The defeat to Merstham was a tough one to take, admits Tonbridge Angels assistant Barry Moore

TONBRIDGE ANGELS assistant manager Barry Moore says he wants his players to be more clinical in front of goal at Dorking Wanderers on Tuesday night.

Steve McKimm’s side went down to a 1-0 home defeat to Merstham at the weekend, which puts the club in eleventh-place in the Bostik Premier Division table with 27 points from 19 games.

The Angels are eight points adrift of fifth-placed Hendon going into their trip to eighteenth-placed Dorking Wanderers.

“The defeat to Merstham was a tough one to take as I felt we stopped them from playing their free-flowing football well and it was only a mistake that cost us,” reflected Moore.

“Having said that, we didn’t create a lot of chances in the game and having Nathan Elder not well and having been ill in bed all week, as well as Alex Akrofi (ill) and Daniel Thompson getting a knock early in the second half , it made things a bit more difficult.”

Marc White’s side have collected 21 points from 18 games and this is a game that Tonbridge Angels must win if they are to maintain their push for the play-offs.

“The Dorking game will again be against a team who play some lovely football, so our lads will have to be organised and more importantly more clinical in the attacking third,” said Moore.

“Alex is back in the squad as is George Beaven so that is a positive but we are still working hard to get players in to help the squad a bit as a lot of managers know, it is not easy.

“When you look at our bench over the last two games I think only one of them is over the age of 20 and that is no disrespect to our young lads as they have a good future ahead of them but asking them to change a game is a lot of pressure.”

The club announced on Saturday that chairman Steve Churcher is to step-down after nine years at the helm at Longmead Stadium, owing to health matters.

Moore said: “It is very sad news that Steve has had to step down as chairman due to health reasons and I would like to say that it has been a pleasure to work for a chairman who is very approachable and always had time for a chat when needed.

“He also gave Steve (McKimm) and myself a chance when he could have easily gone with older managers, which is always the easy option.

“I think that when we all moan and groan about results and things that happen in football, we forget that health and family are far more important than three points.”

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ website:  www.tonbridgeangelsonline.co.uk

Dorking Wanderers  v  Tonbridge Angels
Bostik Premier Division
Tuesday 5^th December 2017
Kick Off 7:45pm
at Westhumble, London Road, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6AD