"I am not hiding" insists Dolby after fans call for a new manager

Tonbridge Angels may be sitting in fifth place in the Ryman League Division One table but fans have been calling for manager Tony Dolby’s head - having gone four games without a win and have suffered with poor form since the turn of the year, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Betterview Longmead Stadium club collected 45 points from their first 21 league games (losing just four) but since 2^nd January, they’ve picked up “just” 16 points from 14 games, winning four and losing six.

The top two promotion places are currently filled by Ramsgate (70 points) and Horsham (67), with Metropolitan Police (66), Tooting & Mitcham United (62), Tonbridge Angels (61) and Kingstonian (59) filling the play-off places.

However, Angels’ supporters are demanding that their side get back to winning ways when Lymington & New Milton are their visitors on Saturday and that their heroes bounce back to secure automatic promotion – the club’s aim at the start of the season – in their eight games after that.

It must hurt managers and players when they read comments about them written on internet message boards but Dolby has hit back after fans were discussing which Kent managers should take over his role at the club.

”As you can imagine me like yourselves are not happy with recent results and would like nothing more than three points however it comes on Saturday,” he wrote in a statement on www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk

”I just wanted you to know that I am not hiding and am here to look anybody in the eye and let them know that I am doing all in my power to turn things around.”

He added: “Football has a serious habit of hitting you where it hurts when you least deserve it and if I analyse the performances against results I do believe that we have not had the rub of the green on many occasions, (against) Fleet, Horsham and Walton Casuals to name a few.

”Creating and wasting chances does not get you points however and I realise that but nobody means to miss and I promise players hurt when they do.”

During the summer, with new chairman Nick Sullivan at the helm, the club had a spring in their step following their relegation from the Ryman Premier League after just one ill-fated season.

”Managing this club is a pleasure and I respect that I am a lucky man to have this opportunity to take the club as far as it possibly can go,” said Dolby.

”Please remember that last season was a very difficult period for the club and that Nick’s era of running the Angels is still in its infant stage.

”We both have visions of where we want the club to be and how we want it to be structured and I do believe that we will get there sooner rather than later.

“Having said that I am under no illusion that we should go up from this league this season and with a decent run in with a bit of luck we still will,” he insisted.

”The players are giving their all and we all work tirelessly to prepare for matches correctly and do all we can on match days to get three points each week.

”Loss of form silly mistakes and missed chances are a part of what it’s all about as well as keeping clean sheets and scoring wonder goals after brilliant passing moves.”

Dolby, however, keeps the faith and asks the fans to keep theirs, adding: ”Anyway with us still very much in the mix the players and I will be giving 110% every week to get us up and out of this league to get where we want to be so please keep on giving us the best bar none support that you always have until the end.”

Anybody that wants to meet up with Dolby to discuss anything about the club should contact him via questions@tonbridgeangels.co.uk  “I will be happy to answer any sensible questions that you have,” he said.

Tonbridge Angels’ run-in:
March:  18 (H) Lymington & New Milton, 25: (a) Croydon Athletic, 28 (a) Whyteleafe.  April: 1 (H) Molesey, 8 (a) Burgess Hill Town, 15 (H) Kingstonian, 17 (a) Cray Wanderers, 22 (H) Hastings United, 29 (a) Corinthian Casuals