It’s a first trip to Longmead for a couple of months, to see how the season is shaping up for Tonbridge Angels. Results since my last visit on 3rd September have been patchy, to say the least. The Angels have made their customary early exits from the FA Cup, against a Haringey team who’ve even now only won one game in the Isthmian Premier this season, and the Kent Cup against Chatham, another league lower than Haringey. National League South form has been better, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, and they sit mid-table in 15th with 18 points. Chelmsford have also had a fairly lacklustre couple of months, with their fans forum showing general disinterest in their current form. In much the same period as Tonbridge they have managed 1 win, 3 draws and 3 losses, the draws being their last three matches. They’ve also played six FA Cup ties, so have squeezed a lot of football into a couple of months. I wouldn’t bet against another draw today, let’s go and see.

There’s no advance team news from either side, but the Tonbridge Angels line up is vastly different from my last visit, due to a combination of Jay Saunders’ short attention span with players who don’t match up quickly to his expectations, and some players wanting more certainty of starting matches than he will give. Talismanic club man Joe Turner’s departure this week is testimony to that, and a mere four of the starting eleven I last saw play here start today. The Angels also have a dreadful disciplinary record, with a revolving door of suspensions for yellow and red cards. Chelmsford are short of a couple of regular starters due to injury, but have been dipping into the loan market. Robbie Simpson customarily rolls out a side of big lads and I expect no different today.

First up, the weather is foul. Storm Ciaran has made its mark with days of heavy rain, and the old Tonbridge grass pitch would have been unplayable until Christmas. Fortunately this is when investment in an artificial pitch pays back big time, so there is no question of the game being off, even though the surrounding area is more suited to water polo than football. With postponements galore there may be quite a few neutrals here today, and Chelmsford have brought a full coach load of supporters along, which always adds to the fun. To be honest, apart from going to a game of football I can’t imagine why anyone would leave the house in this weather!

Off the pitch changes since I last visited include different drinks in the bars, and a confusing queuing system in the marquee which seemed to result in one member of staff in an “express lane” doing nothing most of the time while her colleagues slogged away at the main queue. I’m not sure if nobody going to or waiting at the bar for the ten minutes before kick off shows it was a resounding success or failure. With food outlets running out of sausages and meat pies, no Haribo for the youngsters, the recently opened Kids Zone closed, and Sky Sports being discontinued, evidence suggests that something is amiss behind the scenes.

On the pitch the Angels made a very bright start, looking lively and positive. Threats on the Chelmsford goal increased steadily, with a fine free kick coming close. Shortly afterwards the Chelmsford keeper could not hold a fierce swerving shot from distance, and Wagstaff pounced on the rebound to slot home. A deserved 1-0 lead for Tonbridge after 7 minutes, and they pressed on to try and increase their advantage. However, it all unravelled on 15 minutes when the Angels’ disciplinary record took another turn for the worse. A defensive error left Swift exposed and he decided to try a risky tackle on the breaking forward on the edge of the box, which duly became a foul and another red card. 15 minutes into his return from a 3 match ban, he earned another 4 match paid holiday.

Tonbridge heads didn’t drop and they still pressed forward, with another fierce long distance shot bringing an outstanding save from the Chelmsford keeper. However, the tide inevitably began to turn and after a sequence of six corners, Chelmsford scored on the 32nd minute to draw level. Tonbridge focused on staying compact and breaking up play, successfully seeing out the half at 1-1. Jay Saunders resisted the temptation to tinker, trusting his players to stay focused and that trust was repaid by a very sound defensive second half performance. Chelmsford spent a great deal of time patiently passing the ball around but with no meaningful penetration. The only clear chance either side created in the second half was a Chelmsford free kick thumped against the bar, as the Angels closed out the match comfortably, if a little limply, time wasting rather than pressing on for a last gasp home win. The referee helped the game with a sound performance, aside from a strange booking for Greenidge which had no visible cause!

At the end, Tonbridge fans were again ruing what might have been, while there were audible boos from the travelling fans at Chelmsford’s toothless showing. Both sides look comfortably good enough to mount an assault on the play off places if they can find the last couple of pieces of the jigsaw. Chelmsford clearly need fire power, while Tonbridge also remain weak up front and constantly compromised at the back by their disciplinary flaws. A much firmer hand would seem to be needed by the manager on this. He is happy to quickly jettison players who don’t meet his playing standards, and doing the same on the disciplinary front would not go amiss. However, on the basis of the second half in particular the Angels clearly have the ability to look upwards if they can keep their heads.