BackTue 10 Feb 2015 · Premier Division
Tunbridge Wells
First Team
2
2
S Carrington (33'), J Barton (82' Pen)
HONOURS EVEN IN THE END.
Malcolm Boyes12 Feb 2015 - 14:08
The A26 derby ended with a point each however, the respective managers both felt their team should have won overall.
Hotly contested throughout.
Because this is the derby fixture that both clubs and the local press look forward to the most, I'm not going to do a match report as such, mainly because the Kent & Sussex Courier have already given the match some considerable cover and both managers have had their say on the game.
Therefore, all I'm going to say is that out of the two teams, the Crows will be the happier of the two for a couple of reasons, the first being they've halted a bad run which started after an enforced break, whereas before that break, they were in good form.
Secondly, the average age of the squad was in the early 20's and to play in such games as these where there's more than just three points to play for, will serve them well in the future and it should also have shown them that whilst this is our first season in this league, we've now got to grips with it better than we had at the start of the season.
The match, by all accounts, didn't live up to the pre-match expectations, perhaps that was due to the pitch or a smaller crowd than would have attended had it been played on a Saturday or mid-week when warmer perhaps but players don't really notice those things once the game starts.
The crowd was even down on the Wells home gates for a Saturday however, they could have been affected by the fact their FA Vase run has come to an end and realistically, their promotion hopes are fading fast as well when you consider the form of Phoenix Sports, Erith & Belvedere and Ashford United of late.
Overall though, playing mid-week definitely kept the crowd down for supporters of both teams, which is disappointing but let's hope next season, if we are still in the same division, you never know what the FA Restructuring Committee have in their heads, that the games are scheduled for a Saturday and can take place when arranged for.
Of course, there was a sending off for the Wells when Clarke was upended when clean through and Barton made no mistake from the resulting penalty kick to make it 2-2 and it was the second time in the game the Crows had come from behind as Booth had given the home side the lead in the 7th minute with an overhead kick which just alluded the dive of the away 'keeper, Collick.
Carrington then made it 1-1 in the 33rd minute when his initial free kick was blocked but he was able to fire the rebound past the home goalie, Lawrence.
The Wells manager, Larkin, felt that they should have had a definite penalty right at the end of the game, I can't say as I was not able to attend however, many people have said that would have been harsh on the Crows and that a draw overall was a fair result. The home side had the best of the first half and the Crows the best of the second half but as I've already commented, neither manager saw it that way, which is hardly surprising really.
In the end, 2-2 it was and we all move on, the Crows buoyed by the result, the Wells perhaps feeling slightly deflated and it will be interesting to see the respective results each team achieves this coming Saturday.
Because this is the derby fixture that both clubs and the local press look forward to the most, I'm not going to do a match report as such, mainly because the Kent & Sussex Courier have already given the match some considerable cover and both managers have had their say on the game.
Therefore, all I'm going to say is that out of the two teams, the Crows will be the happier of the two for a couple of reasons, the first being they've halted a bad run which started after an enforced break, whereas before that break, they were in good form.
Secondly, the average age of the squad was in the early 20's and to play in such games as these where there's more than just three points to play for, will serve them well in the future and it should also have shown them that whilst this is our first season in this league, we've now got to grips with it better than we had at the start of the season.
The match, by all accounts, didn't live up to the pre-match expectations, perhaps that was due to the pitch or a smaller crowd than would have attended had it been played on a Saturday or mid-week when warmer perhaps but players don't really notice those things once the game starts.
The crowd was even down on the Wells home gates for a Saturday however, they could have been affected by the fact their FA Vase run has come to an end and realistically, their promotion hopes are fading fast as well when you consider the form of Phoenix Sports, Erith & Belvedere and Ashford United of late.
Overall though, playing mid-week definitely kept the crowd down for supporters of both teams, which is disappointing but let's hope next season, if we are still in the same division, you never know what the FA Restructuring Committee have in their heads, that the games are scheduled for a Saturday and can take place when arranged for.
Of course, there was a sending off for the Wells when Clarke was upended when clean through and Barton made no mistake from the resulting penalty kick to make it 2-2 and it was the second time in the game the Crows had come from behind as Booth had given the home side the lead in the 7th minute with an overhead kick which just alluded the dive of the away 'keeper, Collick.
Carrington then made it 1-1 in the 33rd minute when his initial free kick was blocked but he was able to fire the rebound past the home goalie, Lawrence.
The Wells manager, Larkin, felt that they should have had a definite penalty right at the end of the game, I can't say as I was not able to attend however, many people have said that would have been harsh on the Crows and that a draw overall was a fair result. The home side had the best of the first half and the Crows the best of the second half but as I've already commented, neither manager saw it that way, which is hardly surprising really.
In the end, 2-2 it was and we all move on, the Crows buoyed by the result, the Wells perhaps feeling slightly deflated and it will be interesting to see the respective results each team achieves this coming Saturday.
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