Dolby begins search for replacement goalkeeper - EXCLUSIVE

Tonbridge Angels manager Tony Dolby is keen to sign a new goalkeeper after Irishman Aaron Kerr was ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, writes Stephen McCartney.

The former Gravesend & Northfleet understudy picked up the injury during Hampton & Richmond Borough’s controversial 3-1 win at the Betterview Longmead Stadium on Saturday.

Reserve team goalkeeper Matt Bromby made only his second start of the season in Tonbridge Angels’ 1-0 defeat to Ramsgate in the quarter-finals of the Kent Senior Cup last night.

But the former Tunbridge Wells, Hastings United and Maidstone United goalkeeper missed the ball when trying to clear to gift Akwasi Edusei his first goal in Ramsgate colours when he rolled the ball into an empty net after just 124 seconds into the game.

But Dolby complained about the performance of referee Mr Stuart Butler, especially as the Maidstone resident sent off Ray Powell and Scott Kinch late in the game.

A total number of EIGHT Tonbridge players have been sent off during the course of the season.

“I’ll be looking a the referee’s report. I’ll wait for it to come in but I’m pretty sure it will warrant some sort of punishment,” a dejected Dolby said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  after last night’s defeat.

Despite his early blunder, Dolby insists Bromby can still stake a claim in the first team at his home-town club.

“It was a game of few chances,” he said. “It was never going to be like the games we’ve had in the league against them, with us winning three and getting a draw but I’d like to think we could sneaked a win out of it.”

Kerr’s injury may force Dolby into the transfer market for a new goalkeeper - before the 31^st March deadline.

He said: “I think the club needs another goalkeeper anyway because we haven’t got two goalkeepers to play in the reserves and first team. Matt obviously cannot do that.

“It was a very late call up for Matt (and) he didn’t have a great deal to do after the goal to be honest but it’s a bit hard to assess.

“Matt’s a very capable goalkeeper and if I don’t bring another goalkeeper in I don’t think it’s a big problem playing Matt on Saturday.”

Following last weekend’s robbery committed by a workmanlike Hampton & Richmond Borough side, aided by three poor match officials from Essex, Tonbridge need to win all off their last seven games to maintain their play-off dream - starting at Leyton on Saturday.

“You look at the games we’ve got left to play and I think we’ve got winnable games on paper without a doubt,” said Dolby.

“We could have done with having the full squad for those games as were obviously going to be without Ray and Scott for a few of those games which is not going to help us.

“The squad is a little bit depleted at the moment and we could have done with a full squad but we’re going to certainly give it a good go.”

Powell and Kinch have already been sent off this season and can expect longer bans from the Football Association.

And Monday night was very costly for the club as only 139 fans braved the cold snap - their lowest crowd of the season.

37-goal striker Jon Main, 26, whose interested a total number of eighteen clubs, is currently on trial at Wolverhampton Wanderers but Dolby is also sweating on the fitness to key players.

Steve Aris (Achilles), Fraser Logan (thigh) and Jon Heath (knee) will all receive treatment at training on Thursday night to see if they play in east London at the weekend.

But Dolby insists he made the right decision fielding a strong side in a low-key county cup clash.

“I would have loved a bit of silverware to be honest and I put out the strongest side that I had on the night,” he said.

“Unfortunately we didn’t play as well as we could have and we got a couple of red cards in to boot as well - it was not a very good day at the office.”

Meanwhile, former Tonbridge Angels’ midfielder Danny Lye has signed for Dover Athletic until the end of this season.

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

Leyton v Tonbridge Angels
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 24^th March 2007
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Leyton Stadium, 282 Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, London E10 7LD