Angels supporters leaving Coles Park were scratching their heads to try to understand how they had just seen their team lose 4-0 a result that ended their unbeaten away league record and their heaviest defeat in all competitions this season.

It wasn’t that Tonbridge played particularly badly, in fact for a good part of the game they were doing the pressing with decent possession in the Haringey half. Perhaps with their passing game they wanted one touch too many and certainly they need to be more clinical in front of goal. It should also be remembered that Valery Pajetat had a fine game in goal for the home side which certainly assisted his team to the three points.

Defensively, the Angels were also efficient in their work with perhaps just one of the goals disappointing to concede but Haringey were wearing their correct scoring boots with a willingness to shoot on sight with deadly results.

It was a somewhat cautious start by both sides but with Tonbridge territorially having more of the play. This was rewarded in the 20th minute when Joe Turner’s effort crashed against the crossbar but despite that it was the hosts who went ahead in the 22nd minute when a Haringey free kick was only partially cleared and from just outside the area a shot that might have taken a slight deflection went through a number of players and ended up in the back of the net.

This stung the Angels into more concerted action and almost straightaway Jared Small forced a smart save from Pajetat and on 29 minutes a Tom Beere effort was palmed away expertly by the Haringey stopper. Tonbridge were well on top by this stage and on 29 minutes Beere’s shot was saved by that man Pajetat and just before half time he made an even better save tipping over a Sonny Miles bullet header from a corner.

It seemed that the hosts lead was very fragile and with another 45 minutes to play expectations were high amongst the Tonbridge faithful that the points could be theirs.

Reinforcement of this optimistic view came just after the restart when Tom Parkinson’s header was saved by Pajetat and surely the breakthrough could not be far away. But as sometimes happens in football the unexpected occurs and Haringey started to play a bit forcing the rather underworked Jonathan Henly into a save on 55 minutes and then Joel Nouble who nearly joined Tonbridge in the close season had an effort deflected for a corner. The home side doubled their lead from that corner with a downward Coby Rowe header at the far post.

Even at this stage there was still belief that the visitors might be able to get something from the game but it was Haringey who somehow went further ahead with a terrific hit from Rowe that Henly was never going to get near and with Tonbridge now pushing forward to at least restore some pride, the icing on the cake for Haringey came in the form of Georgious Aresti using a raid down the right to score the fourth goal of the night and cap a miserable outcome for the Kent side.

Afterwards, Angels Boss, Steve McKimm said: “I’m hurting, the players are hurting and I know the supporters will be hurting who once again bearing in mind it’s a midweek match have turned out in numbers. Despite playing good football tonight we have to be more clinical on front of goal and that’s not just the forwards but the entire outfield team.”