Lordswood’s terrible end to the season continued when they had Ben Hilden sent off after 16 minutes for a “handball” which only the referee saw and they then faced an uphill battle.

On a sunny April afternoon Lordswood came into this game wondering if the luck would go their way and that they could muster an away win against opponents who themselves are having a bad time. In the 9th minute Darren Bridges took a free kick 20 yards out and although it deflected off the wall it forced Michael Czanner to save it at the post. Tunbridge Wells then had their first chance in the 12th minute when Tommy Fuller saw his cross into the area find Michael Lord who swivelled and shot from 12 yards only for it to go just past the post. The luck Lordswood were looking for went against them in the 16th minute in a way that wasn’t so much bad luck but more inept and terrible refereeing. A long diagonal ball caught the defence out and Lord went on into the area, he tried to dummy his shot first with Lords keeper Alec Jackson (making his debut) coming out and diving on the floor but got himself up to force Lord to cut back inside the area and scuff a shot goalwards. Ben Hilden, making a return to the ground he graced last season, got his head in the way as the shot went forward but the Referee inexplicably thought otherwise and gave a penalty for handball and then sent Hilden off. Up stepped Lord who shot into the bottom right hand corner. Lordswood started to use Joel Melville’s pace and in the 22nd minute 30 yards out he weaved his way into the area and saw his shot saved by Czanner. In the 27th minute Lord in on goal saw his shot well saved by Jackson. In the last 15 minutes of the half Lordswood conceded three goals, the second goal came in the 29th minute when Luke Wallond broke through one tackle and then shot home from 15 yards. In the 38th minute Ben Holliday’s poor back pass was miskicked by Alex Jackson leaving Wallond with a simple tap in. In the 44th minute a corner was half cleared to Matt Newman who shot home from 15 yards.

The second half was all about pride for Lordswood and in the opening skirmishes they held their own and they started to believe that they could play. In the 69th minute they got a goal back when the ball on the right was crossed in and Joel Melville smashed in from 6 yards out. Six minutes later Darren Bridges on the left cut inside and unleashed a beautifully hit shot from 25 yards that beat the keeper but not the post as it rebounded out. In the 81st minute Melville ran forward from halfway and passed to Nathan Nelson whose shot was saved by the keeper. Wells had their first and only chance of the half in the 83rd minute when Bradley Mortimer was put through and his shot beat the onrushing Jackson but came back of the post. The final whistle went and the Lordswood players can be proud of their second half performance.