Angels they may be, but from a Fleet point of view there’s been more than a devilish tinge to Tonbridge this season with Jay Saunders’ side the first to secure a successful 90 minutes against Dennis Kutrieb’s men and thereby end the record-breaking start to 2022/23.
But the trip to Longmead this weekend is not a revenge mission – Fleet have greater ambitions than that, with three points rather more important to cement that leadership position at the top of the Vanarama National League South.
Recent weeks have seen the Fleet extend the gap bit by bit, point by precious point, to the present safety net of 17 that Kutrieb’s squad enjoys, albeit with closest challengers Dartford having a game in hand. Havant & Waterlooville fell further behind with a defeat in midweek, while Oxford City and Braintree had to share points to leave them with a considerable task to try and rein in the Fleet.
Not that that points cushion is being treated as such on the training ground and behind the scenes at the Kuflink Stadium. The Fleet boss certainly doesn’t want to have to use any form of cushion, he wants to keep winning points until the maths can deliver the title – and he and his players know they’re not there just yet.
But with little more than six weeks to the end of the season, the Fleet are continuing to fire on all cylinders. Two draws sat in between two wins that yielded 13 goals at home and the boss has got an almost full clean bill of health in his ranks with which to attack the final games of the campaign that now number in single figures.
After a careful but steady 45 minutes on his return to the starting lineup on Saturday, Joe Martin came through a longer period in the win over Worthing – and Craig Tanner isn’t too far behind him. Dominic Poleon continues to eye the first 30-goal haul in a red shirt since Matt Godden and is only now a hat-trick away from it, while Rakish Bingham is just a brace off his 20th goal of the campaign.
So there’s plenty of motivation in the away camp… but the home team won’t need much more motivation. Not only could Tonbridge join Kent neighbours Dartford in achieving the double over the Fleet, but Jay Saunders’ side are within touching distance of the play-offs after a loss of form amongst the clubs around them as well as positive results of their own .
The Angels are one place and two points outside the top seven but realistically could challenge as high as third place with a good run to the end of the season.
Saunders has helped transform the club from one that has constantly looked over its shoulder since promotion to one that has been free of relegation fears most of the season and now more interested in the top end of the table.
Much of that has been achieved courtesy of some excellent and unexpected results for Tonbridge. Aside from their defeat of the Fleet in November, they have also taken maximum six points from Eastbourne, Dulwich and Dover plus earned points from the likes of Chelmsford, St Albans Worthing and Havant.
Saunders has some extra firepower too in the form of Jordan Greenidge, on loan from Hemel, and he has put away nine of his 12 goals this season for the Angels. Other changes since last we faced off also come in attack with Tommy Wood, who was only at the Kuflink Stadium a few weeks ago with Hampton, returning for another spell at Longmead. He scored the only goal of the game when Tonbridge defeated the Fleet during lockdown in 2020.
Tommy Wood is one of three players sharing that surname at the club, with Southend loanee Jack Wood another and he has been confirmed until the end of the season as staying. Marcel Elva-Fountaine is another temporary recruit, on loan from Aldershot Town.
Meanwhile heading in the other direction are Dajon Golding to Cray Wanderers and Louis Collins on loan at Folkestone.
But by and large Saunders has kept faith with the squad that has served him so well this season. Tonbridge have been better on their travels in 2022/23 than on their new 3G pitch and Fleet won at Longmead last April in one of the last games on grass there, a single Shaq Coulthirst goal the difference.
Overall, Fleet’s record at Longmead is good, with only Kent Senior Cup defeats at the ground in recent years and you have to go back to 1987 to find the last time a league game was lost there.
Tonbridge’s crowds have been on the rise this season and they are expecting a big crowd at Longmead. Ticket prices are:
- Adult (18 & over) £15.00
- Senior/Concession (65 & over) £12.00
- Youth (12 to 17) £6.00
- Junior (under 12) FREE
Children under 15 only admitted if with an adult and tickets can be bought online here.
