Season’s destinies may be sealed in the Spring but are hard earned ultimately on wet nights in February.

They don’t come more hard won or certainly wetter than the play off chasing Angels’ fierce scrap in forbidding surroundings at Aveley on Wednesday.

Ultimately this match, surprisingly skilfully met by both sets of players in shockingly miserable conditions throughout, hinged on a frantic five minutes spell just either side of the hour mark, Tonbridge taking and then surrendering the lead in a vignette which was indicative of a battle which ebbed and flowed, while around the field of battle the heavy rain just flowed.

Persisting down from a few minutes before kick off and continuing unabated throughout, the rain was less of a significant protagonist than in many matches at this and higher levels and that’s testament to two sides who displayed much skill on the ball and one whole lot of commitment.

The Angels’ tenanted hosts Grays Athletic possess a side with plenty of pluck and considerable attacking threat especially in strong and skilful ex-Barking man, the unusually-named GB-Dumaka and the Midlander with Northern Ireland representative honours, Fortnam-Tomlinson.

But a toweringly impressive captain’s showing by Tonbridge’s skipper Jerome Sobers showed all the ex-Maidstone United and Bromley’s man experience and built a base for the visitors to dominate more and more as the first half wore on.

But the opening stanza was a largely sterile occasion – a rare sortie forward from Sobers was his side’s closest effort just after the half hour and five minutes later the Angels’ keeper Di Bernardo had to be at his very best, diving low to his left to keep out GB-Dumaka’s well hit effort.

Steve McKimm was to show all his managerial acumen in the second half, shuffling the pack with success and the first substitution at the restart of Folkes for Parter at right back did increase the threat down the right, winning a number of chances for long-throw specialist Luke Blewden to hurl in dangerous balls which consistently caused panic in the homesters’ defensive ranks.

A fourth such long throw in the first few minutes of the second half was again to wreak havoc and the lively Tom Parkinson stooped to head the Angels home on 57 minutes.

Just minutes later it seemed that lightning might strike twice, Blewden threw in at length again but the ball this time broke ahead of the penalty box and the former Leicester City trainee Fortnam-Tomlinson burst forward with huge strength and determination.

The run ended in a corner won for his side at the other end – the danger from the kick seemed to be cleared but the super strong GB-Dumaka won the ball back, played it into the centre and home crowd favourite Jake Hutchins was there on the edge of the box to sweep the ball home with an aplomb little seen in a centre half.

Just four minutes had separated the goals and the equaliser inevitably lifted the home side but McKimm still had only positive thoughts and the speedy addition of slight but slippery winger Whitnell further increased the threat down the right; and then third sub Luke Allen looked the most lively goal threat in the final ten minutes: the youngster twice going close with long range efforts as those who’d battled the elements on both teams began to tire.

And though the Angels finished the stronger, the sizeable contingent of visiting fans from Kent did utter a gasp of concern when in the very final minute of stoppage time, Athletic’s no. 10 Fortnam-Tomlinson’s now customary charge forward took him into hugely dangerous penalty area territory.

But the ball was cleared with no contact on the man and a point was secured on the path to that coveted play-off berth.

Grays Athletic line up: Hadler, Ifill, Sivapathasundaran, Symons, Hutchins, Agyemang, Davidson (Nicholson 45),  Beany, GB-Dumaka, Fortnam-Tomlinson, Carlos

Subs not used: Little, Moses, Fuller, , Michael-Percil

Tonbridge Angels line up: Di Bernardo, Parter (Folkes 45), Harrison, Parkinson, Sobers, Miles, Webster (Whitnell 64), Riviere (Allen 78), Elder, Blewden, Wheeler

Subs not used: Ball,  Wood-Garness

Attendance: 221