Tunbridge Wells 0 v 1 St Ives Town

Saturday 21st January 2012
FA Vase Fourth Round
Culverden Stadium, Tunbridge Wells
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 404
Match Rating: 3

A visit to a very familiar ground today, to witness what would be arguably the biggest occasion at the Culverden Stadium for a couple of decades, with Tunbridge Wells reaching the round of the FA Vase where the draw becomes national.

The Culverden Stadium has not changed at all since my previous reports, which can be viewed here. Unfortunately the state of the pitch has not changed either, resembling something of a ploughed field today, although it would be tough to criticise the club, who have invested much time and money in trying to get the pitch in better shape, but are still stuck with clay soil with poor drainage. Much effort was also put into making today's match run smoothly - and maximise revenue - with the anticipated large crowd with a hog roast, club shop and an additional portakabin tea bar located behing the clubhouse.My comments on the programme are the same as on my last visit, a reasonable effort which did the job, but far overpriced at £1.50.

Today would be the the sixth time that Tunbridge Wells have reached the Fourth Round of the The FA Vase, but have never progressed beyond this stage, and had not even reached this stage since the 1992/93 season. They have had to negotiate five rounds to get this far. Their recent form overall has been good, apart from losing to local rivals Sevenoaks Town 2-3 in the Kent Senior Trophy last time out after conceding two very late goals. Before that, they were unbeaten in their previous nine games in all competitions and were in fifth place in the Kent League, with the runners-up spot very much in their sites still, with games in hand on all teams above them. St Ives Town, of the United Counties League, entered the FA Vase in the Second Qualifying Round - a privilege Tunbridge Wells will also enjoy next season having reached the Fourth Round - and have won away from home in both previous rounds. They have far better recent pedigree in the FA Vase than today's hosts, reaching the Fifth Round of the FA Vase in three consecutive seasons betwee 2008 and 2010. In the league, St Ives are in fourth place - similar to Tunbridge Wells, the title looks out of their reach, but the runners up is a distinct possibility. Their forward line certainly looked impressive, with Junior McDougald, formerly of Brighton and Hove Albion and Dagenham and Redbridge amongst other Football League clubs, alongside Conor Washington, scorer of 24 goals in 29 games this season.

A bumper crowd of over 400 packed into the Culverden, swelled by an estimated 150 from Cambridgeshire, and the occasion appeared to get to the home players in the opening quarter of an hour, as they misplaced passes and hurried their clearances. St Ives settled quickly, and played some impressive football on the awful pitch to carve open some reasonable chances. Tunbridge Wells then settled into the game after a couple of half chances and the remainder of the half was even, however as half time arrived, the scoreline remained goalless.

Playing towards a packed terrace behind the goal, Tunbridge Wells dominated much of the second half, as they carved out some fantastic chances and St Neots struggled to mount many attacks of their own. Extra time was looking an inevitability until eight minutes from time, when out of nothing, the visitors opened the scoring when Jamie Alsop did well to work some space for a cross, which was glanced on by a Tunbridge Wells defender over the keeper, and Stuart Cobb touched the ball home from a couple of yards.One sensed that blow would be fatal, and indeed St Ives were good at closing the game out, although Tunbridge Wells still had a couple of reasonable chances to force extra time. But in the end, it was the Cambridgeshire side who progressed to the next round, and Tunbridge Wells would have to reflect on being made to pay for failing to score whilst on top in the game.

Tunbridge Wells 1 v 3 Erith Town

Sunday 17th April 2011
Kent Senior Trophy Final
Park View Road, Welling
Admission with Programme: £7.00
Attendance: 401
Match Rating: 3

A second visit in two days to south-east London  today, within a few miles of where I went for yesterday's game, to watch the Kent Senior Trophy Final at Park View Road, the shared home of Welling United and Erith and Belvedere. I was hardly going as a neutral observer today, Tunbridge Wells being the club I spent many a Saturday afternoon in my younger years, and so I went very much in the hope that they might put an end to a long, barren run of 23 years without lifting any silverware.

Park View Road, which has tended to be the venue for the Kent Senior Trophy Final in recent years, has always been one of my favourite grounds at non-league level, combining the look and feel of a traditional football ground full of character with a sprinkling of modern facilities. Along one length of the pitch is a low old-fashioned all-seater stand dating from the 1950's which runs virtually for the length of the pitch, with a low roof and plenty of obstructing pillars to obscure one's view. On the other side is a small modern all-seater stand, which was built when Erith and Belvedere moved into Park View Road, with Erith and Belvedere's clubhouse located alongside, with a sloping roof coming almost down to ground level and with hard standing between it and the pitch. Behind both goals are small banks of uncovered terracing. Trees behind one of the goals adds a touch of colour to an otherwise urban ground. A programme was included with admission and was a fairly typical cup final programme at this level - penpics of both teams and how each team made it to the final, but a fairly boring programme with little to retain one's interest.

Considering Hythe Town and Herne Bay are the class acts of the Kent League this season, both far ahead of the rest of the league in the chase for the title, two unlikely teams had made today's final. However, these would appear to be two fairly even teams, with fifth placed Erith Town against sixth placed Tunbridge Wells, Erith Town two points better off but have played a game more. Both teams deserved their big day out though, Erith Town having been drawn away in each of the three rounds on the road to the final, which included beating Hythe Town on penalties, and Tunbridge Wells winning 6-1 at Kent County League outfit Phoenix Sports and away at currently third placed VDC Athletic. Neither side came into this game in any kind of form though, Tunbridge Wells had lost their previous three games, whilst Erith Town had not won in their last nine games. Tunbridge Wells received a massive boost ahead of kick off though, when Carl Cornell, second top scorer in the Kent League with 18 goals, who was given almost no chance of recovering from injury, was named in the starting line-up. In the league fixtures this season, Erith Town triumphed 4-3 away, whilst a 0-0 draw was the result at Erith Town.

On a perfect day for a cup final - a warm and sunny afternoon with barely a cloud in the sky - the game started unsurprisingly evenly, with neither side able to dominate early proceedings. Erith Town opened the scoring on 13 minutes, when a long throw-in was flicked on and Alex Tisse headed goalwards without any real power but with enough to loop into the net past an unsighted Mikele Czanner, the Tunbridge Wells keeper. Tunbridge Wells were back on terms on 29 minutes with a calamitous error by the Erith Town goalkeeper, who took an age to control a backpass and decide where he wanted to launch the ball - by the time he did finally make his mind up, his clearance hit Tunbridge Wells forward Keelan Mooney on his back and the ball ricocheted into the back of the net. 1-1 was how it stood at half time, which was a fair reflection of proceedings.

Tunbridge Wells, backed by a very impressive turnout of fans, had the better of the match in the second half, carving out plenty of half chances, but they were made to pay for their lack of a clinical finish when Tisse scored his second of the game, after a jinking, mazy run into the box, followed by a cool finish. This was quite harsh of Tunbridge Wells, but they continued to have the better of play, still without managing to score that crucial goal, and the game was put to bed four minutes from time thanks to another excellent finish, a volley from 25 yards out by Peter Smith which flew into the roof of the net.There was no time left for Tunbridge Wells, as Erith Town held out to claim the Kent Senior Trophy for the first time in their history to send their very small support into celebration and the vast majority of the crowd home disappointed.

Tunbridge Wells 3 v 0 Holmesdale

Tuesday 22nd March 2011
Kent League Premier Division
Culverden Stadium, Tunbridge Wells
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 87
Match Rating: 3

Rare enthusiasm during the working day to go to a football match that evening - probably buoyed by the dry, sunny weather - encouraged me to head to the Culverden Stadium for the first time this season for this Kent League game between Tunbridge Wells and Holmesdale.

Description and photos of Culverden Stadium - during daytime - can be found from one of my previous visits to the ground . As for this season's programme, a very reasonable effort with plenty to read and plenty of stats - as it needs to have, with an excessive price of £1.50.

This was yet another game where there is now little left to play for for either team this season, with Tunbridge Wells in eighth place in the 16 team league, but with Holmesdale down in 13th place, only three points ahead of bottom place Sporting Bengal - but as there is no relegation from the Kent League, the only motivating factor left for Holmesdale is to finish as high as possible in the league. Surprisingly, considering this is late March, tonight was the first time the two teams had met in the league this season, although earlier in the month, they met at the Culverden Stadium in the Kent Senior Trophy, with Tunbridge Wells edging a tense semi-final by 1-0, so tonight was the chance for revenge for Holmesdale..

The first half was, for the most part, a forgettable affair, a midfield battle with neither goalkeeper having a shot to save until a couple of minutes before half time, when Tunbridge Wells really should have scored, having three shots blocked in quick succession. The second half continued in a similar vein until, out of nowhere, Tunbridge Wells scored three times in the space of just six minutes to win the game. First, on 61 minutes, Keelan Mooney scored a brilliant individual goal, bustling his way from far out, brushing off several defenders before cooly sidefooting and slotting the ball past the keeper. Number two came just two minutes when Andy Boyle hooked home through a crowd of players after a corner, and the third came on 66 minutes when Drew Crush met a corner ball with a backward looping header from 10 yards out over the keeper. This ended the game as a contest as the visitors looked shell-shocked although to their credit they did battle gamely on. As the second half wore on, the game more and more petered out, and Tunbridge Wells claimed a win they just about deserved although the scorelne hugely flattered them.

George Piper Courier Cup

Sunday 25th July 2010
George Piper Courier Cup
Culverden Stadium, Tunbridge Wells
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 250
Match Rating: 2

A rare Sunday afternoon's football entertainment was provided by the second day of the revamped George Piper Courier Cup . In previous years, the cup has been contested as a one-off match between Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge Angels, who have traditionally sent their reserve team (which has usually been sufficient to win the Cup), and this year was no different. However, this year, Crowborough Athletic and Rusthall were also invited, with the format being two semi-finals on the Saturday with the final and third place play-off taking place on the Sunday. In the semi-finals, Tunbridge Wells beat Crowborough 3-0, with Rusthall beating Tonbridge on penalties after a 1-1 draw. There is no doubt that this competition added a welcome competitive edge to what would otherwise be meaningless pre-season friendly matches, with the four teams coming from a 7 mile radius of Tunbridge Wells, with therefore many connections between the clubs, yet coming from four different leagues - Tunbridge Wells from the Kent League, Rusthall from the Kent County League, Crowborough from the Sussex League, and Tonbridge Angels from the Ryman League - or perhaps more accurately considering the team they fielded, the Suburban League.

Culverden Stadium, which is located about a 20 minute walk from Tunbridge Wells train station, will always be one of my favourite grounds at County League level, with a pleasant enclosed feel to it surrounded as it is by trees and set in a completely peaceful location down a short track well away from roads and housing.An ageing stand runs along one length of the pitch, half of which provides seating, the other half terracing. Steps of terracing behind one of the goals provides an excellent vantage point, with hard standing around the rest of the pitch. Anyone who has been to the Culverden won't be surprised to hear that the pitch was in a dreadful state - rock hard, dusty, bobbly and with long dry grass making the roll of the bal unpredictable. Of course, the prolonged hot and dry weather has done the groundsman no favours. A colour programme was produced for the tournament providing good basic information on all four teams competing.

Crowborough Athletic 2 v 3 Tonbridge Angels
Third Place Play-off

The first game of the day was the third place play off, between Crowborough Athletic and the reserve team of Tonbridge Angels. With Crowborough fielding mostly a first team, they would have been expected to have been the stronger side, and indeed Crowborough for the most part dominated the first half and creating the better chances, although somehow Tonbridge went into the interval with a two goal lead. They soon made that three within minutes of the restart, and the game looked dead and buried, particularly with Crowborough players seeming to lose interest on a hot, muggy afternoon. However, they pulled a goal back with a fluke goal when a cross from out wide sailed over the keeper and into the net, and a close finish was ensured with 7 minutes remaining when Crowborough scored a second. Despite a couple of good chances to equalise, Tonbridge held on for the win and the rather hollow prize of claiming third place in the competition.

Tunbridge Wells 1 v 2 Rusthall
Final

After an hour's break came the final of the competition between the two senior clubs of Tunbridge Wells. With so many connections between the clubs, this was always likely to be a keenly fought affair, one for which Tunbridge Wells would have had to have been favourites, with the game being played at their home ground and being from a higher league - indeed, Rusthall play at intermediate level, but there was plenty of incentive for Rusthall to create an upset with several of their players having played for Tunbridge Wells, and their manager, John Ronaldson, played for Tunbridge Wells with distinction. During the first half, the superiority of Tunbridge Wells certainly showed as the spent most of the half in possession and had most of the chances, and it was something of a surprise that they only went into the break one goal to the good. The second half carried on in the same vein - whereas Rusthall played reasonably well, there seemed to be very little threat of getting back on level on terms until the 73rd minute with a slightly controversial goal, when just at the moment the Tunbridge Wells keeper caught the ball, the Rusthall forward headed the ball out oh his hands into the net. For me it was a good goal as the ball wasn't under the keeper's control, and it was refreshing to see, for once, the goalkeeper not get the benefit of the doubt. At this point the game completely transformed as Rusthall pushed for the winner, which they got ten minutes from time when a cross was emphatically headed home. Tunbridge Wells threated to score intermittently throughout the second half but Rusthall held on to huge cheers at the final whistle to claim the trophy and the local bragging rights.

This was an entertaining day's football, and a great way of adding a little competiveness and interest to pre-season games, and the warm weather certainly helped make the occasion even more enjoyable. Perhaps games with 30 minute halves might be a better system and fairer on the players considering the small squad sizes of the competing teams, and presuming the competition is repeated in future years, although Tonbridge Angels are potentially a big draw considering their Ryman League status, all the time they send reserve teams for the Cup, it would seem more worthwhile to invite another local team in their place, such as Sevenoaks or East Grinstead.


 

Beckenham Town 2 v 1 Tunbridge Wells

Saturday 20th February 2010
Kent League Premier Division
Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham
Admission: £6.00
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 78
Match Rating: 4

After the currently customary pre-Saturday concerns that if I were not careful, I could encounter a dreaded blank Saturday, after heavy rain during the week and a very hard frost this morning, I headed off to South London for this Kent League encounter between two teams stuck firmly in mid-table, Beckenham Town and Tunbridge Wells after confirmation that this game was definitely on, for what would be my last Saturday game in England for at least four weeks.

Eden Park Avenue is located about a half hour walk from Beckenham Junction train station, although Eden Park station is almost adjacent to the ground. On paying my £6 admission at the turnstile, I was extremely disappointed to hear that no programmes had been printed for this game. Apparently the printers were to blame, but according to the locals, it is certainly not the first time this has happened at Beckenham this season and there really can be no excuse in my opinion for a Senior club not being able to produce a programme, not even an emergency team sheet, particularly when many clubs at Intermediate level voluntarily produce excellent publications. Combined with the fact that team line-ups were not announced nor were they written on a whiteboard, and at a time when County League football is struggling to attract sufficient numbers of paying spectators through the turnstiles, I trust that the Kent League will suitably punish Beckenham.
Happily the lack of programme was the last disappointment of the day. The ground is neat and very well maintained, although its location in deepest suburbia ensures that it certainly wasn't the most scenic ground I have visited this season. The ground has only one small covered stand, with cushion seats left unsecured on top of benches. A novel idea for a seated stand, and not a bad one I would say! An attractive wooden clubhouse is located behind the goal, as is a teabar, however I didn't use either as I refused to spend any more money in light of the club's programme negligence.

Going into this game, both teams were sitting comfortably in mid-table, with already seemingly nothing to play for, as is often the case in a league where there is no relegation and in the case of this year, the top two sides are running away with the league. Beckenham were in fifth place, some twenty points off the leaders Faversham Town, and Tunbridge Wells down in tenth place, only 5 points behind Beckenham, although they were on a bad run of form, having lost by four and three clear goals in their last two games, and lost four of their last six games.

The game itself was an entertaining and very even affair, with both sides freely carving out chances for themselves, and both sides missed a wonderful opportunity to open the scoring inside the first 20 minutes, first Tunbridge Wells when the keeper made an awful mess of a backpass, to leave the forward with practically an open goal, but he could only hit the post, admittedly from a tight angle. A worse miss followed for Beckenham shortly afterwards, when the ball was pulled back to the edge of the area and with the keeper already committed, the Beckenham player ballooned the ball over the bar. Beckenham did take the lead halfway through the first half however, thanks to a well taken penalty after a defender was adjudged to have pulled back the forward. Tunbridge Wells deservedly got back on level terms on the stroke of half term.

The second hald continued similar to the first, played in a competitive spirit and with chances aplenty at either end, although as the game wore on, the pitch cut up badly and by the end of the game this clearly had taken its toll on the players, some of whom looked dead on their feet. Beckenham scored what turned out to be the winner ten minutes from the end, and defeat was harsh on Tunbridge Wells, who contributed fully to an open and enjoyable game.

Tunbridge Wells 2 v 2 Sevenoaks Town

Saturday 15th August 2009
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Culverden Stadium, Tunbridge Wells
Attendance 127
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.50




Always one of the best moments of the season this weekend...the opening round of the FA Cup, and my first game of the weekend took me to one of my local clubs, Tunbridge Wells. Culverden Stadium will always be one of my favourite grounds at this level, in an attractive setting surrounded by trees and with terracing behind the goal which gives an excellent view of the pitch as well as a (relatively, for this level) passionate atmosphere.

An added bonus of this game was it being a local derby, which Tunbridge Wells usually has the upper hand on in recent encounters, and several players had made the move south from Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells over the summer, adding more spice to the game. Tunbridge Wells were favourites for this game too, on the back of a 6-0 opening day win (admittedly against the Kent League whipping boys, Sporting Bengal).

On a gloriously sunny day, this was an even game in the first half, with Tunbridge Wells taking the lead 10 minutes before half time. However, Sevenoaks were the superior side in the second half and within 10 minutes of the restart, were leading 2-1, fully deserved. Although Sevenoaks continued to have the edge, Tunbridge Wells wasted some excellent chances and it wasn't a surprise when they equalised 10 minutes from time, and a draw was how it ended to take the tie to Greatness Park, Sevenoaks for a replay. A fair result overall, and I wouldn't like to call the outcome of this tie, probably Sevenoaks would be slight favourites to earn a lucrative trip to Dulwich Hamlet in the next round.