Tunbridge Wells 1-0 VCD Athletic - Cable shocks the title favourites

New signing Ross Cable drilled a long-range shot into the bottom right-hand corner to settle a disappointing Bulmers Cider Kent League opener.

VCD Athletic, a side that’s finished runners up in their last two campaigns, were sporting their traditional kit colour of green and white hoops - but they were off-colour against a club that finished in tenth place last term.

Sadly, a poor, long, playing surface and the wet weather, didn’t produce a good game for the second highest attendance on opening day.

Robbins gave Cable his Tunbridge Wells debut, having signed him from neighbouring Vandanel Kent County League side Rusthall.

Cable has an excellent goalscoring record, having netted twenty goals last season for Erith Town and Croydon, and before that for Faversham Town, Beckenham Town and Thamesmead Town.

Matt Foreman, 18, arrives at Culverden Stadium following a two-year stint with Brighton & Hove Albion, and central defender Phil Rhodes clinched the Sussex County League title with Crowborough Athletic last season, also winning their managers’ player-of-the-year award.

Vickers gave starting debuts to goalkeeper Michael Holder (Greenwich Borough), right-sided winger Simon Austin (Horsham) and striker Dave Hassett (Metrogas).

But they were without winger Chris Hubbard (holiday), another player who joins following the summer exodus from Greenwich Borough, striker Juan Ramirez (holiday), midfielder Gary Ward (knee) and summer signing from Maidstone United, winger Nick Hegley, who is nursing an ankle injury.

Cable’s right-footed chip from the right hand side of the VCD Athletic penalty area sailed over Holder but also over the crossbar before Vickers had a goal chalked off for offside.

Skipper Danny Penny’s left-footed free-kick from just outside the penalty area, on the right hand side, brought a smart save from the diving Chris Arnold but striker Dave Hassett was thwarted a goal against one of his former sides by Mick Dunne’s flag.

The poor playing surface prevented both sides getting the ball down and play and the wet weather didn’t help either.

Foreman should have done better after 25 minutes when he turned at the near post but his shot lacked conviction as it rolled into Holder’s arms and at the other end, Kevin Winchcombe’s long-range left-footed drive was never going to trouble goalkeeper Chris Arnold, who had twice lost his footing earlier on when launching the ball forward.

But VCD Athletic squandered an excellent chance to break the deadlock during a very dour first half, just after the half-hour mark.

Aaron Shade, the only home player to be booked, lost possession in midfield and Austin delivered a cross towards the far post from the right-hand side but Hassett nodded down and wide of the near post from six-yards.

Shade scuffed a right-footed shot from 35-yards, which just had enough purchase to roll into Holder’s arms.

The crowd of 136 hoped for better football during the second half.

But Tunbridge Wells were cursing their luck inside the opening three minutes when Foreman’s glancing header from six-yards bounced off the crossbar after right-sided midfielder Barry Gardener delivered a far-post cross.

That chance finally kicked title favourites VCD Athletic into gear with a hat-trick of chances within four minutes.

Sinden’s cross from the right was dummied by Hassett and Steve Hogg’s cut back presented Danny Penny with a chance but his shot was parried by Arnold at the near post.

Austin then exchanged a one-two with Sinden before unleashing a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which brought a comfortable save from the goalkeeper.

And David Hunt came up from the back to power a header wide of the post following Chris Whitehouse’s 57^th minute flag-kick.

But the title favourites were left stunned when Cable opened his goalscoring account with his new club four minutes later.

A break including Joe Fuller and Shade gave Cable the opportunity to win a disappointing game.

He turned and drilled a right-footed shot from 35-yards, which left Holder rooted to the spot as the ball nestled into the bottom right-hand corner.

Six minutes later Cable was played in behind the visiting defence by Gardener but his left-footed chip was plucked out of the air by the advancing Holder.

Tunbridge Wells somehow escaped an 83^rd minute goal-line scramble after Chris Whitehouse delivered a corner towards the far post.

Welling referee Mr Babatunde Adebayo made a blunder three minutes later when he failed to award Tunbridge Wells a penalty after Vickers central defender Gary Cook clearly handled the ball inside his penalty area - with no other player near him.

James Duckworth was introduced late on and he had Vickers’ last chance but his drilled shot was saved by Arnold.

Robbins, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards, was delighted with the gritty performance from his side.

“We dug in deep and it was a gritty performance,” said the former Rye United boss. “I think it was gritty from both sides.

“Obviously they had a few missing and I actually had one of my centre halves missing as well, so we knew it was going to be gritty.

“We knew we had to dig in and that’s exactly what we got. I think we got what we deserved in the end.”

Robbins explained the situation about the uncut pitch.

“The drainage problems down the middle so they had to leave it longer to allow that to work, or to sort itself out,” he said.

“We like to be able to pass it around and perhaps it held us back as well. I don’t think the pitch played a big part.”

But Robbins was pleased that Cable got his debut off to a goalscoring start.

“Everyone in the Kent League knows that Ross is a match winner,” said Robbins.

“We’re here to nurture and look after Ross and play football how he likes football played and by coincidence we played the one up there today and he’s got the ball to feet, turned and scored.

“You can’t really ask for any more than that. He ran the line quite well, worked very hard - obviously a nice signing.”

Tunbridge Wells lost only four games on home soil last season, something that Robbins wants to improve on this term.

And he believes the club’s locality will help, especially as Vickers’ players arrived at the ground later than planned because of traffic.

“We play well here at Culverden, normally,” explained the manager. “The plan is fortress Culverden isn’t it?

“We don’t want it to be easy. It’s a horrible place to come to. If you’ve got four people in the car, three of them feel sick when they get here and we want to make sure we’re hard to beat down here.

“If we can pinch wins like that against teams at the top, like the title favourites, we’d take that any day.”

Vickers striker, Sinden, admitted Culverden Stadium isn’t one of his favoured venues.

Sinden was part of the VCD side that lost the Kent League title to Whitstable Town two season’s ago after drawing their penultimate game here.

“Horrible place to come to isn’t it, to get a result - and I think the rain and the pitch (didn’t help either),” Sinden told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“I don’t think that (the pitch) is an excuse really. I just think it probably had nil-nil written all over it. If you look at the game there wasn’t really any chances either side.

“We’ve not had a lot of luck with the goalmouth scramble and things like that.”

Speaking about Tunbridge Wells, a disappointed Sinden added: “It just seems to be a little bit of a banana skin this team.

“We’ve got quite a lot of history down here with losing the league (twice) and stuff like that, so I think you come here and you build yourself up because you’ve got something to prove down here because you want to put that right.”

Tunbridge Wells: Chris Arnold, Brad Sandeman, Jason Bourne, Gary Clarke, Phil Rhodes, James Russell, Barry Gardner, Joe Fuller, Matt Foreman, Ross Cable, Aaron Shade (Jono Richardson 75).
Subs: Mike Lord, Benji Aghana, Ben Hilden, Marc Newbould.

Goal: Ross Cable 61

Booked: Aaron Shade 72

VCD Athletic: Michael Holder, Chris Whitehouse, Kevin Winchcombe, Steve Hogg (Mark Greatorex 66), Gary Cook, David Hunt, Kevin Spriggs, Danny Penny, Richard Sinden, Dave Hassett (James Duckworth 84), Simon Austin (Kane Rice 66).
Subs: Casey Scotter, Jamie Blundell.

Booked: Gary Cook 42, Kevin Winchcombe 77, Kane Rice 90

Attendance: 136
Referee: Mr Babatunde Adebayo (Welling)
Assistants: Mr Peter Cruise (Erith) & Mr Mick Dunne (Erith)