Angels chairman: Our erratic form is totally unacceptable (EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW)

Stars from Charlton Athletic’s past are coming to the Betterview Longmead Stadium later this month in aid of the Kent Air Ambulance, writes Stephen McCartney.

 

They are playing a Tonbridge Angels’ XI consisting of chairman Nick Sullivan, former manager and youth team coach Colin Blewden and Horsham’s coach Tommy Warrilow.


The Charlton Athletic side will include former St Leonards goalkeeper Sasha Illic, John Robinson, Colin Walsh, Simon Webster, John Humphrey, Mark Penfold, Richie Bowman, Garry Nelson, Steve Gritt, Leroy Ambrose, John Bumstead, Derek Hales and Peter Garland.

”The Charlton game is in aid of the Kent Air Ambulance and all proceeds are going to it,” said Angels’ chairman Nick Sullivan.


“What’s happened is a good friend of mine, Richard Wilson plays for Charlton Vets and we’ve organised it.”

Sullivan has two reasons to raise money for such a worthwhile cause.  He explained: “Billy Kiernan is a Charlton Legend from the 50-60s and died a couple of weeks ago and his charity was the Kent Air Ambulance.

”And I started a boys team at under ten’s and one of my players, Daniel Hughes, who was seventeen, died in a car crash in Cowden a little while back.

”I had to speak at his funeral and his parents wishes were to go to the Kent Air Ambulance.”

The match on Sunday 23^rd April kick’s off at 2pm and a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids) can watch the action for just £10 with a family ticket.  Adult admission is just £4 and concessions at £2.


Back to the pressure cooker, which is the Ryman League Division One promotion race, Kingstonian are the visitors to the Beterview Longmead Stadium on Saturday.
 
The K’s slipped one place outside the play-off zone on Tuesday night following Dover Athletic’s goal-less draw at Leatherhead.
 
And although the Whites have hit top-form in their last nine matches, picking up 18 points since the two Kent giants played out a dour goalless stalemate at the end of February, the Angels have picked up just ten points from a possible 21.
 
With Ramsgate (79 points) and Horsham (78) battling to see which side will clinch the title, Metropolitan Police (70), Tonbridge Angels (70), Tooting & Mitcham United (69) and Dover Athletic (68) are currently in the play-off places.

And Sullivan demands three wins from their last five “cup-finals” will cement their play-off place.
 
“The season so far if I’m honest up until Christmas it was in front of schedule but since Christmas it’s been very disappointing,” he said.
 
“The thing is we’ve got five cup finals.  We have to make sure we cement one of the play-off berths.”

If his side finish the 44-match league campaign in third place his club will host the sixth placed side in a lucrative but nervous play-off semi-final.  The side that finishes fourth will host the side that finish in fifth.

And the side that finished higher in the league will play their lucrative play-off final on home soil.

But with just two points between all four sides it is very difficult to see which side will make it into the promised land – the Ryman Premier League.
 
“Third place will be lovely for obvious reasons but we must get into the play-off’s” Sullivan insisted.

But the former Arsenal goalkeeper isn’t very happy with his side’s “erratic” form since Christmas.

”Totally unacceptable and I can’t explain why,” he said.  “Same group of players, probably one of the strongest group of players we’ve had at the club for a long, long time.”

Kingstonian travel to Kent having not win their last two league games and Sullivan wants that run to continue.

”We’ve got to be on top of our form, they can be erratic like us but on their day they are one of the best sides in the league,” he warned.
 
“It looks like we’re going to be at full strength and its down to us now.  We’re still in a very strong position but I would say we probably need to win three out of five to cement a place.

”It’s payback time really because the performances have been erratic.  We’re either brilliant or not so good.  There’s no inbetween with us.”

Sullivan revealed the Police are investigating the incident at Burgess Hill Town last Saturday and didn’t want to comment further on the matter.

Meanwhile, Sullivan revealed Dave Arter, Danny Tingley, Mark Freeman, Steve Hearn, Ian Mawson and Tony Booth are in the 20-man squad to tackle Charlton.

TONBRIDGE ANGELS’ RUN-IN

Saturday 15 April:  H  Kingstonian
Monday 17 April:    a  Cray Wanderers
Saturday 22 April:  H  Hastings United
Tuesday 25 April:   H  Molesey (to be confirmed)
Saturday 29 April:  a  Corinthian Casuals

Tonbridge Angels v Kingstonian
Ryman League Division One
Saturday 15^th April 2006
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Betterview Longmead Stadium, Darenth Avenue, Tonbridge