Tonbridge Angels 2-1 Maidstone United - Tonbridge win ugly west Kent battle

TONBRIDGE ANGELS 2-1 MAIDSTONE UNITED
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 23^rd February 2008
Stephen McCartney reports from Betterview Longmead Stadium

JOINT Maidstone United manager Lloyd Hume apologised for his behaviour as his side were defeated 2-1 at local rivals Tonbridge Angels today.

Hume was the first of THREE people to be red-carded by Northwood based referee Mr Wes Linden during this ugly and explosive clash.

Hume admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards that he swore at members of the Tonbridge Angels bench and was therefore banished to the sidelines after 57 minutes.

Defender Lee Shearer followed a minute later for an alleged elbow on Tonbridge Angels striker Carl Rook, who made the difference with two goals, taking his own personal tally to 22 for the season - 12 of them coming from 13 games for the Angels.

After Lynden Rowland scored against his former club, the Stones were reduced to nine men when midfielder Rob Owen lashed out at Angels substitute Scott Kinch.

Before the game the public address announcer welcomed Alan Walker back to his former club.

And after a week of fans’ trading insults on internet fans’ forums, that was when the niceties ended as the game itself was one of poor quality for the second largest crowd of the season at the Betterview Longmead Stadium to endure.

“He sent me off for swearing at the oppositions bench and he clarified that again in the referee’s room,” explained Hume.

“He sent me off for not swearing at them or at officials but at the oppositions bench, which I’m disappointed about and I’ve apologised to the players about it and I’ll apologise to our chairman as well as I should know better.

“But the reality is I don’t think anything untoward has gone on, on the pitch. I was disappointed to be honest with the reaction of some of our players in terms of how their bench and their players wanted our team sent off.”

Maidstone United had the game’s first chance, after just nine seconds, when Andy Pugh, 18, on loan from Gillingham, struck a right-footed volley from 25-yards, which was comfortably saved by Matt Reed.

And Angels defender James Donovan hooked Kirk Watts’ first corner of the game over the bar from 12-yards before the referee took centre stage and stopped the flow of the game with numerous stoppages.

Fans on yet another blustery February day had to wait until the 26^th minute for some goal-mouth action, through two headers from Angels skipper John Beales.

Both chances arrived from two successive corners from impressive right-winger John Westcott.

Beales’ first towering header was tipped over by Pat Mullin, who relegated Steve Northwood to the bench as reports that the former Cray Wanderers’ stopper’s wife is expecting a baby imminently.

Beales then directed his second header just over Mullin’s crossbar from ten-yards.

But Tonbridge Angels broke the deadlock on 32 minutes when Rook sent Mullin the wrong way with a right-footed penalty.

Left-back Matt Lovell had crossed the ball towards the penalty area, which was flicked on by striker Fraser Logan, and this was flicked by Shearer and was handled by former Tonbridge full-back Craig Roser.

Another header from Beales arrived when he glanced Westcott’s free-kick just past the right hand post before the Angels doubled their lead.

And the goal was made by three players who have recently played their football in Sussex.

Westcott whipped in a far-post cross for winger Watts to volley the ball across the face of goal and Rook stabbed the ball past Mullin with a right-footed shot from six-yards.

Maidstone United’s only real chance of the first half arrived courtesy of a ball over the top by defender Chris Smalling, who is returning to Middlesbrough for a six-week trial next week, for Conor Hagan to latch onto.

The Irish midfielder cut in from the left into the penalty area but his angled shot was blocked by the advancing Reed.

Maidstone United started the second half with the intent of getting themselves back into the game and striker Jacob Erskine, on loan from Coca Cola League 2 outfit Dagenham & Redbridge, sent a right-footed effort over Reed’s bar from 25-yards.

And at the other end Logan glanced a header agonisingly past the far post after Westcott left Roser inside out.

A Tommy Tyne header was pushed away by Mullin following Anthony Storey’s cross, after Westcott and Logan combined.

The game turned nasty when Hume was red-carded before Shearer quickly followed for an alleged elbow on Rook.

And on the referee‘s showing, Hume fumed: “I don’t want to be too hard on the referee but if I’m honest I think the referee couldn’t deal with the occasion today.

“I think there were a lot of fans here, it was a high pressure game for both teams and both sets of management and both sets of fans and I think referees sometimes try and assert their authority on a game unnecessarily and I thought he did that from the first minute to the last.

“He made some very, very poor decisions today and not just in favour of Tonbridge. He gave some things that I found fairly amusing as well but then what he can’t deal are people’s frustrations at his mistakes.”

The Stones threw on Aaron Lacy and his free-kick brought the Stones back into the game after 65 minutes when Rowland netted his eleventh goal of the season.

Lacy’s free-kick was knocked down by Ben Lewis for Rowland to stab the ball into the net with his right-foot from a similar position to what Rook had done earlier.

And the Stones almost grabbed the equaliser 77 seconds later but Lewis’ left-footed half-volley smashed against the crossbar following Lacy’s trademark throw.

But when Owen raised his hands to Kinch with fourteen minutes remaining that ended Maidstone United’s fight-back as they were reduced to nine men.

Maidstone should have clinched their first league draw on their travels when Erskine latched onto Alex Tiesse down the right but instead of finding substitute Mo Takaloo, who was unmarked at the far post, whipped in a cross into Reed’s grateful arms.

“We haven’t got the result we wanted today but we’ll live to fight another day,” said Hume.

“We’ve got a couple of big games coming up and we’ve got to look forward to them and make sure we pick ourselves up.

“With ten men we weren’t out of the game, we looked like we were going to push on and get something from it but with nine men it was a real struggle for us.”

Hume added: “We wasn’t really potent up front at all and in the last third we looked like we didn’t have any ideas but I’d go along the fact we dominated long periods of the game but without really creating too much.

“Our goalkeeper, in the second half, made one save to make so I’m disappointed with the result.

“But I used to be at Tonbridge, I want Tonbridge to do well and Tonbridge to stay up, my priority is Maidstone staying up as well.”

Despite losing 2-1 at Ashford Town (Middlesex) in midweek, where they were victims of a smash and grab raid, Tonbridge Angels boss Tommy Warrilow was pleased on two counts - beating their fierce rivals and keeping their discipline.

“It wasn’t the best game of football but after Tuesday night when we went to Ashford and played really well for 80 minutes and came away with nothing, the main thing today was getting three points,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“It was a local derby, we knew what was at stake and it was about keeping discipline. We knew it was going to be a fiery encounter, which it obviously turned out to be.”

Warrilow paid out big money to his former club Horsham to land Rook, who proved to be the match-winner.

He said: “I knew what I was going to get with Carl and that’s why we spent the money on him and we’ll continue to build around him.

“He holds up play, he’s an aerial threat, brings people into the game and I’m pleased with Carl.

“We’ve got two wide boys, who we’re trying to use a lot. I was pleased with the boys at the back being nice and strong.”

Tonbridge Angels: Matt Reed, Phil Starkey (John Wilfort 12), Matt Lovell, Tommy Tyne, John Beales, James Donovan, John Westcott, Anthony Storey (Scott Kinch 70), Fraser Logan, Carl Rook, Kirk Watts.
Subs: Akwasi Edusei, Micky Collins, Michael Phillips.

Goals: Carl Rook 32 pen, 38

Booked: John Wilfort 68

Maidstone United: Pat Mullin, Nathan Paul, Craig Roser, Ben Lewis, Lee Shearer, Chris Smalling, Rob Owen, Conor Hagan (Aaron Lacy 57), Jacob Erskine, Lynden Rowland (Alex Tiesse 85), Andy Pugh (Mo Takaloo 67).
Subs: Nick Hegley, Steve Northwood.

Goal: Lynden Rowland 65

Booked: Conor Hagan 7, Mo Takaloo 90

Sent off: Lee Shearer 58, Rob Owen 76
(Lloyd Hume, joint-manager was sent to the stands after 57 minutes)

Attendance: 926
Referee: Mr Wes Linden (Northwood, Middlesex)
Assistants: Mr Ben Wright (Walworth, London SE17) & Mr Keith Scudder (Gravesend, Kent)