Angels dominate Maidstone United’s tournament
Tonbridge Angels sent two strong over 60s teams to Maidstone’s annual walking football tournament at the Gallagher Stadium. The Greens, managed by JB, put up a strong showing in Group A. Faced with Maidstone Ambers, Ashford and Anchorians, the Greens came through undefeated and without conceding a goal. Unfortunately, they were also unable to score, with three 0-0 draws giving them 3 points. This was not quite enough to secure a place in the cup semi-final, with Maidstone Ambers’ three draws having yielded some goals, taking them through on goals scored.
In the Plate semi-final, the Greens were at last able to get on the scoreboard and came out 2-0 victors over Maidstone Whites. The Plate final v Anchorians ended in another stalemate, so it all came down to a penalty shoot-out. Big moments are made for big characters, and our very own Greatest Showerman on Earth, Webs came to the fore. Having saved two penalties, he calmly stepped up to slot the winning kick into the top corner and seal the Plate for a thoroughly deserving Greens side who kept 5 successive clean sheets.
In Group B, the Blues played controlled, possession football and denied all their opponents any foothold in the game. Bexhill were beaten 2-0 with a well-worked team goal finished by Martin and a coolly slotted penalty from Steve Elliott. Next, Maidstone Whites were dispatched 5-1, with the otherwise flawless Grinner being momentarily distracted by the rustling of a pork pie wrapper on the sidelines, leaving Maidstone’s 75 year-old striker clean through to slot past Mike Hurn in goal (one of only 3 shots he faced all afternoon). Goals were coming from all over the pitch, with Kelvin having a field day and the very welcome return of Seve Rice seeing him also on the scoresheet. The final group game saw a 1-0 victory against a stubborn Whitstable team, with the game’s most notable action being Nigel’s use of his testicles to block a cross field pass. A post-match search of the playing field failed to retrieve the missing items, which were later found nestling just beneath his tonsils.
Garnering a full 9 points from the group stage, Blues came up against Maidstone Ambers in the semi-final. When the home skipper won the toss and exclaimed “We’ll kick off as it will probably be the last time we touch the ball”, we suspected we might already have the psychological upper hand. Controlling the game from start to finish, Blues barely allowed the hosts a sniff, with Alan performing his usual selfless work for the team to deny opponents any time or space. Patient and measured passing saw the Blues create 2 well worked opportunities for Kelvin, both of which he smashed home without a second invitation. At 2-0 up with half the match remaining, Blues proceeded to knock the ball around for fun, with the tiring hosts looking defeated and eager for the final whistle.
The final against Ashford followed a similar pattern, with Blues dominating possession and creating chance after chance. Nigel seemed to be involved in a personal duel with Ashford’s excellent keeper who blocked 3 close range efforts from the Blues player. However, 4th time was the charm, and with a 1-0 lead Blues were able to totally control the game without ever looking in danger of conceding.
So the Angels brought home both the Cup and the Plate, a fantastic afternoon’s work. At the trophy presentation in the clubhouse, the Maidstone spokesman announced “Well, it’s fair to say that one club has totally dominated proceedings here today, and that club is Tonbridge.” Whilst it’s always pleasing to get one over on your nearest rivals, we have to give heartfelt thanks to the guys at Maidstone, who are a great group and who without fail lay on a superb event every year.
Report by Nigel Bragg
