Match Report:
Chelmsford City 1 Tonbridge Angels 0
One moment of brilliance meant Angels left Essex empty-handed on Monday night.
Lyle Taylor’s 12th minute howitzer was enough to win Chelmsford City the points in a tight – at times somewhat dour – encounter.
On a night when the Dartford Crossing was at its most temperamental – delaying the journeys of a healthy contingent of travelling Angels – Alan Dunne’s side were looking to build on back-to-back wins against AFC Totton and Slough Town.
Dunne originally made four changes from the side which triumphed at Slough with places in the starting line up for Scott Wagstaff, Bunmi Babajide, Ansu Janneh and Bailey Akehurst replacing Matty Warren, Ricky Korboa, Marcus Sablier and Jordon Thompson.
But a warm-up injury to skipper Wagstaff meant a late change with Warren starting in midfield and handed the captain’s armband.
Early exchanges were inconsequential before Taylor’s blistering shot had Laurie Shala clutching at thin air to demonstrate why the former Charlton, Nottingham Forest and AFC Wimbledon marksman commands such high wages for this level.
Five minutes later, stand-in skipper Warren came agonisingly close to equalising for the Angels but his edge-of-the-box piledriver rattled the bar.
At half time Dunne replaced Tom Leahy and Brad Williams with Alfie Pavey and Ricky Korboa and within minutes Angels came within a whisker of snatching an equaliser.
Pinball in the box saw a barrage of shots from Babajide, Pavey and Janneh but somehow The Clarets defence remained unbreached.
A streetwise, savvy Chelmsford side – occasionally threatening on the break – did enough to hold on to secure victory and leave Alan Dunne pondering what might have been:
“In this division, Chelmsford are one of the heavyweights and they had a bit more nous than us, were a bit more streetwise, everything that we are trying to get to. We’ve a light squad, missing three centre halves, and two games in three days was not easy but I thought we did okay and overall felt a draw would have been a fair result, all things considered. Lyle Taylor’s goal was that one moment of quality that decided it.”
