Tonbridge Angels 5-1 Eastbourne Borough - It's the best we've played, says Tommy Warrilow

TONBRIDGE ANGELS  5-1  EASTBOURNE BOROUGH
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 21^st January 2012
Paul Parkinson reports from Longmead Stadium

A four goal salvo from leading scorer Frannie Collin led Tonbridge Angels to a convincing 5-1 win, their first win in eight league games, over an Eastbourne Borough side in disarray following the dismissal of long serving manager, Garry Wilson, this week.


 
But Borough were also masters of their own misfortune, as two players well known to fans of Kent football  Carl Rook and Clark Masters saw red for moments of madness.

Collin’s 14th second strike gave the hosts the perfect start, which was added to in the 11th minute by Chris Piper’s finish following some excellent build-up play. Matt Crabb pulled one back for the visitors five minutes later, but how the 2-1 scoreline remained at the half, no-one knows.

However, Collin’s second strike 34 seconds into the second half was the catalyst for Tonbridge, as he tucked away a penalty to complete his hat-trick, then diverted Danny Walder’s shot to complete the rout.

Between the goals, both sides played some wonderful attacking football, but both were exposed by serious defensive problems.

Angels’ manager, Tommy Warrilow, enthused over his side’s first league win in eight games, saying, “We’ve played some fantastic football; I think it’s the best we’ve played. At half-time we could have gone in a couple more in front. But they were dangerous and we saw that as they’ve hit the post a couple of times from throw-ins and a corner. We’ve opened them up, played some good football and I’m delighted. We’ve deserved the result today.

“We’re a forward thinking side, sometimes you can see that from the goals we concede, but the guys are trying to learn not to be too gung-ho and getting too excited. We’ve done that a couple of times in the first half, but we saw great bravery by Ade (Olorunda) with both headers and we’ve cashed in from them.

“Pleased for Frannie - everyone goes through what he’s been through recently. We’ve had a chat in the week about him relaxing, not trying too hard, and not only did he chip in with four goals, he worked his socks off today.””

Before the two sets of supporters had taken their places behind the respective goals their favourites were attacking, Tonbridge were ahead.

From the kick-off, Lee Browning played the ball out to Nathan Korentang on the left wing. His chip forward was met bravely by Ade Olorunda (who collected a cut over his left eye for his troubles), who flicked on to Collin in acres of space between the two centre backs in the Eastbourne D. Collin took one touch to control the ball, then fired past the stationary Masters into the bottom right corner for his 16th league goal, and 18th overall this season.

This was also Collin’s first league goal since the winner at Sutton United, eight games ago.

Tonbridge’s start got even better in the 11th minute, as Joe Benjamin, a new signing from Chelmsford City, lofted a ball into the Eastbourne area.

Olorunda, now sporting a white bandage around his head, but looking as though he was still struggling after the collision, headed the ball over Borough’s player-caretaker manager, Ben Austin, for the onrushing Chris Piper, who beat Masters with a controlled volley into the top corner.

Two minutes later, both sides exposed defensive frailties, with Austin meeting Simon Johnson’s free kick, but Lee Worgan pulled off a fine save to tip the defender’s header over.

Then, from the clearance after the Eastbourne corner, Koranteng set off on a lung-bursting run into the visitor’s area, put in a curling cross to the back post, where Benjamin, arriving late and unmarked, headed over.

Eastbourne found a way back into the game in the 16th minute, but one that the Tonbridge defence will want to forget.

As the home players appealed for a free kick for a foul on Olorunda, Eastbourne took a quick throw and Ollie Rowe launched a long ball from the halfway line towards former Angel, Rook.

The ball flew over Rook and Jake Beecroft to Matt Crabb, who controlled and blasted a shot past the exposed Worgan.

Warrilow admitted his side had a problem during the match, saying, “In the first half, for some reason we were getting sucked across, out of position especially at the far stick and that’s how their goal came. Beaky (Jake Beecroft) has been dragged in, Sonny (Miles) is out of position and Joe (Benjamin) should be tracking the guy back, so there was three of them that should have done better.

“They’ve got to learn from that, but they’ve had an overspill of players at the back on a number of occasions and we were trying to get instructions to the boys not to get sucked under the ball so much.””

Soon after the goal, Rook was cautioned for a late challenge on Miles, as the defender tried to clear downfield, and Gary Charman found himself in acres of space in the Angels’ box, but headed wide.

In response, Olorunda saw a shot on the turn blocked by Austin, before the forward had to submit to his injury and was replaced half way through the first period.

The end-to-end pattern continued after the substitution, with Rowe latching onto Crabb’s free kick, but saw his left foot blast crash back off the right hand post.

From the rebound, Tonbridge broke quickly and Korentang fired a low shot that Masters had to gather at the second attempt.

Tonbridge’s best move of the half came in the 36th minute, with 12 passes moving the ball forward and across the field, before Walder’s cross found Collin unmarked, but the normally prolific forward was for once wasteful in front of goal.

From this, Eastbourne broke, and although the ball through to Rook found him in an offside position, the forward continued into a challenge on Worgan that left the keeper prostrate and the official appeared to go straight to a red card rather than a second yellow.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Eastbourne came close to equalising in the 41st minute, as Ben Watson drove into the Angels’ area, and his left foot shot took a deflection off Walder that looped over Worgan, and rebounded of the right post.

At the break, Warrilow later admitted, “I said to the boys that if they were more patient, stretch the team, you’ve got an opportunity to get some more goals and give someone a good hiding. And that’s no disrespect to Eastbourne Borough, but I saw enough in the first half with the football we were playing, that with a better final ball we wouldn’t be a million miles away from converting. If we could do that in the second half, then who knows. And what a fantastic start to the second half, goal, goal.

“What’s gone on at Eastbourne is none of my business, but I know from when we played Dorchester, they had just changed managers and we lost, so it was important to be on today. They’ve got a great set of lads but for some reason it’s just not happening for them at the moment. The most important thing for me was that it (a change in Eastbourne’s luck) didn’t happen today.”

If you could bottle this moment, it would be worth millions. From the restart, Eastbourne looked to hit back early, but Walder’s clearance released Benjamin, who skipped past an Austin lunge on the right wing. Benjamin powered into the Eastbourne area and squared the ball which fell, following a deflection off Danny Baker, at the feet of Collin, who could pick his spot to double the lead.

With Tonbridge now controlling the game, the hosts would lose Benjamin to an ankle injury on the hour following a scything tackle from Johnson.

But things would get even worse for the visitors just four minutes later as Masters saw red for the second time in Kent this season, following his dismissal against Dartford in the FA Trophy replay.

Koranteng’s deep right wing corner was headed back into the middle by Ben Judge, which Masters claimed with ease, but to howls of derision from the Angels’ fans in the South stand, Miles was laid out prone in the goal area.

After consulting with his assistant, the referee produced Borough’s second red card of the afternoon.

When asked about the two dismissals, Warrilow was honest saying, “I thought it was Rooky’s second yellow, not a straight red. I didn’t really see it, but two things; Carl was offside already and as he’s on a booking already, there’s no reason to go in after the ball.

“With Clark, I didn’t see it. First I knew was the crowd reacting. The linesman must have seen something happen because he’s called the ref over, he’s called the physio on to treat Sonny so there must have been contact there, and he’s sent the lad off.””

To add insult to their injury, not only did Borough have to put substitute Matt Smart in goal (another repeat of the Dartford game), but the official also awarded the hosts a penalty, that Collin despatched comprehensively to complete his hat-trick.

On 73 minutes, Collin added a fourth (taking his season’s tally to 20 goals) adding the final touch with a glancing header to Walder’s curling shot, giving the stand-in keeper no chance as he’d dived to cover the original shot.

Even with a two man deficit, Borough continued to cause problems in the Angels’ defence, as Austin found himself unmarked but put his header over.

Then in the last five minutes, the Borough fans were screaming for a penalty of their own. Worgan saved Will Medlock’s drive, but as the rebound came back to Steve Brinkhurst, he appeared to fall under Tim Olorunda’s challenge, but the official waived away the appeals.

So Tonbridge retain their place in the Blue Square South top 10 with their biggest win of the season, and Warrilow was quick to acknowledge the impact that his three recent signings have had on the team.

He added: “I thought the three new boys, just like last week, showed exactly what we can get out of them. I thought Nathan (Koranteng) worked well up and down the pitch, Joe Benjamin (named the sponsor’s man-of-the-match) is trying to get his match fitness but had shown what he can do especially with the third goal after the break, causing havoc, he’s got an abundance of skill. Pipes (Chris Piper) has come back where he left off. He’s got us ticking and he and Lee Browning have got a great understanding together.”

Tonbridge Angels:  Lee Worgan, Danny Walder (George Crimmen 81), Jake Beecroft, Lee Browning, Ben Judge, Sonny Miles, Joe Benjamin (Tim Olorunda 61), Chris Piper, Ade Olorunda (Chris Henry 23), Frannie Collin, Nathan Koranteng.

Goals: Frannie Collin 1, 46, 66 (pen), 73, Chris Piper 11

Booked: Danny Walder 25, Ben Judge 33

Eastbourne Borough:  Clark Masters, Darren Baker, Sam Cole, Gary Charman, Ben Austin, Ollie Rowe, Carl Rook, Simon Johnson, Ben Watson (Will Medlock 87), Gary Hart (Steve Brinkhurst 51), Matt Crabb (Matt Smart 56).
Subs: Ed Hutchinson, Ethan Strevett

Goal: Matt Crabb 16

Booked: Carl Rook 18, Gary Hart 44, Simon Johnson 56

Sent Off: Carl Rook 37, Clark Masters 65

Attendance: 734
Referee: Mr Stephen Daly (Staines, Middlesex)
Assistants: Mr Steven Rea (Uxbridge, Middlesex) and Mr Matthew Goldsmith (Hastings, East Sussex)