Match Report:
Slough Town 2 Tonbridge Angels 3
Tonbridge Angels recovered from going a goal down within the opening minute to record back-to-back wins for the first time under Alan Dunne with a deserved 3-2 success at Slough Town.
A delighted Alan Dunne commented in his post-match interview: “It wasn’t great start, we got caught cold but the reaction was really good. After going ahead it was disappointing to concede again, Slough are one of the in-form teams, but in the second half the boys really stepped up with those coming off the bench all helping to change the game. This time of the year, it is all about results and back-to-back wins, I’m buzzing!”
Arbour Park was a windy place with that wind carrying a real chill as the manager named the same side that beat AFC Totton at the Yeomans Community Stadium last Saturday. Ansu Janneh, who has returned to the club, took a place on the bench.
The Angels could not have got off to a worse start with a ball lofted forward towards the Slough leading goalscorer, Wiktor Makowski, who it appeared had pushed Ethan Sutcliffe, but the referee adjudged that he had won the challenge fairly and clinically finished into the far corner.
Tonbridge responded to the setback positively and, after five minutes, Ricky Korboa lofted his goalbound lob over the walkabout goalkeeper Adam Desbois, only for the Slough player-manager, Scott Davies to clear from his line.
Three minutes later the Angels were level when, following a left-sided corner from Marcus Sablier, Noah McCann powered in a header from the edge of a crowded six yard box that found the net despite a desperate attempt to clear from the line.
Laurie Shala was called into action, just three minutes later, as he reacted brilliantly to a wicked deflection following a Slough corner.
Desbois was having an erratic first half as he, once more, travelled out of his penalty area only to collide with his own defender and then dropped a resultant corner under little pressure.
On 33 minutes, the Angels supporters were breathing a sigh of relief as a left wing cross from Basil Tuma narrowly evaded Johnny Goddard, but that anxious intake of breath was replaced with cheers moments later when Frankie Baker got the better of Kiki Oshilaja to cross to an unmarked Tom Leahy who picked his spot from 10 yards to give the visitors the lead.
Sadly the lead was only to last three minutes as Slough worked a good move down the right before Makowski was released to cross for Oshilaja to head into the net, off the left hand post.
The chances kept coming as Baker charged down a clearance from Desbois and just before the break nearly squeezed the ball under the body of the goalkeeper at the near post.
The half-time break almost certainly gave both managers an opportunity to get into their defenders and ask for some discipline at the back and the second half saw a far less goalmouth action.
Alan Dunne rang the changes early in the second period introducing Scott Wagstaff and Bunmi Babajide for Bradley Williams and Sablier, and the lively Babajide was quickly unsettling the Slough backline, but on 66 minutes, it was the home side that spurned a golden opportunity to get their noses in front when Harvey Walker’s cross was met with a Makowski header, but the normally clinical striker’s header cleared the bar.
Slough were made to pay for that profligacy 10 minutes from time, when Kyle Smith laid a pass into the path of Babajide, who from the tightest of angles, rifled an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net between Desbois and his post to spark wild celebrations behind the goal.
The Angels saw a valid appeal for handball waved aside as the game entered its closing stages and negotiated six added minutes relatively comfortably aside from an effort from Tyrique Clarke that was steered wide.
Alan Dunne concluded: “Today, we wasn’t at our best, some of our players were not at their best, but we still managed to grind out a win, I think that shows the sign of a good side, today we were a bit scrappy but we got the job done.”
Pictures: David Couldridge
