Ashford United’s second half comeback, which saw three goals in fifteen minutes, takes the Nuts & Bolts into second place in the Southern Counties East table, seven points behind leaders Whyteleafe, who they meet at Homelands next Saturday.

Ashford still have a game in hand on the leaders, but face a further two games this week as they catch up the backlog of fixtures before the top of the table clash.

Tunbridge Wells, whose manager Martin Larkin still retains ambitions of claiming the league crown, took the lead in the 12th minute through a towering Perry Spackman header.

There was controversy abound at half-time as Ashford’s Pat Kingwell had a goal ruled out after a penalty in the closing moments of the first period, and when Andy Irvine capitalised on a horrendous error from Ashford keeper Joe Mant ten minutes into the second half, the game appeared sealed.

Ashford, despite feeling the effects of their fourth game in eight days, took advantage of some slack defending just past the hour as Gary Mickleborough tapped home.

Kingwell then converted his second spot kick of the day to level after which Tunbridge Wells assistant manager Brad Sandeman was sent to the stands for comments to the referee. Mickleborough turned the game on its head with thirteen minutes remaining as the Wells’ defence was undone by one straight ball; something that Larkin admitted was happening too often this season.

The Tunbridge Wells manager added “I thought we were in control, then the game has changed with one ball on the floor in our box that we have not cleared.  If we get it out into the stands, we can regroup, but Mickleborough is at the back post to score.”

“We’re normally a pretty good defensive unit, and when you hit teams on the break you do end up defending for long periods. We said at half-time that if they’re going to get back in the game, make sure it’s from something special. When you give away easy goals like that, it can change the tide of the game.”

“No-one has got any medals yet, and we won’t give up until the medals are handed out. We need to go on a long run again, which we are capable of doing. We’ve got to play the teams around us, Whyteleafe here and we go to Ashford, we we’ve got to start winning again.”

Paul Chambers, Ashford’s boss, was understandably more upbeat following the result, and explained “We knew it would be a tough game coming here. I thought we looked a bit sluggish for the first 20 minutes, but the boys have been top drawer today.”

“They gave me everything and got their just desserts in the end. We’ve had four games in eight days, and we go again on Monday, but we’ve shown real character when we were down, and I’m so proud of them.”

“We’ve got to keep winning, but it’s a case of keeping players fit. The lads are ‘cream crackered’ in there, but we’ve known even when we are down we always would get a chance.”

“The keeper has made a great save from the penalty in the first half, and the ref knows he has made a mistake, but second half our character has come through and we were fantastic.”

The game, one that neither side could afford to lose in their pursuit of Whyteleafe and certainly didn’t want to draw, started with a flurry of chances. Sam Conlon’s header drew a comfortable save from Tunbridge Wells’ Steve Lawrence, while Perry Spackman glanced a header wide, and Jake Beecroft fired over without testing Joe Mant.

Playing down the slope in the first half, with a strong wind in their favour, the home side were using their advantage well. Debutant Rhys Lawson nutmegged Liam Whiting and delivered a dangerous ball into the box, where Andy Irvine got across the front of his marker, but steered his shot wide. Lawson then latched onto Tom Davey’s raking ball but Mant was out quickly to block the Wells’ winger outside the box.

The Tunbridge Wells pressure told in the 12th minute as Spackman rose highest to meet Beecroft’s corner and the big defender glanced his header home off the left post.

After the early exchanges, the game settled into a midfield battle with little threat to either goal, with only shots from Lee Radford and Beecroft well held by Mant that were of any real note.

The half burst into life again in the dying seconds, as Radford ran in behind Luke Cuthbert and drilled a low ball across the area. Irvine reached the ball first, but Mant’s legs blocked his effort as the keeper scrambled along his line. The rebound was quickly cleared to the other end, where Adam Cuthbert’s shot was deflected wide.

From the corner, Tom Scorer’s cross was met by Dave Cook, but his header crashed back off the face of the bar, and as the home side struggled to clear, Conlon was bundled over in the area.

Pat Kingwell stepped up to take the penalty, but his effort appeared to be saved superbly full-length to his left by Lawrence, with the ball rebounding from the post to Kingwell to stabbed into the unguarded net. The goal was initially awarded, but after consultation between the officials, it was ruled that there hadn’t been a touch from Lawrence, meaning that Kingwell wasn’t allowed to play the ball again, and Ashford’s ‘equaliser’ was cancelled out.

Ashford, spurred on by this apparent injustice, started the second period the quicker and Gary Clarke saw a long-range effort slide just over the bar.

But it was the home side who doubled their lead ten minutes in as Irvine was rewarded for chasing a lost cause and took advantage of a moment Mant will want to forget.

The Nuts & Bolts’ keeper called for a backpass from Kingwell, which he received, but as Irvine closed in, Mant took a wild swing at the ball, which sliced perfectly into Irvine’s path, leaving the Wells’ striker an open net to tap into.

This should have allowed Tunbridge Wells to close the game out, but Ashford showed their resilience just past the hour, as the home side failed to clear a corner after Davey had headed Kingwell’s shot off the line.

When the ball was played back in, it dropped conveniently for Gary Mickleborough to slam his shot in off the underside of the bar.

A rejuvenated Ashford saw a Davey freekick flash past the goal, but were given a further penalty when Mickleborough’s cross appeared to strike the arm of Lewis Mingle on the edge of the area.

Larkin was unhappy with the decision, which saw Sandeman removed from the technical area, and it took three minutes for two home players to receive cautions before the spot kick could be taken.

Kingwell stepped up for the second time in the match and his well-struck kick went once more to the left of Lawrence, but this time had the power to defeat the keeper’s dive.

The visitor’s third goal came on 77, and once more, the Tunbridge Wells defence was caught out, this time by one straight ball from Luke Cuthbert into the area.

James Dryden leapt above Jason Bourne to head the ball across goal, where Mickleborough touched the ball away from Lawrence’s desperate lunge, to slam the ball into the net.

There were calls for a Tunbridge Wells penalty from the South Terrace in the closing seconds as Spackman’s near post flick from Beecroft’s corner found substitute Richard Sinden at the back post.

The ball seemed to get stuck under the feet of the veteran striker who went to ground as he got a shot away into the side netting, but the appeals were waved away.

There was time for Beecroft to fire harmlessly over Mant’s goal, but it was the visitors who left the Culverden Stadium ‘cream crackered’, as their manager said, but with the crucial three points.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS: Steve Lawrence, Jason Bourne, Lewis Mingle, Jake Beecroft, Scott Whibley, Perry Spackman, Rhys Lawson, Tom Davey, Andy Irvine (Richard Sinden 75), Joe Fuller, Lee Radford (Jon Pilbeam 66).

Subs not used: Andy Boyle, Brett Ince, Jack Funnell.

Goals: Perry Spackman 12, Andy Irvine 55.

Bookings: Joe Fuller 45, Jake Beecroft 64, Tom Davey 71, Scott Whibley 72.

Sent Off: Brad Sandeman 72.

ASHFORD UNITED: Joe Mant, Luke Cuthbert, Liam Whiting, Gary Clarke, Jordon Miller, Pat Kingwell. Dave Cook, Adam Cuthbert, Gary Mickleborough (Ian Wallace 89), Tom Scorer (James Dryden 62), Sam Conlon (Michael Smissen 75).

Subs not used: Sam Fisher, Paul Chambers.

Goals: Gary Mickleborough 62 & 77, Pat Kingwell 73 (pen).

Booking: Luke Cuthbert 79.

Attendance: 349
Referee: Mr W James
Assistants: Mr S Jackson and Mr G Richards