A bit late getting this piece up thanks to a busy week as both sides I watched have since played another league game but that gives me chance to reflect on that as well at the end of the article.
With the weather still causing a lot of postponements and pitch inspections down here in Sussex and elsewhere in the south every Saturday or Tuesday has to have a 3G option as back up.
Last Tuesday it was a trip back home to Kent and a ground and club I knew extremely well, Tonbridge Angels and the Halcyon Wealth Stadium, or Longmead to you and I!
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It was an opportunity for lots of reasons, I was due to meet with Guy Rowden the previous Tuesday at Tunbridge Wells, the weather thwarting that one. Guy I’ve known for near on 25 years so with the Angels only just down the road a great chance to rectify that one.
I had also promised Angels new signing Sean Shields I’d pop along to see him, the ex-Barnet winger a really great lad I got to know whilst at The Hive last year and I do love watching our ex-players wherever they end up.
On the opposite side were Hampton & Richmond, managed by ex-Barnet goalkeeping coach Mel Gwinnett and within their ranks more ex-Bees, Jordan Thomas, Mason Bloomfield and Rob Hall, just a Barnet fest this one!
A chilly night greeted us and the players, the visitors currently on a great run of form that has propelled them into the play off’s. However, it was the Angels who dominated the ball during the first half and whilst there was very few clear cut chances created they looked the more likely to score.
With a lack of height at set pieces Angels struggled to create anything from those, an abundance of corners just asking to be hit into the net, Hampton probably the happier of the two sides to be going in level at the interval.
The best way to describe the second half, plenty of endeavour but more huff, puff and little substance. Tonbridge did have the ball in the net through Tariq Hinds but correctly ruled out for offside. Hampton certainly were more improved from the first half and did have a couple of chances which Jonny Henly was equal to, both sides possibly content with a point each.
Not the worst 0-0 in the world, a small squad for Hampton finding the games are coming thick and fast and chatting to Mel before the game he’s keen to get some more bodies into the building and likely to be some movement in the next few weeks to sustain their promotion challenge.
Frustrating night for the Angels in some respects, they really need a fully fit Jordan Greenidge sooner rather than later and with the ability of Shields and Hinds to create crosses the target man will prosper.
Hinds in particular was at the heart of everything in the game, Bloomfield a good outlet for the visitors while Thomas will no doubt move back up the game in due course, very much a victim of circumstance at Barnet at the time.
Great to also meet a few around the ground for the first time, although one or two saved for the next visit, Trevor Brittain who runs a great Tonbridge Angels blog (link below), we threatened to grab a chat before but actually made it this time and also Angels Stadium Manager David Cooke, some fantastic ideas hopefully forthcoming for the club with his input and a handy man to know, apparently he’s buying the beers next time!
Also a chance to catch up with Rob Hall afterwards, a fantastic guy with a wand of a left foot, injured for this one but possibly I might get the chance to see him in action once again in a week or two’s time.
Both sides picked up wins at the weekend, Bloomfield with a hat-trick as Hampton thumped play off rivals Maidstone Utd and Angels coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at St Albans, Shields on the scoresheet in that one.
Magnificent run from Hampton so far, I had expected them to be challenging this year but their start wasn’t the best, coming into it now though, Angels on the other hand haven’t really got started yet, a lot of personnel changes since day one and with things starting to settle down four points from the last two games might just be turning the corner.
