angels and Dartford striker in the next couple of days to thrash out a deal.

Scott Gooding, who was a full-time player with Fisher Athletic, returned to the Angels after almost a year away, playing Blue Square South football, and slotted in central defence, alongside Leon Legge.

This game was too early for Ade Olorunda, despite training well leading up to the game, the former Hastings United man wasn’t risked following his metatarsal injury.

There was no place in the sixteen-man squad for defender, James Donovan, and substitute, Luke Piscina only had seven minutes on the pitch in a cameo role.

All you could hear all game was the excellent vocal support coming from the twenty Ramsgate fans and they really should have been celebrating the game’s first goal after just 94 seconds.

Byron Walker released Ball down the right and he rolled the ball to the unmarked May, but he stroked a right-footed shot agonisingly past the right-hand post from fourteen-yards.

Tonbridge Angels striker, Carl Rook, then became the first of eight players to be booked by Chipstead referee, Mr Nigel Lugg, who has a reputation of being a card-happy official.

Rook picked up his SIXTH booking off the season and will therefore miss the midweek trip to Ashford Town (Middlesex) on Tuesday, 28^th October.

Tonbridge Angels’ best chance of a good first half performance, however, arrived in the eleventh minute, but Legge’s driven left-footed shot was off target after Twyman parried Fraser Logan’s left-footed free-kick from just outside the box.

Ramsgate defender, Ryan Royston, who played for the Angels earlier in his career, was maybe lucky to have only been booked when he tripped Jamie Cade, leading up to that Legge opportunity.

Minutes later, Legge met Logan’s second corner with a towering header, which looped over Twyman’s crossbar.

A hanging cross from the right from Anthony Storey sailed over Tommy Tyne’s head at the far post, but Rook was ghosting in behind him and headed over, on the angle of the six-yard box.

Tonbridge Angels, playing well, were desperately unlucky not to break the deadlock ten minutes before the break.

Cade’s cross was met by Rook at the near post, but his glancing effort, bounced off the near post.

Ramsgate’s second chance of the game fell to Royston two minutes later. The former Cray Wanderers defender rose above Tyne at the near post to head Ball’s out-swinging corner over the top of the post.

Then, literally sixty seconds later, Twyman was relieved to see Cade’s angled drive fly just over his crossbar.

Ramsgate finally called home goalkeeper, Lee Worgan, into action. Lee Minshull spread the ball to Danny Walder down the right, and after cutting inside, his left-footed shot deflected off left-back, Simon Glover, and Worgan initially spilt the ball, but grasped the ball before it bounced over his line.

A long range left-footed drive from left-wing back, Grant Duff, sailed over Worgan’s crossbar.

At the other end, Cade’s over-head kick was cleared off the line by Jake Eastwood before Worgan was called into action again just before the break.

The former Hastings United goalkeeper dived low to his right to push Ball’s driven shot around his near post, and from Ball’s resulting corner, Royston, who was being challenged by Legge, headed just over.

But the first of the five goals finally arrived 135 seconds into the second half.

Rams defender, Eastwood, raised his hands above his head and was penalised for handball as Legge launched one of his trademark throws towards the near post.

Rook stepped up to score his ninth goal of the season with a right-footed penalty, that found the net via the goalkeeper’s body.

Tonbridge Angels should have buried their next chance when Storey’s free-kick down the middle, 35-yards from goal, was met by a tame headed clearance from Royston, and Legge, twelve yards from goal, cracked a right-footed volley, which flew over.

Royston, however, did better at the other end, as he stayed up top after a raid broke down. But he met a deep far post cross from Ball, but his stabbed shot, bounced agonisingly off the near post.

But Ramsgate did equalise after 62 minutes, courtesy of route-one football, soon after changing their formation to 4-3-3.

Twyman used his right-foot to launch the ball up field and this was met by May’s knockdown and Ball held off Glover to burst forward and slotted the ball past the advancing Worgan, finding the bottom left-hand corner in the process.

Another over-head kick from Cade was off-target, but Ramsgate went on to control the rest of the game, as Tonbridge Angels went out of their second major cup competition at the first hurdle, having lost 2-1 to Dover Athletic in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup back in September.

Eastwood’s deep cross was punched clear by Worgan and a left-footed volley from Hadden ballooned over.

Winger Walker turned and cracked a left-footed curling shot from thirty-yards, which appeared from the moment that the former Folkestone Invicta bit-part player that it was heading towards the far corner, but in flight the ball lacked the power and Worgan was able to comfortably pluck the ball out of the air.

But Ramsgate took full advantage of the missing Legge, taking a 2-1 lead, with just eleven minutes remaining.

Legge was forced to receive treatment from Tonbridge’s two physios when he was chopped to the ground by Minshull, after referee Mr Lugg had awarded the Rams a free-kick.

Ball, some fifteen-yards from the centre circle, floated his free-kick to where Legge would have been defending inside the penalty area, but hesitant goalkeeper from Worgan, coming off his line but not gathering the ball, enabled May to get to the ball first and the striker looped his glancing header into the net.

The introduction of Piscina woke up the home faithful and the substitute called Twyman into action. The substitute used his hand to bring the ball under control and raced towards the right by-line, but his shot from an acute angle was pushed around the near post by Twyman.

But Ramsgate sealed victory with their third goal with two minutes remaining.

A penetrating run from substitute, Dane Sutton, agonisingly crashed off the near post and Ball squared the ball to Hadden.

The 21-year-old cracked a stunning right-footed screamer, which gave Worgan no chance as the ball flew past him to find the far corner.

At this point, many Tonbridge fans, who didn’t seem up for the game, unlike the brilliant vocal Ramsgate fans, streamed out of the ground, missing their bizarre second, two minutes and 32 seconds into time added on.

Rams substitute Dan Tanner was penalised for fouling Piscina just outside the penalty area on the right-hand side.

Logan curled a left-footed free-kick towards the far post and Twyman, under pressure, looked favourite to punch the ball over his crossbar. But instead of doing that, and still under pressure, the goalkeeper punched the ball into his own goal to give Tonbridge a glimmer of hope.

However, that hope soon disappeared when Rook, who has now scored 27 goals in 32 competitive games for the Angels, saw his right-footed shot sail past the far post and six seconds later, their FA Trophy run came to a disappointing end.

Ramsgate boss, Jim Ward, was quick to praise his club’s travelling supporters, who sung throughout their very rare win over the Angels.

“The chairman would be happy, that’s the first one,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards.

“The fans have been absolutely brilliant this year, they’ve never stopped signing.

“We’ve had some rough times this year as a lot of people know, we’re fifth from bottom in the league.

“The rub of the green, well, we just haven’t had the rub of the green at all.

“We got a little bit of it today against a very strong, very good side. Tonbridge are a very good side, a great manager, great back up staff, they all work together, some good players, but we deserved to win.

“At the end of the day, I think 3-2 flattered them, but we’ll take it.”

Tonbridge Angels’ boss, Tommy Warrilow, meanwhile, rued good chances that were squandered during the first half, although he was bitterly disappointed with his side’s sorry second half showing.

“I thought the first half, if we put a few chances away, we might have made it easier,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Again, we haven’t and we’ve been made to pay for it.

“For the boys it was flat, quiet, we really never got any shape going.

“Both teams sort of cancelled each other out but we clearly had the better clear cut chances. The difference, a few weeks ago, we put them away and it obviously relaxes everyone and they play more, but today the more the game went on we seemed to get more anxious.

“I’m disappointed, very disappointed because I thought it was a winnable game, but fair play to Jim and that, they’ve put their chances away and their through.”

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Lewis Hamilton, Simon Glover (Luke Piscina 83), Tommy Tyne, Leon Legge, Scott Gooding, John Westcott, Anthony Storey, Jamie Cade, Carl Rook, Fraser Logan.
Subs: Tim Olorunda, Kirk Watts, Michael Phillips, Phil Starkey.

Goals: Carl Rook 48 (pen), Danny Twyman (og) 90

Booked: Carl Rook 4, Leon Legg 19

Ramsgate: Danny Twyman, Danny Walder (Dane Sutton 55), Grant Duff, Nick Davis, Jake Eastwood, Ryan Royston, Andy Hadden, Lee Minshull (Brett Kinch 85), Jay May, Steffan Ball, Byron Walker (Dan Tanner 89).
Subs: Mo Takaloo, Jack Delo.

Goals: Steffan Ball 63, Jay May 79, Andy Hadden 88

Booked: Ryan Royston 10, Danny Walder 45, Danny Twyman 52, Lee Minshull 75, Steffan Ball 80, Dane Sutton 90

Attendance: 372
Referee: Mr Nigel Lugg (Chipstead, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Craig Hicks (Sutton, Surrey) & Mr Gareth Mays (Epsom, Surrey)