A good performance and result away against a spirited Tenterden side.
We started playing the ball around quite well, but with Greg Byrne rested we weren't winning enough ball in midfield and Tenterden started to grow in confidence. They gained even more confidence after 20 minutes when they took the lead, as their number 9 made a run into the box and wasn't picked up.
The forwards weren't making any impact on a porridgy pitch, so Ian Dipple replaced Mike Ide after 25 minutes and made an immediate impact, heading a Ben Spring corner from the right narrowly past the post. In the 34th minute he got his header from a similar corner on target and scored the equaliser.
We began the second half as we had ended the first, imposing ourselves on the game and having most of the possession. Ian Dipple should have given us the lead but he blasted his shot over, proving that his head was more effective than his feet. He emphasised the fact after ten minutes when he got his head to another right-wing Ben Spring corner to give Tonbridge the lead.
The passing became more precise and the panic disappeared, as we started to relax more, and a run by Ross McCarter ended with a rash challenge in the area and a penalty, converted by Ben Spring, although the Tenterden goalkeeper got his hands to it.
Ben Spring's corners from the right continued to be our most potent weapon and Nick Edwards got on the end of one after 26 minutes to put us 4-1 ahead.
Job done, the defence, which had appeared much stronger after the introduction of Chris Stewart at half time, resisted the last few efforts from Tenterden. Ross McCarter passed the ball intelligently, Ben Spring's corners were deadly, and Jack Holden was very dependable at left back, but man-of-the-match was super sub Ian Dipple. |