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Tonbridge Angels aiming to halt Dorking Wanderers' 10-match winning streak in National League South

Tonbridge don’t intend to sit back against the league leaders this weekend.

Hosts Dorking are six points clear at the top of National South after winning 10 games in a row.

Tonbridge Angels manager Steve McKimm Picture: Dave Couldridge
Tonbridge Angels manager Steve McKimm Picture: Dave Couldridge

They’ve been unstoppable in recent weeks but Angels beat them 3-1 at Longmead in September and travel to Meadowbank looking to play their own game.

“Dorking are flying, it’s going to be hard but it’s a game of football and anything can happen,” said manager Steve McKimm.

“We don’t go there worrying about them, we worry about ourselves and how good we can be on the day and what players we’ve got available.

“Obviously you’ve got to stop things at source to a point but we’re going there to try and win a game, so you play your way as well.

“They’re not a team who sit back and we’re not either, contrary to reports from a couple of managers who say we sit back.

“We didn’t do that on Saturday (3-2 defeat by Dartford) and we’re not going to start now.

“We’ll keep playing the way we play.

“Our defensive record is very good (32 goals conceded compared with Dorking’s 33) but we aren’t a team who sit back.

“Our goalscoring record isn’t great and while we haven’t rectified that, we have started to score goals and it’s helped us pick up points in the last few games, with the exception of Dartford.”

Goals from Doug Loft, Tom Parkinson and Ibrahim Olutade secured Angels’ early-season win over Dorking.

Marc White’s side are flying now, boosted by the return of injured players, and appear to be title favourites.

“They were a good side beforehand but now they’ve got their injured players back, bar Jason Prior,” said McKimm.

“Their manager said on Tuesday night (1-0 win v Oxford City) he had five players who couldn’t get in the squad.

“He’s always said when they’re back at full strength they’ll play the Dorking way, as he says, and they seem to be doing that.

“There’s a lot of football to be played, he’ll say that as well, but they’ve put themselves in a good position when you think they were eighth or ninth not that long ago.

“They will be there or thereabouts and if they don’t win the league, it will take a monumental effort from someone to overtake them.”

Tonbridge lost for the first time in five games last weekend when Dartford left Longmead with the points.

The damage was done in the first half as Dartford opened up a 2-0 lead.

Tommy Wood got them back into it and Ibrahim Olutade scored an injury-time second after Dartford restored their two-goal cushion.

“I’m disappointed we only played for 45 or 50 minutes,” said McKimm.

“We didn’t turn up in the first half and there were a few home truths and a couple of changes at half-time.

“We’ve been on a good run so I don’t know the reasons for the first half, I can’t explain that.

“Players have to be accountable for themselves because we pick a team and a formation and they go out and do what they can with the tools they’ve got.

“We got back into it and they cleared one off the line at the end but you can’t give teams at any level a 2-0 start, let alone a team like Dartford.”

Tonbridge visit Eastbourne in a rearranged match on Tuesday night.

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