Tonbridge Invicta Under 16's v Battlebridge Boys Elite

NOT AT OUR BEST

BATTLEBRIDGE BOYS ELITE 1 TONBRIDGE INVICTA 2

23.03.03

The beautiful weather that accompanied this match seemed to contribute to a laid back performance which was far from our best. In truth we never really got out of second gear.

Battlebridge employed almost every trick in the book to unsettle us, including some outrageous foul play which went largely unpunished. In many ways their tactics worked.

We missed a couple of good opportunities before disaster struck. A simple long ball over the top caught our defence out of position and a Battlebridge forward ran on to the ball. We got back at him but he still found room to get a shot away and score.

For a long time in the first half it looked like we would not equalise, as we struggled to find any rhythm. Once again chances were squandered or the ball just went over or past the post. Then a great bit of awareness from Luke Saunders grabbed that all important goal 10 minutes before the break. As the ball bounced around in the home penalty box, Luke spotted the keeper off his line and dinked a neat header over the top and into the net. 1-1.

The second half proved extremely frustrating. We just couldn't get going. Then with about 25 minutes gone we finally got what proved to be the winner. Daniel Powell beat two defenders and advanced into the penalty area. A late tackle brought him down and the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Considering this spot kick could well turn out to be a defining moment in our season, Daniel Howse remained very calm and collected as he wrong footed the Battlebridge keeper and slotted the ball home.

We were unable to add to our score, and to be honest we had a couple of worrying moments before the end. One great save from Andrew Jarrett, who deputised very well for the injured Ben Fitzer, was crucial.

There was a strange malaise about the side today, but again we have not played brilliantly and still come away with all the points. We do like to give ourselves a challenge at times!