We let Dolby down, admits skipper Gooding - EXCLUSIVE

Stunned skipper Scott Gooding admits the players are partly to blame for Tony Dolby and Mike Rutherford parting company with Tonbridge Angels on Monday night, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Angels slumped to second from bottom in the Ryman Premier League table following a 2-1 defeat at AFC Hornchurch last night - with only Leyton below them.

Reserve team management pair, Julian Leigh, 51, and Simon Balsdon took charge for the game at Bridge Avenue, and possibly Saturday’s FA Trophy clash against East Thurrock United at the Betterview Longmead Stadium.

Angels chairman Mr Nick Sullivan, however, remained tight lipped as to why he dismissed Dolby and Rutherford, expecting to break his silence on Thursday night.

But one rival club have revealed on their official website that their assistant manager has been linked with the job - but this attractive position will surely interest many managers.

Gooding, meanwhile, was told the news minutes after Dolby’s three and a half year reign at the club came to an end.

Saturday’s woeful 3-1 defeat at Ware in the fourth and final qualifying round of the FA Cup, was, however, the last straw for the west Kent club.

“He gave me a call Monday evening, I think, just after he come out of his meeting and he said “look we’ve been told there’s going to be a change of management,” Gooding said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk last night.

“He said he could have stood there and fought his case, but he didn’t want to and said that he’s going to come down and say goodbye to the boys, probably (at training) on Thursday.

“But the boys are sad that he’s gone. He’s come in and done well to get us where we were but if a change of management has to be done, a change of management has to be done, but as players we have to get on with it, whoever comes in.”

Tonbridge Angels tasted relegation from the Ryman Premier League in Dolby’s first season in charge, before winning a five-goal thriller against Dover Athletic in the play-off final the following season to go straight back up at the first attempt.

And last season the club romped to the top of the table in their second game of the season before settling for eleventh place, and reached the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup, like they did this season, and Kent Senior Cup final.

Jon Main, who scored from the penalty spot last night, broke club records when he netted 44 goals last term.

No-one expected the club to be level on points (11) at the foot of the Ryman Premier League table after 12 games into a season that promised so much.

On where the blame lies, Gooding said: “There’s no way it’s 100% Dolb’s and there’s no way 100% us, you know.

“But he’s the manager, he’s got to put the team out there that’s going to do the job and the boys who are out there should have done the job and they didn’t do it for him.

“We feel partly responsible just as he feels partly responsible, so he’ll probably hold his hands up and say he could have changed a few things and done things that he didn’t do.

“But that’s the way football is and everyone moves on, that’s the way it is and we’ll just kick on from there.”

Gooding expects competition to be rife when the new manager is appointed, but the versatile player is relishing that prospect.

He said: “It’s always like that if you’re a non-league footballer or a full-time footballer.

“A new manager comes in, it’s just the way it is. You’ve always got competition, even if it’s a case of not a new manager coming in, you’ve got competition from the geezer playing in your position in the squad.

“That’s what’s football’s all about, it’s noting different, all the boys are used to it - competition keeps everyone driving on.”

But with the club’s reserve team pair in charge of team affairs, whilst a successor is found, Gooding and his team-mates, however, are full of respect for Leigh and Balsdon.

“They acquitted themselves properly to the job in hand,” said Gooding. “It didn’t go for us tonight again but we showed them respect the same way as they showed us respect.

“They’ve come into the job, we have to do a job so we all work together to try and get a result.

“Whoever comes in I’m sure we’ll respond well to him as well.”

Even Gooding’s former Urchin team-mates was saying to him out on the pitch last night that they can’t believe Angels’ predicament, and he added: “Even some of their players were saying to us on the pitch “how the hell are you lot down where you are?.

“But we don’t know either!”

And on the 2-1 defeat, Gooding reflected: “Another disappointing result mate!! It’s the same as normal, we play some good stuff but the result’s just aren’t coming.

“There’s nothing we can really say, the boys, they gave it their all again, but it didn’t go for us.

“Before the game we had a talk about getting on with our jobs, even though there’s a lot of things going on outside of the football pitch.

“I feel the boys acquitted themselves the way they should have done, but the result didn’t go our way again.”

Article is under copyright to Stephen McCartney and www.kentishfootball.co.uk  and to reproduce it please telephone 07979 418 360. However, we grant Kent club’s permission to reproduce it for their match day programmes and or websites.

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ website: www.tonbridgeangels.co.uk & www.tonbridgeafc.co.uk/forum