Tonbridge Angels opened up a five point cushion inside the Ryman Premier Division play-off zone with a convincing win, capped by the return of a summer signing after months out through injury.

Particularly in the first 45 minutes there was a huge gap in the standard of the two sides.  Tonbridge played some of their best football of the season, employing a diamond in midfield rather than their traditional 4-4-2, while Grays, the division’s bottom side, struggled to cope.

After testing the Grays keeper inside the first minute, Tom Phipp opened the scoring for the Angels in the 17th minute.  Luke Allen, on corner duties in the absence of Nick Wheeler, floated the ball to the near post where Phipp planted his header inside the far bottom corner.

Twelve minutes later Tonbridge doubled their lead.  Tom Parkinson, who’d had an earlier penalty shout turned down, and saw an effort hit the post, went down in the area and the referee had no hesitation pointing to the spot.

Alex Afrofi, who scored on his return from suspension seven days earlier, hammered the spot kick straight down the middle, although Tangara in the Grays goal did get a hand to it.

Akrofi then increased the lead to three with barely half an hour on the clock when he headed Tom Phipp’s pass in from close range.  Many initially felt Afrofi may have been offside, indeed the man himself first glanced to the assistant referee before starting his celebration, but it seemed as if there was at least one Grays defender narrowly keeping him on-side.

Angels fans were hoping for a cricket score second half but it didn’t happen.  Grays’ tactical change was to push centre half Luke Wilson to centre forward and it paid off.  Four minutes into the second half Tonbridge full-back Jack Parter was found up in an attacking role, Grays found space behind him, played it through to Wilson whose deflected shot appeared to deceive Di Bernardo in the Tonbridge goal.

A later scramble could have reduced the defecit to 3-2 but that would have been harsh on Tonbridge, who sealed the game with a goal from a player whose surprise return gave delight to the home fans.

Andre McCollin, who broke his leg on the opening day of the season on his debut, came off the bench with 15 minutes to go and appeared to taking his frustration of the last six months out on the Grays defence.

He chipped a dipping ball towards goal only for the keeper to make a spectacular save, he was inches away from a Nathan Elder downward header which hit the post, but when in the 95th minute Barney Williams handled an Allen cross, McCollin took the ball for the spot kick and sent the keeper the wrong way.

TONBRIDGE:  Di Bernardo; Folkes, Nelson, Parkinson, Parter; Scannell; Blewden, Phipp; Allen; Elder, Akrofi (McCollin).

GRAYS: Tangara; Mahal (Kucuk), Williams, Campbell, Ashton, Wilson, Kabobola (Osei), Sarpong, Baxter, Bishop, Carlos (Watkins).

ATTENDANCE: 312.

Pictures supplied by www.groutphotography.co.uk