Isthmian League Premier Division
Woodside Road, Worthing
Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 1,332
Following the Southern Combination League Division One Cup Final at East Preston, I then headed the short distance along the coast to Worthing, for this league encounter between two clubs looking to secure play-off berths.
Woodside Road is about a ten minute walk westwards from Worthing train station, and a lot of work has been carried to make the venue cosmetically appealing, starting with the turnstile block, brightly decorated with mostly sponsors advertising. Just past the entrance, a range of club merchandise is available from a gazebo, and programmes from an adjacent wooden hut, with the path reaching pitch side immediately behind one of the goals. To the right, there is an uncovered terrace consisting of a few steps, which continue along the far length, which has a small covered area straddling the half way line. To the left of the entrance, there is a stand covering terrace steps, and then a refreshment kiosk by the corner. Along this length, there is a large and imposing stand, with a sizeable clubhouse, and changing rooms, on the ground floor, with rows of seating above, which offer excellent elevated, unobstructed views of the action. Behind the remaining end, there are a few steps of terracing, with a stand covering the middle third. There is a lot to like about this ground, neat and tidy, smartly finished with club signage and colours, and plenty of individuality too. The 28 page programme was well presented and with a good mix of stats and interesting articles to read, and not too much advertising present.
With just three league games left to play, this promised to be an entertaining game between two good sides, with Tonbridge Angels coming into this game in third place, following 20 wins and six draws from their 39 league games, and were three points ahead of fifth placed Worthing, who are in the final play-off spot. However, there is a real bottleneck behind them, with just three points separating Worthing and ninth placed Folkestone. In the reverse fixture is December, Worthing won 1-2, and in a League Cup tie at Woodside Road in late November, Worthing won on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
On a warm and sunny afternoon, backed by a terrific attendance which helped generate a decent atmosphere, Worthing probably had the better of the first half, certainly in terms of possession, but too often the final ball was just not good enough as they struggled to get shots on target. Tonbridge were extremely fortunate not to be reduced to ten men early on when an aerial diagonal ball forward found the run of the Worthing forward, and he was brought down just before he reached the penalty area by the last man. Very surprisingly, only a yellow card was shown, despite an obvious goalscoring opportunity being denied, and the free-kick was wasted. Not long afterwards, the Tonbridge keeper was handled outside the area, but again (but more justifiably) only a yellow card was shown, but again the free kick was wasted. Tonbridge also created the odd chance, but also did not really come close to finding the back of the net, and a goalless scoreline at half time was a fair reflection of the first half.
Into the second half and Tonbridge then gradually assumed the ascendancy, having the better chances, and on 52 minutes, the ball squirmed away from the keeper following the cross, but was hacked away just before a Tonbridge player could get a decisive touch. But on 63 minutes, Tonbridge did take the lead following a quick break forward, former Charlton youngster Tom Derry running forward down the right before passing to an unmarked Joe Turner, who drilled the ball low first time past the keeper from 10 yards. Tonbridge then had a few chances to double their lead, before Worthing grabbed an equaliser on 80 minutes with a very good goal. David Ajiboye drove from just past the half way line past several Tonbridge players, reaching the penalty area and then driving the ball low past the keeper. That really fired up the home team, with their fans loud and vociferous, and they looked much the more likely to grab a winner, but it never arrived, and a draw was probably a fair result of a game that ebbed and flowed. It is a point that was probably better for Tonbridge, even though they slipped a place in the table following Saturday's game, as did Worthing, who thereby slipped out of the play-off positions.
Video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here
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