Eastbourne Borough claim their 'best point of the season' at Tonbridge

A goal down in the first minute, and two down on the hour mark, Eastbourne Borough staged a mighty come-back to save a point in a 2-2 draw at Tonbridge Angels on Tuesday night.
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That point, described afterwards as “our best point of the season” by manager Danny Bloor, was well deserved as they wrenched back a game which had looked lost.- with both energy and playing resources stretched to the limit. A listless and disjointed first half had given no hint of the spirited recovery that awaited after the break.

Injuries to Chris Whelpdale and skipper Charlie Walker had left the Sports short of options, especially up front, but seasoned performer Dean Cox and young striker Charley Kendall stepped up with a goal apiece to stun the home side.

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Dean Cox celebrates his goal against Braintree on Saturday. Picture by Andy PellingDean Cox celebrates his goal against Braintree on Saturday. Picture by Andy Pelling
Dean Cox celebrates his goal against Braintree on Saturday. Picture by Andy Pelling

The drama, which was to run until the final whistle, began within seconds of the kick-off. Borough lost possession on half-way, and the Angels swept forward down the right flank. Alex Akrofi struck a shot which Franco Ravizzoli parried, but Tom Beere knocked the rebound into the roof of the net. 25 seconds - and a goal down for the first time in a game since the Sheppey FA Cup tie.

It should have sparked Borough into an indignant response – but on a damp, chill November night the fuse failed to light. Angels defended their surprise lead throughout the first half, keeping the visitors safely at bay with a robust midfield barrier.

Sluggish Borough approach work and careless passing were far short of the standards that Bloor’s team have set themselves, with only a couple of sharper moves creating glimpses of goal. Charley Kendall’s run set up a shot for Joel Rollinson, charged down, and then Kendall himself cracked a left-foot shot too high after neat work by Greg Luer.

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Tonbridge were less complicated and more robust. Their fouls count reached double figures before half-time, and three minutes before the break a reckless challenge by Tommy Wood on Ravizzoli left the Sports keeper needing prolonged treatment, and earned the striker a yellow card that might have been red.

Referee Jason Richardson, in fact, was unsparing with yellows throughout the evening – including trivial cautions for James Vaughan and Dean Cox, and another marginally deserved card for centre-back Mitch Dickenson. All seemed, so to speak, a pale lemon shade on the Dulux scale, rather than the deep amber….

Either way, the first half had been a write-off. But exchanges in the dressing room – actually in the clubhouse bar which was serving the COVID-constrained purpose – proved productive. A tweak of the team shape saw Greg Luer move from second striker to a wider role, while Dean Cox took over at the pivot of attacking operations behind Kendall.

And the transformation was startling: the Sports pressed higher and wider, and for fifteen minutes Tonbridge could scarcely get the ball off them. From a half-cleared corner James Hammond powered a 25-yarder which cannoned off the angle of post and crossbar, and then Kendall’s flick played in Cox, whose close-range strike was brilliantly pushed over the bar by keeper Jonathan Henly.

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We sensed a goal – but it came, totally out of the blue, at the other end. An Angels left-flank move produced a Joe Turner cross which Tommy Wood headed in at the near post. Two goals down, and half an hour to rescue a National South unbeaten run which stretches back to the first league game of the season.

But at the moment, everything Cox touches turns to gold – or to goals. At 33, he scurries, sprints and harries like a teenager. His control is precise as ever. Only the Dean Cox brain is wiser and cannier. As James Vaughan’s corner was headed out, he struck the sweetest volley first-time from 25 yards, finding the bottom right-hand corner of the net. Game on, and twenty minutes to play.

Angels were flapping now, and struggling to contain Borough’s width and movement in attack. A wild late challenge by Jack Parter earned an instant red card, and from the free-kick Luer delivered a lethal low ball across goal which Steve James just failed to turn past Henly.

But now the chances were coming by the minute. Vaughan’s delivery from the right found Cox, who turned and whacked his shot against the post from eight yards. And finally, on 86 minutes, Borough claimed the equaliser.

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Set free down the left, Greg Luer’s terrific pace and control left his full-back for dead, and he set up Charley Kendall perfectly for an exultant close-range finish. Two apiece, then, but Eastbourne were not yet settling for a point.

With Tonbridge out on their feet, Borough just needed the knockout punch. Cox – who else – saw a goalbound effort blocked, and then James Hammond forged a glorious opening but went for power over placement and whacked his shot high and wide.

It ended, though, with a whimper and not a bang. Kai Innocent, who had collected a needless yellow a few minutes earlier for speaking out of turn, now copped a second caution for a spoiling tackle, and trudged off with, perhaps, a little lesson learned.

Two points dropped, or a point earned? Well, both – and it is a sign of the new Bloor regime’s high standards that they come into matches targetting victory. But credit to his whole squad for keeping their nerve, and rescuing a game that had looked lost.

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Borough: Ravizzoli; Vaughan, James, Dickenson, Innocent; Rollinson (Lambert 55m), Ferry, Hammond, Cox; Luer, Kendall.

Unused subs: Glover, Blackmore, Gravata, Folarin.

Referee: Jason Richardson – good manner, but a maverick with the yellow cards.

Borough MoM: a matchless Dean Cox