History

Tonbridge Football Club were formed in October 1947 following the suggestion of local businessman and founder chairman Mr. Herbert Portch, and were one of four clubs to be elected to the Southern League for the 1948-49 season. ‘Jock’ Dunoon, a former Chelsea player, was the club’s first manager. The club took out a lease on the Angel Ground, formerly the home of Kent County Cricket Club and named after the nearby pub ‘The Angel’. Hence Tonbridge FC became known as ‘The Angels’. 

Throughout the 1950s the Angels would struggle to make any progress in the Southern League and a peak of 11th place was reached in 1949/50, the club’s second season. The first trophy to be lifted came in 1951/52 with the Angels winning the Kent Senior Shield. Tonbridge would go on to win this trophy a further four times, in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1964. The club also won the Kent Senior Cup for the first time in 1964/65. In 1972/73 the Angels won promotion to the Premier Division by finishing as runners-up to Maidstone United. Tonbridge won the Kent Senior Cup in 1974/75 while managed by former World Cup winner George Cohen. After struggling to stay in the Premier Division, the club suffered financial troubles and went into voluntary liquidation in 1976.

Tonbridge Angels FC was then formed and allowed to complete the fixture list on the understanding that relegation would result at the end of the 1975/76 season, wherever the club finished. Another major problem loomed soon after. The club’s landlords, the local council, wanted the Angel Ground for development. A battle lasting up to three years that went as far as the High Courts ensued before the club was eventually offered a new ground at Longmead, its present home.

1988/89 proved to be a disaster for the club. Former Tottenham Hotspur man Terry Naylor took charge and lasted for just seven games, in that time only managing to earn a single drawn match. With the Angels at the bottom of the league Tommy Sampson came in to try to steady the ship but the damage was already done. The Angels bade farewell to the Southern League after 40 years, relegation to the Kent League being the club’s “reward” after ending the season in next to bottom spot.

Another former manager returned for the 1990/91 season, Phil Emblen, and he sparked a revival in the club’s fortunes. Emblen patiently built a winning team and after two fourth-placed finishes, money-spinning Cup runs and another Kent League Cup win, the title finally arrived at Longmead in the 1992/93 season. And so, after a few seasons away, Tonbridge returned to the league which they had graced for so many years.

The 2004-05 season started a new era in the Ryman Isthmian League Premier Division, and it began well with an unbeaten run of six games in the late summer, but the Angels were in the bottom three by the end of November, where they would stay for the rest of the season, and despite a late comeback were unable to claw themselves out of the relegation zone. The Angels bounced back into the Premier Division at the first attempt, in the most dramatic of fashions, after a rollercoaster 2005-06 season. Tonbridge were undefeated until October but a bad run of results threatened to undermine the promotion bid, but the Angels always did enough to stay in the play-off places and a late surge secured third place and with it home advantage in the play-offs. Tooting & Mitcham were defeated in the Semi-Final match before a dream Final pitted the Angels at home to old Kent rivals Dover Athletic. The Lilywhites were beaten 3-2 in front of a new record Longmead Stadium attendance of 1,863.

In 2009/10 the Angels missed out on the play-offs but after a poor start to the 2010/11 season they embarked on a run of just one defeat in eighteen matches and put themselves in contention for a play-off place. That place was eventually won and Harrow were beaten 3-2 after extra-time in the semi-final to set up a final with Lowestoft Town at Longmead Stadium. A nail biting match in front of a record competitive crowd of 2,411 saw the Angels just edge out their Suffolk visitors 4-3 to take their place for the first time in the Football Conference South Division – their highest ever place in the non-league pyramid. The Angels were to stay three seasons at that level, finishing as high as 9th in their first season, before being relegated back to the Isthmian Premier at the end of season 2013/14.

While 2017/18 didn’t quite live up to the heights of the previous two seasons, in 2018/19 McKimm’s side matched their 4th placed effort of three years previous, but this time went one better by winning the play-offs beating Haringey Borough, Merstham and Metropolitan Police to return to the National League after a five-year absence.

It was a tough opening half of the campaign for the Angels back in non-league’s Step 2 but a definite improvement in form from the the turn of the year saw them eventually placed in 15th position on an unweighted points per game formula following the cessation of the 2019/20 competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The aforementioned pandemic again caused havoc with the following season (2020/21), with National North and South competitions eventually being declared null and void in February. With fans allowed back into Longmead following the pandemic, and attendances moving upwards hopes were high for a successful 2021/22 season on the pitch but the league campaign was somewhat underwhelming with mathematical safety in National South only secured in the penultimate fixture. 

The club entered a new era in season 2022/23 with the summer installation of a FIFA approved 3G surface which was opened on Saturday, 20th August for the visit of Hampton and Richmond Borough, unfortunately it was an inauspicious beginning with a 4-1 defeat. Thankfully, this was not a foretaste of things to come as Jay Saunders first season at the club ended with a creditable ninth place finish, just four points off the play offs.

 

Form

The Angels currently sit just one point and one position ahead of Worthing in 10th place in the National League South having played 10 games. They went unbeaten in their first nine matches this season, before losing to Slough Town in their most recent National League South encounter.

Like Worthing, they have also reached the First Round of the Emirates FA Cup where they have been drawn against Southern League Premier outfit Harborough Town.

Having played in the Emirates FA Cup every other week, it has actually been over a month since their last league win this season, which was at home to St Albans City on Tuesday 3 September when they won 2-0.

Last Six
12/10 – Cray Wanderers (A) – Won 0-1 (Emirates FA Cup)
05/10 – Slough Town (A) – Lost 3-1
28/09 – Walton & Hersham (H) – Won 2-1 (Emirates FA Cup)
21/09 – Hampton & Richmond Borough (H) – Drew 2-2
14/09 – Merstham (H) – Won 2-1 (Emirates FA Cup)
07/09 – Chippenham Town (A) – Drew 0-0

 

The Gaffer

Jay Saunders has been at the helm at Longmead Stadium for the last couple of seasons after taking over in May 2022.

Saunders was formerly the manager at Maidstone United where he guided from the Isthmian South Division to the National League in just four seasons.

He has also previously managed at Margate where he is something of a club legend from his playing days. He made 373 appearances scoring a half-century of goals mainly from defensive positions and gained 5 caps for the England semi-professional side.

In his two seasons in charge at Longmead Stadium so far, he has guided the Angels to a 9th place and a 14th place finish in the National League South.

 

The Captain

Scott Wagstaff was named as club captain ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Wagstaff is a vastly experienced midfielder with over 300 appearances in the EFL with the likes of Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and AFC Wimbledon.

He joined the Angels from Bromley for the 2022/23 season and has been a key player since his arrival. He took on captain duties from Sonny Miles at the start of last season.

 

Key Player

Last season’s Club Player of the Season Sean Shields has kicked off the 2024/25 campaign in a similar vein of form.

The 32-year-old winger is the Angels’ joint-top-scorer so far in the National League South this season with five goals to his name.

Sean has had a rich career since joining Tottenham Hotspur as an eight-year-old and spending eight years as a youth player with the North London giants. Whilst born in Enfield, he qualified to play for Northern Ireland through his father and made two Under-21 appearances for the Irish.

Moving into senior football, he found his first real home at St Albans City, where he made 71 appearances and scored 13 times in a three-season spell. In 2013, he earned a move into the Football League when he joined Dagenham and Redbridge, then of League Two. In a two-year term, he made 13 appearances but was also loaned back to St Albans with a further loan move to Ebbsfleet United, where in 2015 he really put down roots with a successful five-season term in which he amassed 116 appearances, scoring 15 times.

Sean’s time at Stonebridge Road was also punctuated with various loan moves before departing for Weymouth in 2020 where he spent two seasons making 66 appearances (seven goals). He has established himself as a firm fans’ favourite at Longmead and was named Manager’s Player of the Season for 2023/24.

 

Familiar Faces

Former Rebels Liam Vincent and Mo Dabre will line up for the Angels at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

After spending the majority of the 2022/23 season on loan at Worthing, Mo Dabre moved to Chelmsford City for the start of the 2023/24 season.

He then joined the Angels from Chelmsford in November 2023 and has been a fan-favourite at Longmead ever since.

21-year-old Liam Vincent had three separate loan spells on the South Coast and made 26 appearances for the Rebels across all competitions.

He first joined on loan from Portsmouth for the second half of the 2022/23 season before joining for two loan spells in the early part of last season that were both one-month long.