Tuesday, 21st August 2018
Kent Senior Cup
By Tony Rickson

Tonbridge Angels (1) 3 (Read 3 (pen), 49, 58 (pen))
Sittingbourne (1) 2 (Adebayu 45, Caney-Bryan 64
Kent Senior Cup

Tonbridge Angels: Jonathan Henly, James Folkes, Liam Smith, Craig Stone
(Joe Turner, 12 min), Sonny Miles, Arthur Lee, Callum Adonis-Taylor
(Jack Fenton, 79 min), Tommy Whitnell (Yellow card), Alex Read (Dane
Luchford, 79 min), Tom Beere (Yellow card), Liam King. Subs not used:
Stewart Copeland, Adam Ramadan.

Sittingbourne: Harry Brooks (Yellow card), Harrison Hatfull, Josh
Dorling, Dan Parkinson (Yellow card), Lex Allan, Reiss Crimmen, Izzy
Adebayu, Lewis Chambers (Ira Jackson, 45 min), Johan Caney-Bryan (Nathan
Elder, 79 min), Bola Dawodu, Tom Loynes  (Khalil McFarlane, 45 min).
Subs not used: Patrick Lee, Tom Fagg.

Referee: Daniel Doyle. Assistants: Max Sollis, Howard Collins.

If you have three penalties awarded against you, and you’re already
playing against a team who play in a higher league and are unbeaten this
season, then the odds of getting something from a game are pretty low.
But excitingly Sittingbourne went so close to forcing this Kent Senior
Cup-tie into a penalty shoot-out at the very least.
The gap between themselves and a virtually full-strength Tonbridge side
hardly ever showed and for a long period in the second half it was
Sittingbourne who were running the game.
As it was, they didn’t have much luck, hardly ever seemed to get a
decision in their favour from the referee, and ended up with nothing to
show for a valiant effort.
Manager Aslan Odev took the opportunity to give all his squad some
valuable match time and made five changes from the team that beat
Greenwich Borough on Saturday. Harry Brooks, Reiss Crimmen and Harrison
Hatfull got their first starts of the season, and Izzy Adebayu and Johan
Caney-Bryan made their full debuts. There was also a place on the bench
for a new signing, experienced striker Nathan Elder, who demonstrated
his considerable aerial ability as a late substitute.
Tonbridge made four changes from their team that won on Saturday,
continuing a good start to the season in which they’ve yet to concede a
Bostik Premier goal. All four players who came in were among their subs
from the previous game.
They were given a dream start when the referee harshly gave a penalty
against Hatfull for a challenge so close to the edge of the area some
thought it wasn’t even inside. Mind you, the ref was a lot nearer to the
action than many who were moaning! Read comfortably stuck it in to put
the home side ahead.
Less controversy about the next penalty, just 10 minutes later, when
Brooks brought down an attacking player, but he saved well from Read’s
spot-kick, which was aimed at the same corner.
In an even first half Tonbridge went close to doubling their lead when a
header hit the post, but Sittingbourne levelled in added time when Lewis
Chambers’ long throw-in was half cleared and Adebayu neatly volleyed it
back in.
Tonbridge went ahead early in the second half when Read turned the ball
in from an angle after Brooks had pushed a shot wide, the officials
ruling the ball had crossed the line before Sittingbourne managed to
scramble it away.
And they made it 3-1 on 58 minutes from yet another Read penalty when
the referee punished Crimmen for a challenge on a Tonbridge player in
the box.
Sittingbourne responded brilliantly and soon pulled a goal back when Ira
Jackson went on a terrific run into the heart of the Tonbridge defence,
Adebayu deflecting his little cross back in for Caney-Bryan to score
from close range.
Considering this Tonbridge defence hadn’t conceded a goal in three
league matches it was great stuff by Sittingbourne, and they continued
to press forward with both Elder and Bola Dawodu very close to scoring
and a couple of penalty appeals turned down.
Sittingbourne had a real energetic go in that second half and the
players’ performance was rewarding enough to give Odev plenty of
selection choices for two important games coming up over the Bank
Holiday weekend.