Margate 1-2 Tonbridge Angels

MARGATE 1-2 TONBRIDGE ANGELS
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 20^th February 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Hartsdown Park

Tonbridge Angels became only the second team this season to win a league game at Hartsdown Park tonight.

Striker Jon Main, 25, netted his 33^rd goal of the season to hand the west Kent side the lead, against the run of play, after 33 minutes before a right-footed half-volley from 25-yards from eighteen-year-old midfielder Ian Parkes doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half.

Jay Saunders headed home his fifth goal of the season as Margate pulled one back after 63 minutes but the promotion chasing hosts finished the game with ten-men when Dean Standen received his marching orders with his second booking late on.

Margate, needing a win to return to the summit of the Ryman Premier League table, were without suspended trio Justin Skinner, Steve McKimm and Paul Abbott, whilst big central defender Pat Sappleton was injured.

Tonbridge Angels, meanwhile, handed former Milton Keynes Dons’ left-back Alex Tapp his debut, but he made way for eighteen-year-old striker Adam O’Neill late in the first half after picking up an injury, which will be assessed tomorrow.

Angels boss Tony Dolby has also released former Margate pair Mark Green and Ryan Maxwell and there was talk that Green will be joining divisional rivals Folkestone Invicta tomorrow once the Buzzlines Stadium club agree terms with the full-back.

And influential midfielder Scott Kinch, who was substitute tonight, will be playing for the reserve side on Saturday as he builds up his fitness having recovered from a broken ankle.

This game was billed between a head-to-head showdown between strikers Danny Hockton, 28, (31 goals this season) and Main.

And both strikers had chances early on when Hockton’s looping header was comfortably saved by Aaron Kerr, and after latching onto a trademark through ball Main’s shot was well blocked by defender Louis Smith.

The game was played at a very high tempo throughout and Hockton had another chance after fourteen minutes but he headed Jimmy Jackson’s corner past the near post.

Tonbridge’s Irish goalkeeper Kerr, meanwhile, was twice called into action after 25 minutes when he beat out Greg Oates’ long-range drive and the follow up shot from Nick Bagley.

Tonbridge took 29 minutes to have their first real shot on goal when Sussex referee Mr Frank Meliack waved play on for a heavy challenge in midfield on Main and Ray Powell latched onto Nick Barnes’ though ball but the utility player drove his shot well wide of the left upright from 15-yards.

But Main stunned Margate’s lowest crowd of the season by grabbing the Angels the lead after 33 minutes.

Fraser Logan’s corner was cut back to Parkes and after Powell’s shot was blocked Main spun on a sixpence and hooked the ball past Scott Chalmers-Stevens and into the bottom far corner from 12-yards.

Margate came desperately close to equalising within two minutes but James Pinnock’s shot from 20-yards bounced back off the top of the left post with Kerr beaten.

Debutant Tapp was then replaced by O’Neill, who worked tirelessly alongside Main in attack while Powell moved back to his left-back position.

And eighteen-year-old O’Neill came close to doubling Tonbridge’s lead on the stroke of half-time.

The teenager met Scott Gooding’s cross from the right, left Margate player-manager Robin Trott on the ground, but his high shot towards the near post was beaten out by Margate’s highly-rated stopper.

Kerr was called into action after just 125 seconds into the second half, him being one of three former Gravesend & Northfleet players involved.

Lee Protheroe played a sublime diagonal ball over the top of Tonbridge’s defence from right to left and picked out Jimmy Jackson.

Jackson sped off towards goal but was denied by a fine block from his team-mate at Stonebridge Road as Kerr made sure he diverted the ball past the foot of the far post.

But Parkes, whose played for England Schoolboys, scored his second goal of the season after six second half minutes to give Tonbridge a crucial second goal.

Scottish winger Logan’s cross was headed clear by the Margate defence and the ball fell nicely for Parkes, whose sweet right-footed half-volley screamed into the bottom left hand corner from 25-yards, leaving Chalmers-Steves rooted to the spot.

This was the sign for shell-shocked Margate to mount even more pressure on the Angels goal and Saunders’ fifth goal of the season duly came after 63 minutes.

Protheroe’s in-swinging corner was met by Saunders’ towering header, which clipped the foot of the near post before finding the net to the delight of the Margate faithful.

At the other end, Angels’ captain Steve Aris headed Logan’s corner onto the roof of the net before Kerr was called into action again by clawing out another header form Saunders following Jackson’s flag-kick.

With twenty minutes remaining, Hockton almost joined his rival Main on the score-sheet, but his deflected shot from an acute angle found the side netting.

But Margate were reduced to ten-men with eight minutes remaining when Standen was shown his second yellow card for dissent.

Margate found no-way through a resilient visiting defence for the remainder of the game but Main almost added a third late on.

Picking the ball up in midfield, he tormented Saunders before bursting forward with his pace but his long-range right-footed shot deflected just past the foot of the right post.

Angels boss Tony Dolby was, however, delighted with their eighth win on the road.

He told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards: “Very professional performance, adapted to the conditions well and dug in and performed exactly the way that we needed after Saturday.”

The Angels crashed to a 3-1 defeat to East Thurrock United on home soil on Saturday and Dolby bemoaned his side’s inconsistency.

“We have been playing well on the road this year,” he said. “We suffered a little bit at home losing far too many games for my liking but we seem to be playing below par and then playing well above par at the moment.

“We have to stop that inconsistency and tonight was no different. Tonight I told them we were due a good one - and they duly obliged.

“What we’ve got to get the boys to do is get them believe in themselves and believe they can go on another run like we’ve done.

“We’ve won 15 games this year, that’s no mean feat for Tonbrdge and we’re on quite a few points (48) and we’re still in the mix but unless we put together more consistent performances then it’s going to be an up and down end of the season.”

Despite having the most of possession, Margate player-boss Trott bemoaned the fact that they only put one away.

“They’re well pleased with that Tonbridge - it’s a reverse - we beat them away 2-1 , they beat us 2-1 here,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“The balls not going in the back of the net at the moment and we’re a bit sloppy in defending.

“The corner they scored, we’ve had them watched and that is their corner, to try and play the short one - caught us off guard.

“We’re not playing bad. We’re missing a few men to sat the least but I think we’re creating chances - it’s just not going into the back of the net.

“We just need that bit of luck and also first things first, before the game I said to shore up at the back, we can’t lose the game and that’s what we’ve got to get back to, shoring up the back and not concede the goals.

“As soon as you concede the goals, there’s a chance of losing.”