Tonbridge 4 (Hinds 22′, Odokonyero 71′, 76′, Shields 73′)
United 1 (Ash 79′) United were well beaten on Saturday, as Tonbridge ran out 4-1 winners at Longmead. After Tariq Hinds gave the hosts the lead, United battled to restore parity, however Tonbridge extended their lead after the break, through a Nathan Odokonyero brace and Sam Shields. Brad Ash pulled one back but the damage had already been done, as the hosts confirmed a handsome victory at Longmead. Following the 0-3 reverse against Taunton in midweek, Interim Manager Aaron Downes made two changes to the starting eleven, with Austen Booth and Lewis Collins replaced by Ross Marshall and Tom Lapslie. The first chances of a competitive opening to proceedings both came in the 12th minute. First, a home corner picked out Ryan Hanson six yards out, however the former Gull was foiled by a superb save by his former teammate Mark Halstead. The men in yellow responded by going straight up the other end and creating an opening of their own, with Brad ash’s ball from the right finding Aaron Jarvis unmarked eight yards from goal, before Jonathan Henly’s brave save at The Gulls striker’s feet denied the game its opening goal.
That opening goal came at the opposite end on 22 minutes. A low cross from Liam Vincent zipped across the six-yard box, and with no United defender able to intercept it, Hinds was on hand to calmly prod the ball into the net to give his side the lead. Torquay nearly responded with a Jarvis header from a Ross Marshall cross soon after, however on this occasion, the United number nine’s looping header was just off-target. United went on to enjoy a decent spells of possession in the lead up to the break, and they nearly drew level six minutes before the change of ends. Jack Stobbs’ flick into the box found Lapslie in space eight yards from goal, and after improvising with a back-header, his effort very nearly caught the Tonbridge backline out, before the ball bounced onto the top of the net. Behind at the break.
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