- Pearce (62')
Since 1980, Tonbridge Angels have played their home matches at Longmead Stadium.
The ground is located in a pleasant setting, within a small park, with plenty of trees surrounding the ground perimeter. At first glance, the ground looks much older than it is. This is partly because the Main Stand on one side of the pitch predates the 1980 opening of the ground. It was originally located at the Club’s old Angel Ground, before being dismantled and re-erected at the new stadium. The Angel Ground, formerly the home of Kent County Cricket Club, was named after the nearby pub ‘The Angel’, hence Tonbridge FC became known as ‘The Angels’. The stand itself is all-seated and runs for around three-quarters of the length of the pitch, and has an interesting-looking angled roof.
The ground has a set of eight small floodlights, four of which run down each side of the pitch. The record attendance of 2,411 was set v Lowestoft Town in the Isthmian League Premier Division Play-Off Final on 7th May 2011.
Tickets
- Adults – £16
- Senior 65+/Concession – £13 (A concession ticket includes one disabled supporter and their carer)
- Youth 12 to 17 – £7 (Under 15s must be accompanied by a ticket buying adult)
- U12’s – FREE (Under 12s must be accompanied by a ticket buying adult)
Travel
Address: Longmead Stadium, Darenth Avenue, Tonbridge, Kent, TN10 3JF.
By Road: Leave the M25 at Junction 5 and take the A21 towards Sevenoaks and Hastings. After five miles leave the A21 and take the B245 towards Hildenborough. Continue along the B245 through Hildenborough and on towards Tonbridge Town Centre. Shortly after passing a Beefeater outlet on the right and the Chestnut Lodge on the left, take the next left into Dry Hill Park (signposted Shipbourne A227). At the mini-roundabout take the first exit onto Shipbourne Road. Go past the Shell Garage and the Royal Oak pub on the left and at the next roundabout take the first exit onto Darenth Avenue. The ground is located at the bottom of this road. There is a large car park at the ground, which is free.
By Rail: Tonbridge Railway Station is located just under two miles away from the Longmead Stadium and there is a taxi rank outside. As you exit the main entrance, turn right and then right again, to find it. Alternatively, from directly outside the station (just to the left of the main entrance) you can catch the 218 or 219 Bus which will take you up to near the stadium. The 219 gets you a bit closer to the stadium stopping in Darenth Avenue itself. View the timetables for these buses on the Arriva website (look for the Cage Green Pinnacles stop, for near the ground). To walk from the station to the stadium will take around 40 minutes. Turn left out of the station and proceed down along the High Street. Continue passing Tonbridge Castle and Tonbridge School on the left. Where the road forks, keep straight on to the right towards Shipbourne (A227). Go straight across the mini roundabout, passing a Shell Garage on your left and then just past the Royal Oak pub turn left into Welland Road. Then take the next right into Long Mead Way. At the end of this road turn left into Darenth Avenue. Longmead Stadium is at the bottom of this road, within a small park.
Ground Facilities & Away Pubs
It is very rare that there is crowd segregation at the Longmead Stadium. If segregation is put in force then the visiting supporters are allocated the Jack Maddams Stand at the North End of the ground. This end comprises a small covered terrace that is located directly behind the goalmouth, with flat standing areas to either side. Around 500 away fans can be housed in this area. As segregation is normally not in force then this allows the traditional non-league swapping of ends at half time, with the obligatory banter that goes with it!
There is a clubhouse bar at the ground that normally welcomes visiting supporters. However, with not much else around the local area, it does fill up pretty quickly. It does though normally have real ale available. The closest pub is the Royal Oak on Shipbourne Road. It is just over half a mile away, or a 10-15 minute walk from the Longmead Stadium. It doesn’t show televised sports but does have Harvey’s Real ale on tap. If arriving by train then there are a number of pubs along Tonbridge High Street, including a Wetherspoons outlet called the Humphrey Bean. There are also plenty of pubs dotted along the walking route from the railway station to the ground.
