Tonbridge Angels Match Preview
With just two matches of the league season remaining, City welcome Tonbridge Angels to Twerton Park on Saturday.
While the recent wins at Hungerford and Billericay ensured that we will stage National League South matches again next term, the visitors are technically not safe from the threat of relegation.
However, a point on Saturday or a failure by basement club Billericay to win at Eastbourne would ensure another season at this level for the Kent club.
They have spent the majority of the season around their present position of 18th although with only 50 goals conceded they boast the 9th best defensive record in the division.
Their disappointing position has been due to a failure to find the net and only three goals have been scored in their last six outings.
This problem was apparent when the two clubs met on a very hot day at Longmead back in August when a Cody Cooke strike after just eight minutes was sufficient to make it a maximum of six points from our opening two matches.
The Angels’ four away wins include a shock 3-1 victory at Dorking but they have suffered heavy defeats at both Ebbsfleet and Oxford.
However, City supporters expecting another win on Saturday should bear in mind that four of Tonbridge’s last five away matches have been drawn.
It is likely that we will be seeing a familiar face in the opposing team – this will be at least the fifth club that the popular Ricky Modeste has represented against City!
This will be their third visit to Twerton since 2013 when goals from Noah Keates, Kerry Morgan and Charlie Griffin secured a 3-0 win.
There have been two draws since, the last coming in August 2019.
Older supporters will recall that the original Tonbridge club were regular opponents of City in the Southern League during the twenty years following World War 2.
The team from Kent only secured two victories at Twerton Park, the last just over sixty years ago.
The Tonbridge manager for a spell in the 1970s was World Cup winner George Cohen but soon after a 6-1 defeat by City in 1976 the club was liquidated and replaced by the newly formed Angels.
So can City make it three consecutive wins or will The Angels make it certain that they will be returning to Twerton next season?
Tickets for the match can be bought in advance from the City website.
