Tuesday 30th December 2025, Kick-off 19.45
National League South
Longmead Stadium, Tonbridge
Admission: £18.00
Programme: Online
Attendance: 1,007
A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below, and from an Eastbourne Borough perspective by clicking here
Video highlights can be viewed by clicking here
“Mad game” fails to bring home comfort
BY Wink Tomkinson
Match Report:
Tonbridge Angels 3 Eastbourne Borough 4
On a bitterly cold evening, attention was taken away from frost biting at the extremities, with a “mad game” full of thrills and spills but one that ultimately brought no end to the Angels home woes.
Alan Dunne in his post-match interview: “That was probably the maddest game of football I’ve ever seen with the worst start since I’ve been here at the club. We have gifted them two goals and it was only after that, we woke up. I’m gutted but we cannot give teams four goals at home and expect to win a game.”
Sean Shields’ injury at Ebbsfleet ruled him out of the starting line-up being replaced by Brody Peart following his suspension.
Eastbourne Borough, who have been showing green shoots of recovery recently under Tommy Widdrington, flew out of the blocks and were two-up within the opening 20 minutes to the delight of a large visiting following.
After seven minutes, Borough hit the front when a left sided cross from Kai Corbett was bundled home by leading goalscorer Pemi Aderoju, who met the ball at the near post with the ball bouncing off his knee and trickling over the line.
Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 as a corner was recycled from the right and delivered into the box by Josh Anifowose which found Archy Taylor, whose half-hit shot took a deflection off a Tonbridge defender to find its way into the net.
Faced with an uphill struggle, the Angels responded well with efforts on goal from Peart and Kyle Smith that brought saves from Woody Williamson, the latter being a really good low save.
On 37minutes, the Angels reduced the deficit when Ricky Korboa sent Bunmi Babajide through to rifle a shot between Williamson and his post into the roof of the net.
On the stroke of half-time, Smith fired agonisingly wide but it was the Sussex side that went into the break ahead.
Eastbourne started the second half as they had in the first, on the front foot and restored their two goal advantage after 51 minutes when Aderoju latched onto a poor back pass from Noah McCann to slot past the advancing Laurie Shala.
Matty Warren shot over and Tom Leahy brought another good save from Williamson before Dunney rang the changes, introducing Scott Wagstaff and Alfie Pavey for Warren and Peart on the hour.
The substitutions brought an instant dividend as Smith crossed from the right and Pavey headed home from close range.
Smith, who had been struggling with a knock prior to half-time made way for Marcus Sablier on 68 minutes as the Angels pressed forward in search of an equaliser with Leahy heading narrowly over from Babajide’s cross.
But, with 15 minutes to go, Eastbourne scored again with a well worked corner routine that that saw Corbett cross low into the area into the path of Harry Phipps, whose first time shot from six yards gave Shala no chance.
With now nothing to lose, the Angels threw bodies forward in a desperate effort to rescue the game and were eventually rewarded in the 90th minute when Pavey nodded home at the back post.
Six added minutes provided hope and somehow, after five of them, an effort from Naz Bakrin landed in the hands of Williamson and in the final throes, the keeper was in the right place to deny Korboa.
A frustrating evening was summed up by Alan Dunne: “If you were here, you would have seen that the scoreline flatters them a bit as we have dominated the game and could have scored a lot of goals. It was a wild game but we have to move on quickly to Saturday’s game against Dorking.”
