Tonbridge Invicta Under 16's v Orpington Rovers

SUPER RESULT

TONBRIDGE INVICTA 2 ORPINGTON ROVERS 0

13.10.02

Having played out a very well contested draw only a few weeks ago, both these sides were keen to gain the upper hand in this return match played at the Swanmead home of Tonbridge Invicta.

The home team started the brighter and soon got a grip on the midfield. For 15 minutes or so they exerted considerable pressure on the Orpington defence and at the end of that period went ahead. Striker Luke Saunders caught up with a ball that appeared to be running out of play, turned and drilled a low cross into the Rovers six yard box. Midfielder Andrew Jarrett had spotted the opportunity and arrived at just the right moment to slot the ball past the keeper.

Yet from that point in the game the visitors fought their way back into contention and, by the end of the first half, were certainly on top, even if they hadn't seriously threatened the Tonbridge goal.

This pattern of play continued into the second half, but if anything Rovers intensified their pressure. Nonetheless Invicta stood firm and managed to repel whatever was thrown at them, sometimes with some last ditch tackles and at other times through some excellent goalkeeping from their Man Of the Match Ben Fitzer.

Although the Tonbridge team found it difficult to sustain attacks in the other direction, they did occasionally threaten during the second period and missed a number of chances that came their way.

In the last 15 minutes Invicta rallied, got the ball down and passed better. As Orpington pushed ever further forward in search of the elusive equaliser, gaps were opening up in their defence and with only a few minutes left Tonbridge striker Daniel Powell picked the ball up on the edge of the visitors' area. He drove into the box and struck a fierce shot into the bottom left hand corner of the Orpington net to secure the points.

In many ways this was harsh on an Orpington side who had played some good football at times and dominated possession for a good part of the game. However, they often say in football that the really good sides can grind out results even when they are not at their best. Tonbridge Invicta did that in this game, showing great resilience, extending their unbeaten run to 6 games and further establishing themselves as League Leaders.