The Magpies had played at Longmead Stadium before, the first game a 3-2 FA Trophy defeat in November 2002 (featuring, so I've been told, a legendary pre-match pub crawl with the highly unusual presence of Macleod [C]'s dad and a virtuoso performance in a losing effort from ex-Chelsea forward Mark Nicholls), but I was studying (ahem) in Bristol at the time, while THE DRAX YEARS explains my absence from the other visits (three in the Conference South between 2011 and 2014, the most recent a 4-2 win with Danny Green scoring all our goals), so this was one of five new NLS grounds for me in 2025/26 (hence this diary entry); with Macleod (M) cruising in the Caribbean (alright for some) and Willie T. also unavailable (quelle surprise), I decided to ditch the driving gloves and take the supporters' coach for the first time since our FA Cup defeat at Oxford United
Oik behaviour that brought the club into disrepute, not one but two new signings, and a previous coach driver inadvertently entering the wrong postcode into his Sat Nav ahead of a New Year's Day trip to Solihull Moors in 2018 – much to the annoyance at the time of Simon J., who was celebrating his 40th birthday on Tuesday – were among the talking points on an outward journey that started at 5pm in heavy rain; an accident on the M25 necessitated a detour via Dorking and Reigate, and it wasn't until twenty minutes before kick-off that we arrived at the ground … after first passing the church in Hildenborough where the Coombs were married in 1974!
Nice drop of SALT's Alpacalypse in the Angels Sports Bar, and my cheeseburger – when it finally arrived – was excellent, but the ground was peculiar; two decent covered ends, mind, making it more tolerable than the likes of Totton or Horsham
Better play from MUFC as the first half wore on, perhaps not coincidentally after a change in formation to a back four (following WDH's enforced substitution through injury); chances were at a premium though, with a well-struck but blocked Liam Dulson effort about as good as it got from our perspective
Ryan D. was standing alongside me in the second half, chomping on chips ("tasty"), as a mix-up between David Mantle and JvS preceded a Tonbridge player clipping the outside of our post with a deflected shot; the Magpies then hit the frame of the goal themselves, with a Josh Umerah (!) free kick crashing against the crossbar
I thought the referee's performance was passable (certainly in comparison to some of his colleagues' over the years), but those of a Kentish persuasion – perhaps exasperated by only two home wins all season – would vehemently disagree, judging by some post-match comments on X; in fairness, it did look – albeit from the other end – as though they should have had a penalty, but Mr Briers from Sussex awarded a free kick on the edge of the box for Matt Robinson's blatant tug on the shirt of ex-Magpie Ricky Korboa
Dulson and Josh Popoola – usually our main/ only attacking threats – both had off nights, and the team wearing red became increasingly disjointed, particularly after the withdrawal of Umerah; meanwhile, one of the Tonbridge subs had a dangerous long throw, and the Angels looked more likely to score as the game approached its final stages … indeed, everyone in the ground fully expected JvS' net to bulge in added time, only for the giant Dutchman to repel a weak shot from close range – much to the relief of the travelling horde
Gleeful celebrations shortly afterwards, when – from what was possibly Popoola's first truly decent set-piece delivery of the night – Robinson capped off another standout individual performance by heading home his third winning goal of the season, two of which came post-90 minutes; it was said that the 2022 MOBO Best Grime Act nominee will be back to boss the Magpies midfield next season – great news if true ("Alexa, play Simon & Garfunkel")
Even though Sl*ugh had won their third game in a row and we had to detour again from the M25 (this time past Hampton Court Palace), the mood on the return journey was jovial … as you might expect after a 94th-minute winner; talk turned to Saturday's match at Torquay – with more rain forecast it might get postponed, but if not, it will be interesting to see how the table-toppers react after losing to bottom side Chippenham in a result that, perhaps as much as Maidenhead United sitting only one place outside the play-offs, sums up an unpredictable league of individual quality but collective mediocrity
That one hurts. In a game we did everything but score, Maidenhead win it with a late sucker punch. pic.twitter.com/cnzRApxFki
— Tonbridge Angels (@tonbridgeangels) February 10, 2026
