Isthmian League Premier Division
Longmead Stadium, Tonbridge
Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.50
Attendance: 382
Match Rating: 4
Today I revisited a ground that I visited many times when I was living in and schooled in the area, although a ground that I had not visited for over four years, when the club was plying its trade in what was the Conference South.
Longmead Stadium is about a half hour walk northwards from Tonbridge train station, and since my last visit, there have been various improvements to what was already a very decent facility. Immediately inside the turnstiles, there are now a couple of wooden chalets to obtain programmes or 50:50 tickets, before spectators reach pitchside along one length. Refreshment outlets were previously burger vans, but have now been replaced with much more attractive buildings, with a wooden hut offering hot food and drinks, next door is a wooden building with a covered decking area to the front offering hospitality, and alongside that is a tall wooden gantry for announcers and video cameras. Team sheets are posted on this column at ground level. The clubhouse is still located behind and alongside, whilst a small covered stand for the press is located towards one corner. In the other, back closest to the entrance, is a weathered portakabin serving as the club shop. Immediately behind both goals remain covered terraces, and along most of the remaining length is a stand, which was taken from their previous Angel ground, and is now filled from end to end by half a dozen rows of seating. There is a £1 charge for sitting in this stand. To one side of this stand, replacing a burger van, there is another rather attractive wooden hut selling refreshments. The programme was rather pricy for this level, but was probably worth it, 44 pages on good quality paper, very attractively laid out throughout, plenty of interesting reading material and more than enough stats and facts, as well as an acceptable level of advertising.
There is not much left for either club to play for this season. Tonbridge were in tenth place, ten points adrift of the play-offs following 15 wins and five draws from 34 games played. Worthing were in 18th place, eleven points clear of the sole relegation spot this season, but that is quite a remarkable transformation for a club that lost their opening 7 league games, the first five of which were away from home due to problems with their plastic pitch, and their first league win did not arrive until November, and they picked up just three points from their opening 15 league games.
On a generally overcast but mild afternoon, Worthing were much the better side throughout the first half, impressing with their attractive, passing football, whilst Tonbridge looked rather shaky at the back and a negligible threat going forward. Worthing had many good chances to open the scoring, but saw shots either saved or go high or wide of the target. One feared that Worthing might be made to pay for failing to put at least one of their chances away, as Tonbridge would surely up their game after the break.
And so it proved, as the game was much more even after the break, even so it was slightly a surprise when the hosts took the lead on 62 minutes. A free kick about 25 yards out was played short to Sam Bentick, who dribbled into the penalty area before playing a reverse for Joe Turner to run onto, and he struck the ball low under the keeper into the net. As the game wore on, Worthing seemed to become less of a threat as Tonbridge looked to hold on to what they had, as well as create a few more goalscoring chances, but what turned out to be the game changing moment came on 71 minutes, when the Worthing keeper pulled off a very good save from a powerful Sam Bantick shot. That seemed to reinvigorate the visitors, who then got back in the game but all too often the final ball was lacking. A barely deserved home win was looking the likely result until the game just entered added on time. Jared Rance pulled the ball low from the byline for Isaac Newton to shoot the ball first time into the net from 8 yards out, as it looked like the visitors had claimed what their play had at the very least deserved. But things got even better for the visitors, as they scored a winner a minute later. An initial shot by Newton was blocked by the keeper, and the loose ball fell to substitute Ben Pope, who half volleyed the ball into the net from close range. There was still time for Tonbridge to grab an equaliser, and they really should have done, when the ball fell to an unmarked Nathan Elder on the edge of the six yard box, but he took an age to adjust his position to get his shot away, and by the time he did, it was blocked, and within seconds, the referee blew the full time whistle.
A thrilling finish to what was an entertaining game, and the right result prevailed in the end based on the balance of play and goalscoring chances, as Worthing impressed with their young team having the confidence to play good, passing football. But for both teams, the remaining 7 weeks of the season will surely be all about building for next season, with Tonbridge also having to adjust to a budget cut resulting in the loss of some of their better (paid) players.
Video highlights of the match can be viewed by clicking here.
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