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There was a first for Steve McKimm as Tonbridge enjoyed their biggest National South win of the season on Tuesday night.
Angels thumped Chippenham 4-0 in a rearranged match at Longmead, bad news for the visitors who were winning 1-0 when the original fixture was abandoned due to fog.
The Bluebirds had Callum Gunner sent off at 1-0 but Angels had been well on top anyway with McKimm in the unusual position of leaving players out, such are the options at his disposal following the loan signings of Adam Lovatt from Sutton and Southend younger Matt Rush.
Zak Guerfi and Javaun Splatt were the unlucky duo but things could easily change at managerless Welling this weekend.
McKimm said: “It’s the first time in my tenure that I’ve ever been able to leave two players out of the squad.
“We’ve got a squad of 18 now with Lovatt and Rush coming in and it was important we got them because we’ve got a lot of games coming up.
“The ones who are left out will be unhappy but I pick the squad I feel will benefit us in each match.
“It probably won’t be the same two every week but, at the moment, two will be left out of the squad.
“They just have to put up with it if they want to stay, which I hope they do.
“It’s up to the ones not playing to bide their time and be patient and for the ones who are playing to put their best foot forward.
"Zak and Javaun were left out on Tuesday. No one likes not being involved but I hope they understood.
“It’s a decision the management team made, but it may be a different two at Welling depending on the report we get and how we think we can get a result there.”
Joe Turner, Khale Da Costa, Tommy Wood and Rush scored against Chippenham as Tonbridge, who sit 12th in the table, turned on the style.
McKimm said: “We did well. They had a player sent off, which was a red card in my opinion, but we were already on the front foot. I asked them for a fast start and they did it.
“The boys are learning from their mistakes. When we played Hornchurch in the Trophy, they went down to 10 men and we didn’t use the width of the pitch and we didn’t use the ball well. We were trying to go down closed avenues.
“But, against Chippenham, we got it wide, we used the ball well, we didn’t try to force the issue, and it worked.”
