TT BLOG
Peter Wade
Peter reports back from Plainmoor
TORQUAY UNITED 1-2 TONBRIDGE ANGELS – 06.12.2025
SUMMARY
It is hard to know how to summarise this game as we lost to a poor side who had a good 10 minutes but hardly had a kick after that, whilst we had endless chances to score – 29 shots on the Tonbridge goal to be precise using my match notes.
PW kept the same team for the fourth game in a row, although he was sitting in the stand having upset the 4th official in the Worthing match. Angels kicked off wearing a terrible kit of deep pink and purple and ran us ragged for 10 minutes, hitting the post and when the ball was cleared a through ball caught us cold and was put away. There were calls for offside, we will see when the highlights come out.
But then the Gulls took over, forging forward and creating 13 shooting chances in the first half. A triangle of Young, Thomas and Hayfield was causing all sorts of problems, with Young being put clear twice without being ever to find a colleague but why he chose to go round the keeper rather than hitting a right foot shot wasn’t clear. Lo-Everton was pulling all the strings and set Dennis in the clear but he couldn’t get a good shot off. Then totally against the run of play, a rare sortie into our half saw Tonbridge score a second, a decent hit to be fair.
How we didn’t score in the first half is a mystery as Angels gave the ball away repeatedly but we just could not get on the end of anything. The second half was the same with Lo-Everton having a shot tipped over as the half began and the following corner was hacked off the line and he had shot tipped onto the post. So the half continued but we just could not score. It is hard to criticise Young this season but his shooting was dire today, with free kicks flying all over the place. We huffed and puffed brought Fish and Wilson on but it was too late on 90+4 when good work, and there was plenty of that, saw a Young cross headed in by Dennis and then with seconds left Youngy cut in from the right and with the goals in his sights – blazed over.
A strange old game as Tonbridge were poor generally and that’s not sour grapes and we didn’t take the kind of chances we have been doing recently. The 31 Tonbridge fans sang all afternoon and went home very happy on a day they must have feared a battering.
PLAYER RATINGS
1. HAMON – 7: A crucial save in the second half and some good punches from the scrums that were corners.
3. FOULSTON – 6: It was another dependable, solid display from him.
4. DYER – 6: Solid as always, with good attacking headers
5. DREYER – 7: A typical performance dominated at the back.
26. THOMAS – 6: Good going forward but a few misplaced passes.
20. HAYFIELD – 6: Worked hard, worked well with Thomas.
24. LO-EVERTON – 7: My Man of the Match.
11. MORGAN – 6: Did well attacking his full back and for once put in some decent crosses, must have been disappointed to be subbed.
8. YOUNG – 5: For a quality player not his day, but never shirked wanting the ball just could not do anything with it today.
27. JAY – 5: He was busy but without any real influence on the game.
7. DENNIS – 5: Quiet for him and didn’t take a couple of chances that came his way
Subs
23. WILSON – 5: Couldn’t many any changes when he came on.
17. FISH – 5: An around plenty but couldn’t get on the end of anything.
22. SHARPLES-AHMED – N/A: Looked tidy.
16. PALMER – N/A: Caused mayhem in the Tonbridge box for the few minutes he was on.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Sonny Blu Lo-Everton
My Player of the Match award goes to Sonny Blu Lo-Everton. He was everywhere today, prompting, passing, running into the box, getting shots off, hit the post. Shame nothing quite fell to feet in the right place.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Sam Dreyer as always and James Hamon for his second half save.
TACTICS
Paul Wotton the usual 4-3-3 with Jay floating and Dennis down the middle, just didn’t work today as we didn’t take our chances and made a slow start that cost us.
THE OPPOSITION
For a team bottom of the form league they must be chuffed, took their chances, rode their luck got away with too many scoring chances, but passing was poor and seemed content to absorb pressure and survive. Oh and time waste, with the usual tactical injury/time out for their keeper in the second half.
THE OFFICIALS
A young referee who generally had a decent game. Booked a couple early that was concerning but didn’t feel the need to carry on doing it.
CONCLUSION
Were we terrible, no, were we outplayed no, should we have got something from the game yes. A last season style slow start cost us today, that and not taking chances.
COYY – Peter
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