It’s another away day in a run of excursions for Ebbsfleet, and a return to National League South action at Tonbridge this Saturday – writes Libby O’Connell.
Form Guide
The Fleet will enter Saturday’s game with positivity, coming off the high of last Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup win at Maidenhead United. The 3-1 victory put an end to the team’s back-to-back draw streak, and served as a suitable final farewell to former CEO Damian Irvine.
Despite a slow start to the game from both sides, the Fleet quickly picked up momentum after Lennon Peake launched the ball low into the bottom-right corner on 37 minutes. Finlay Barnes wasted no time doubling the lead with an impressive outside-of-the-boot strike following some very neat approach play just three minutes later.
The second-half found Maidenhead to be no match for Will Buse and the Fleet defence and it was appropriate that one of those defenders, Camron Gbadebo, headed home the third goal to effectively end the tie.
Tonbridge are currently sitting high in the table in sixth place. Their nine league games have seen four wins, the two most recent being impressive high-scoring victories. August Bank Holiday saw them earn a 5-1 victory against Walton & Hersham and that same week, they went on to beat Farnborough 4-0. That was a repeated of the score from their opening league fixture against Braintree Town.
The Angels have the best goal difference in the league, tied on +9 with Salisbury and Weston-super-Mare, and eight different squad members have already contributed to the scoresheet, making Tonbridge a very forward-facing threat.
Their two most recent league games, however, have been a 1-1 draw at Hemel Hempstead Town, and a 1-0 defeat at home to league leaders and Kent rivals Maidstone United.
Like the Fleet, Tonbridge also enjoyed passage in their FA Cup Second Qualifying round tie, beating Ramsgate 2-1 to set up a cracking game with Torquay United in the next round.
Last time out
The Fleet added a double over Tonbridge last season to add to mainly good results in previous face-offs against the Angels. The Fleet produced a hard-fought 1-0 win on Boxing Day, before beating Tonbridge again in April with a 2-1 victory.
The second of the two games was a particularly dominant performance for Ebbsfleet. An early goal from Ben Chapman (above) just four minutes in quickly turned into two just minutes later after a header from Gene Kennedy. Tonbridge managed to find the back of the net in the final three minutes but couldn’t claw back another goal.
Our Boxing Day clash (below) was a much tighter affair, with the game remaining goalless until the 78th minute, when Dominic Samuel smashed a low drive through the six-yard box to secure another victory for the Fleet.
Who’s who?
Former Fleet face Jephte Tanga (below) is likely to make an appearance for Tonbridge on Saturday. The 22-year-old right winger joined us for the 2024/25 season, making 24 appearances throughout, including the 3-1 Kent Senior Cup win over Gillingham in which he scored twice.
He then returned to his previous club Maidstone, before joining Tonbridge this summer. His impact has been immediate, with five goals already this season, placing him as the second highest scorer in the National League South campaign so far.
Sam Corne wears the captain’s armband at Longmead (or the Yeomans Community Stadium to give it the official sponsors’ name) this season, despite being one of the club’s newest signings. He was one of five Maidstone players to swap amber for blue this summer, after spending seven seasons with the Stones. Corne led Maidstone to victory during their 2021/22 title-winning campaign and made more than 230 appearances for the club.
Ronny Nelson will be a familiar face for the home supporters, having departed the Angels after the 2024/25 season ahead of his move to the Fleet. He started during both fixtures against Tonbridge last season, even nearly scoring against his former club during the Fleet’s April victory.
The manager
Alan Dunne is in his first full season as Tonbridge manager, having taken over last September following the dismissal of Craig Nelson.
He had an impressive playing career, spending 15 years as a professional at Millwall. He debuted for the first team in 2000, and was released at the end of the 2014/15 season. He proceeded to sign for Leyton Orient where he stayed for two seasons before joining Bromley in January 2017.
It was at Hayes Lane where he started his coaching career, being appointed first-team coach in June 2018, whilst continuing to play for the club. He eventually transitioned into full-time coaching, spending time as assistant manager, and joint caretaker manager of the club. He has certainly had Tonbridge reaching for new heights with the club expecting a play-off challenge this season.
The referee
Robert Ablitt, a teacher, began refereeing in 2006 and spent five years at Level 3 (Isthmian and Southern Leagues). The Hampshire official has refereed only one previous Fleet game, four years ago at Hungerford Town in his first season at National South level, red-carding the home side’s Callum Willmoth (pictured).
