We want to finish as high as we can, says Tonbridge Angels boss Tommy Warrilow

TONBRIDGE ANGELS boss Tommy Warrilow says he will do all he can to do their Kent rivals Dartford a favour when he takes his injury-hit side to leaders Woking on Easter Monday.


Woking have led the Blue Square Bet South league table all season and are seven points clear of Dartford after they beat Basingstoke Town 3-0 on Good Friday.

Dartford, meanwhile, were held to a goal-less draw by fifth-placed Chelmsford City yesterday, and Tony Burman takes his side to relegation threatened Bromley tomorrow.

Woking manager Garry Hill was spotted at Longmead Stadium yesterday, as Frannie Collin’s 50^th career goal for the Angels couldn’t prevent his former club Dover Athletic from winning a high-quality game 3-2.

Warrilow, 47, will be without full-back Sam Bewick and striker Carl Rook, who return to Maidstone United and AFC Hornchurch tomorrow, as the pair were recalled from the two Ryman League clubs owing to the injury crisis.

But strong defender, Ollie Schulz returns to the heart of defence after he couldn’t play against his former club yesterday, after a gentleman’s agreement between the two Kent clubs.

Warrilow said: “It’s a little bit disappointing that we haven’t got a few of the lads to choose from.  Ollie comes back into the equation but we lose Rookie and Sam Bewick, so we’re probably down to the bare bones.

“Hopefully Judgey (defender Ben Judge) has got through the Dover game.  Mikel Suarez should be fine.”

Yesterday’s derby day defeat to Dover Athletic means the club’s chances of gate-crashing the play-off party are now over, but Warrilow wants to finish their first ever campaign at this level higher than their current top-ten placing.

“We’ll just go again Monday.  We’re not going to toss it off because it’s not over.  We want to finish as high as we can and we’ve got to be professional and do a job because teams like Dartford etc are chasing the title still.

“I just don’t want to slide down the table.  We know we’ve had a hard Easter period, playing the Chelmsford’s, Dover and Woking.  We knew they were going to be difficult games.  Thus is what we want so I’m not going to moan about it.”

Woking came away from Longmead Stadium with a 6-3 victory back in August, when the Angels were struggling to adapt to life in the Conference South following their promotion out of the Ryman League.

Warrilow said: “We’ve got to put ourselves them. We scored three goals against Woking earlier on, not many teams have done that, so we have to go there and roll our sleeves up and have an another go.

“They’ve lost at home to Staines this year.  I went to Thurrock on Good Friday and watched them beat Boreham Wood. Anything can happen.

“Hopefully I don’t get phone calls today and players say they’re struggling.  That’s when you do worry.”

Warrilow said it is great to play clubs like Chelmsford City, Dover Athletic and Woking at this level of football.

He said: “We’re chatting away to the boys about who we’re playing and what we’re doing.  This time last year we were going to lesser clubs. It’s fantastic for us to be involved in it.  The main thing for us is we haven’t come in just to make the numbers up. I think this year perhaps we have surprised a few people.”

Last Easter, Tonbridge Angels lost 2-0 away to Harrow Borough (in front of 362 fans) and beat Hastings United the same score at home (817) in the Ryman Premier League.

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ websites: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeangelsonline.co.uk

Woking  v  Tonbridge Angels
Blue Square Bet South
Easter Monday 9 April 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Kingfield Stadium, Kingfield, Woking, Surrey, GU22 9AA