Tonbridge Angels

Tonbridge Angels Football Club also known as “The Angels” are an English football club who play at Longmead Stadium in Tonbridge, Kent, since moving from the Angel Ground in 1980.

The club reached the Conference South after winning the play-off final of the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2010–11 season but were relegated back to the Isthmian League in 2014. They competed in that league until they were promoted back to the National League South at the end of the 2018–19 season.

Notable ex-players include England international Malcolm Macdonald, Aston Villa's league championship winning manager Ron Saunders and former England manager Roy Hodgson.

History

Formation and early history

Tonbridge Football Club was formed in October 1947 following the suggestion of local businessman and founder chairman Herbert Portch, and was one of four clubs to be elected to the Southern Football League for the 1948–49 season. The club took out a lease on the Angel Ground, formerly the home of Kent County Cricket Club and named after the nearby hotel, 'The Angel'. Hence Tonbridge FC became known as 'The Angels'. A crowd of around 5,000 turned up for the club's opening league fixture against fellow newcomers Hastings United but the match was lost 2–1, with Albert Robson scoring the club's first ever goal. Progress was slow in the early days, with the club rock bottom at Christmas and with Harold Hobbis taking over as manager from Dunoon and Marshall Raybould, but the club would improve their form in the second half of the season to finish third from last.

Throughout the 1950s the Angels (as they were nicknamed at the time, although it was not yet formally part of the club's name) would struggle to make any progress in the Southern League and a peak of 11th place was reached in 1949–50, the club's second season. However, Tonbridge would prove to be a strong side in cup competitions. In 1949–50, the club reached the semi-finals of the Southern League Cup, losing 3

This page also has a version in other languages :  Тонбридж Эйнджелс (russian)