MATCH PREVIEW: Tonbridge Angels vs Chippenham Town | National League South | Saturday 11th January 2025

Harry Minton previews our trip to Kent to face The Angels.

The Bluebirds return to National League South action this weekend as they travel to Kent to face Tonbridge Angels.

The hosts come into this fixture sitting in 9th, while Gary Horgan’s side is in 16th. However, only seven points separate the two sides, and Chippenham could climb as high as 12th place if they win at Longmead on Saturday and results go their way elsewhere.

On paper, it looks like a tough ask for our boys in black, as we have never won away at Tonbridge Angels in our history, suffering four defeats in the four fixtures played there. The last time the Wiltshire outfit travelled to Longmead, it ended in a 2-0 defeat, with Kodi Lyons-Foster and Sean Shields each scoring a goal, either side of half-time, to seal a comfortable three points for the home side back in February of last year.

Shields is undoubtedly one of Tonbridge’s danger men to watch out for, alongside Liam Vincent. Both are joint top scorers so far for the Angels in the National League South this season, with eight goals to their name.

Harry Parsons is in red-hot form for us right now, with ten goal contributions in his last thirteen matches in all competitions. Leone Gravata has also been a key player for Chippenham, proving to be an influential figure during his short loan spell from National League side York City. His impact has been so significant that we have extended the loan until the end of the season.

Interestingly, both teams beat Weston-super-Mare in their most recent league fixtures. Gary Horgan’s side won 3-1 away at the Optima on New Year’s Day, with goals from Harry Parsons and a Will Dawes brace sealing the perfect start to the year.

Our game against Worthing last weekend was postponed due to their FA Trophy involvement, so we haven’t played since New Year’s Day. However, Tonbridge did play

last weekend, winning 2-0 against the Seagulls at home, with Shields once again on the scoresheet, along with Ronny Nelson, securing the Angels’ first victory of 2025.

There is no doubt that this will be a tough game, given our poor away record at Tonbridge. However, as we all know, anything can happen in football. Come on, you Bluebirds!