Match Preview
Tonbridge Angels will host National League South champions Truro City at Longmead on Saturday at 3pm. The Cornish club, who won the 2025 title and returned to Step 2 after a season in the National League, will make a round‑trip of nearly 600 miles to the match. Truro have taken four points from their opening two games and beat Southampton U21 2‑1 in the National League Cup.
Tonbridge’s Recent Form
Tonbridge thumped Braintree – also just down from the National League – 4‑0 away on opening day. Manager Alan Dunne is keen to see what his side can do against Truro. The Angels have won 1‑0 at Kent rivals Dover midweek and are looking for a third win of the season. Dunne said: “I know a couple of their players. Similar to Braintree, they’ve just come down, so they’ll have that league‑above experience, they’ll be a physical side, no doubt.”
Dunne added that the team must stay humble: “We have to be at our best to have a chance to compete and that’s what I’ll be saying to the boys. I don’t think we are ones to be complacent, I want us to be humble and to keep working on the performance because the result will take care of itself if we get that right.”
He also noted the difficulty of a long travel: “I really hope they travel on the day but I can’t see it! We got the bus to Torquay on the day of the game last season and got a result but Truro’s a bit further on. It can be done but I’d imagine they’ll come down the night before.”
Truro City’s Season
Truro City, the 2025 National League South champions, have kept manager John Askey and have only conceded once in open play in their first three games. They have scored six goals and are looking to build on their early success. The Cornish club’s recent 2‑1 win over Southampton U21s in the National League Cup shows they are in good form.
Managerial Insight
Dunne has set monthly points targets to measure progress. He said: “We’re on target for our block this month but we haven’t hit it yet. I just want to stay on target and concentrate on each block and each month.” He highlighted the importance of individual and team targets, citing past success at Bromley as an example.
The Angels will be prepared to face a physically‑experienced Truro side that has shown defensive solidity and goal‑scoring ability. The match will test whether the long journey and the Cornish club’s recent form can be matched by the Kent side.
