Tonbridge is a decent little town with an interesting-looking Norman castle and a lovely bit of the River Medway winding through it, so I'm not sure how we ended up in Greggs for lunch, but we filled up on porridge and pasties and cycled over to the ground.
As the Robins slumped to their second consecutive four nil defeat it gave me plenty of time to consider how truly dreadful this season has become and how worried I am that the few decent players still at the club will leave over the summer and make relegation a possibility for next season.
Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!
Ryman Premier League
Tonbridge Angels (1) 4 Carshalton Athletic (0) 0
(Rook, 45, Olorunda 55, Stone 78 and 89)
Attendance: 472
By Peter Randall
It is undoubtedly fortunate for Carshalton that previous manager Mark Butler’s squad had accumulated sufficient points to secure League safety before his dismissal in early March. The dismal record of his self-appointed successor, club owner Paul Dipre, is currently only equalled by Hendon, another side whose form and results have fallen away dramatically in recent weeks. Clearly the manager has been looking towards rebuilding the side for next season and a number of younger players from the Club’s Academy have been given a baptism of fire in recent games. While their promise and application augurs well in the longer term, it has often been a case of “men against boys” and for those more concerned with the here and now, the Club’s supporters, the latest defeat at the hands of the promotion chasing Angels proved to be another painful experience.
Tonbridge’s Chris Piper was the first to try his luck with a shot from just outside the area that flew over, but the Robins responded well with Tashan Adeyanki’s header from Luke Pigden’s free kick being deflected over for a corner and a cross from the left by Robbie Kember just failing to reach Joel Ledgister. Tonbridge began to apply the pressure and full back Jake Beecroft advanced into the Robins half before shooting just wide from distance and the Robins suffered a serious blow when Luke Pigden’s season was effectively ended by a ferocious tackle by Scott Kinch that left the Carshalton midfielder writhing on the ground before being carried off the pitch in the absence of a stretcher and off to hospital. For those interested the tackle was only worthy of a brief talking to so far as the match official was concerned. Carshalton’s substitute, Sonny Ayres, was soon in the thick of the action, showing some neat control and to hold off several tackles before playing the ball through to Ledgister who was hurriedly closed down before being able to shoot. It looked as though the Robins might reach the interval on terms, but in the final minute a shot following a corner struck Carl Rook and was deflected past Craig Ross.
Buoyed by their breakthrough as the oranges were being sliced, it looked as though the Angels had finally picked up the script from the Robins defeat at Hornchurch a week earlier. The Robins were slowly but surely overwhelmed by a home team that began to fire on all cylinders as the game opened up. The Robins had a half chance to get back into the game when Michael Boateng and Ledgister combined well on the right. Boateng rounded the Tonbridge defender before laying the ball back to Ledgister, but his shot was poorly hit and off target. Ade Olorunda was booked for a foul on Dan Young, but on 55 minutes he found his way into the referee’s book once again, this time for scoring the second goal following a smart turn in the penalty area. Boateng again found space on the right, but his measured cross to Adeyanki was headed wide. Tonbridge took over completely in the latter stages, with Adrian Stone the unlikely hero with his first two goals for Tonbridge on 78 and 89 minutes, the first following a blocked shot and the second when the Robins defence obligingly went missing as he advanced into the area. In the final minute of the game the Robins finally achieved what they had failed to do in the preceding 89 minutes and Boateng ended a good run with a shot on goal in open play, but his effort was easily held by Lee Worgan.
Tonbridge are coming into form at just the right time and must be a good bet for the second promotion place. For Carshalton, however, a goal let alone a point would be a cause for celebration with only three games remaining.
Robins team: Craig Ross, Michael Boateng, Jake Hill, Dwaine Williams (Tommy Williams), Dan Young, David Ray, Joel Ledgister, Luke Pigden (Sonny Ayres), Tashan Francis-Adeyanki (Darren Bryan), Anthony Joseph
Subs not used. Jake Harris, Jack Eden
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