Our unwanted losing streak in the league continues after we were handed a 1-0 defeat at home to Tonbridge Angels today at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
This afternoon’s result now makes it our third successive league loss, the first time this has happened since the start of the season where we lost seven on the bounce.
The only goal of the game was scored four minutes after the hour-mark, when Jeremy Santos struck from outside the box.
The ex-Charlton midfielder was certainly helped by the ball deflecting off Leo Hamblin on its way towards Will Buse’s goal, as it slid past our shot-stopper to ultimately seal the points for the visitors.
Today’s game also sees our 11th loss of the season, seven of those being by a one-goal margin.
Though our climb up the table does not become any easier after this result, as we sit seven points from safety, 20th-place Bath City’s 2-1 loss at home to Boreham Wood provides some consolation.
FINE MARGINS
Our first game under interim boss Jason Matthews since we defeated arch-rivals Yeovil Town started brightly, as we enjoyed much of the ball in the opening minutes.
We may have threatened Matthew Rowley’s goal inside just five minutes had our cross towards Keelan O’Connell not been slightly overhit.
Then, down the other end just six minutes later, Busey did well to deny Liam Vincent after the full-back made his way through our defence.
Our chances continued to come via through-balls, Keels having one of his towards Jaiden Bartolo being thumped clear by towering defender Ronny Nelson in the 20th minute.
Santos would then try his luck the first out of several times in the game just a few minutes onwards, although this effort would fly well over the bar.
But it was just before the hour-mark that saw the first major moment, when Calvin Brooks looked to have been brought down inside the box.
The referee, though, had other views and ruled our versatile veteran to have dived.
By now we were enjoying a consistent spell of possession, as we forced a number of corner-kicks in our favour, all of which were decisively dealt with by The Angels’ guardians.
Though the visitors could have very well opened the scoring approx. seven minutes before the break after Santos’ corner spun into the box and was forced to be cleared by Leo off the line.
Afterwards saw both sets of players head down the tunnel after a goalless first half, with a lot of knocking on the door but without signs of it being kicked down at either end.
The second half began quietly, although the first chance headed our way nine minutes in when Jaiden’s strike was deflected behind.
The young Gibraltar international again came reasonably close to opening the scoring four minutes later when a through-ball by fellow-Wycombe-Wanderers-loanee Christie Ward was slightly overhit.
Soon enough, the game had surpassed the hour-mark, by which time the ball had cannoned off Leo for a Tonbridge corner.
But, if his defensive duties had saved us then and in the first half, he would not be so lucky this time.
Santos, again the danger-man, fired a curling strike from just outside the box which bounced off our full-back and over Busey to give the visitors the lead.
With us once again a goal down in the second half, this time in the 64th minute, we were forced to climb an all too familiar mountain.
In response, Jason quickly reacted and made our first change, bringing Keels off for Malachi Linton just a minute after Santos took credit for his team’s goal.
It very nearly paid off just two minutes after Mal’s introduction, when his header had to be forced off the line by experienced forward Harry Ottaway.
Busey was then called into action once more six minutes later, unsurprisingly tasked with denying Santos for another time, on this occasion being able to push away an edge-of-box shot from the London-born midfielder.
But soon enough the game was nearing its close, and although Mal had another strike cleared away one minute before stoppage time, we ultimately lost by a single goal for the seventh time this season.
After the full-time whistle, Jason stated that a deflected goal into the top corner “summed up [our] season.”
Still, our next game cannot come soon enough, an FA-Trophy tie away to our biggest rivals this Saturday leaving saliva on everyone’s lips…
