Old Tonbridgians 2-3 OWFC 1s
Team: Wheal, Fuller, Hugo Sever, Rupert Mercer, Bouch, Ollie Mitchell, Goulding, Prichard, Matt Black, Hodnett, Donald, Essex.
Goals: Black, Donald, Essex
MoM: Essex
Tonbridge – 2nd in the Premier Division with 8 wins from 12 – were turned over by the O-Dubs to make it 4 wins on the bounce for us, and safety basically assured. Focus is now on securing a possibly record-breaking high finish for a newly promoted side in the top tier of the Arthurian League.
The sun was shining a curiously warm February gaze, with the game on an extremely flat grass canvas down in Kent. Matt Black opened the scoring with a close-range rebound as is his wont, after James Essex did good work to the byline and pulled it back. Tonbridge replied with two goals, the first a solo counter-attacking mazy run in which several Dubs players tried and failed to put in a reducer on the attacker. The Dubs stabilised and went in just one goal behind, knowing the game was very open and there to be won.
Resembling a young Mousa Dembele in the middle, Mike Hodnett made a mockery of their midfield time and time again, and the Dubs made the 2nd half theirs. Goulding combined with Donald with a chipped through ball, Donald flicking it over the keeper and hooking it goalwards, much like Harry Kane vs Liverpool at Wembley.
With 20 minutes to go James Essex surged up the left again and tearing through the defence, cut in in classic style and pounded the ball in for 3-2.
As Al Wheal combined the handiwork of a surgeon and the footwork of a ballet dancer in goal, the Dubs held on against a young but talented Tonbridge team who were comfortably cruising to a 2nd or 3rd finish in the table, and now have the Dubs to reckon with.
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OWFC 2s 2-8 Old Merchant Taylor’s 2s
Team: Charlie Morgan, Tom Guest, Sam Cheetham, Charlie Rowley, Gus Morse, Teddy Golding, Tom Vernon, Antoine Kerck, Jamie Rann, James Gheerbrant, Andy Black
Goals: Morse, Cheetham
MoM: Morse
Tough day at the office for the 2s.