Tonbridge will be striving to produce the same high standard of performance which earned an impressive result in the previous home game, against another side in the promotion hunt. Steve McKimm’s men defeated high-flying Staines Town by 2-1 two weeks ago. And a second league win on the spin occurred last Saturday, when they triumphed 1-0 at Merstham on Surrey soil. It might not have been pure poetry but earned the prize of maximum points.

So, the next opponents are likely to be on their guard, against Angels who achieved positive outcomes partly because of frugality at the back. Solid defensive displays in the past couple of Bostik Premier outings provided the stability needed to help secure the spoils.

Thriftiness is something Blues’ boss Jim Cooper is likely to admire. The Met FC chief is a canny operator himself and one of the division’s longest serving bosses. He took over the helm back in 2004 and has led the way through the most fruitful era in the club’s history, which stretches back almost 100 years. The Imber Court outfit clinched the Division One South title in 2010/11 after several play-off disappointments.

The next visitors soon made an impact in the Isthmian top flight with a sixth-place finish a couple of years later. That was improved upon in 2014/15, even if it was courtesy of unfortunate administrative oversight elsewhere.

Cooper’s charges achieved a top-five spot a few years ago (2014/15), albeit at the expense of an Enfield club deducted points for fielding an ineligible player. An end-of-season appeal held-up the play-offs, but the boys in blue eventually lost anyway, at the semi-final stage to Hendon.

Ironically, the Met will be on the receiving end of a similar ruling in 2017/18 for committing the same offence, it emerged this week. The Isthmian League confirmed on Thursday (February 22) that the erroneous squad selection occurred for a tussle against Folkestone on October 7. The police team appealed but the case was dismissed by the Football Association.

After the 2014/15 promotion bid proved unsuccessful, the subsequent campaigns concluded in a mid-table position, followed by a relegation dog-fight that went to the wire.

The manager recruited well during the summer though and his new-look side have been in and around the top half-a-dozen throughout the season.

The encouraging effort included a 2-0 triumph over Tonbridge on Tuesday January 23. So, home supporters will be hoping to witness avenging angels at the weekend!

Cooper would no doubt like top five again, but this time without dispute, delay and decisions requiring the intervention of officialdom.

Summer strengthening seems to be the main reason for revival, with shrewd recruitment sharpening-up the police squad.

The fresh faces include Johnny Wright, who had apparently been a target of the Met chief for several years. He joined the team during the summer from Wealdstone, following four successful seasons with the Middlesex men. Previously the key player starred for Workington in the National League North, netting 74 times in 220 appearances.

A number of other recruits list the Stones on their CVs, plus there are strong previous connections with Basingstoke Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough.

The higher-level experience in the squad has almost certainly helped improve fortunes at Imber Court this term, as the team transformed from relegation candidates in 2016/17 to promotion hopefuls in the current campaign.

The ranks include Lloyd Macklin, an attacker listed among the Bostik Premier’s highest scorers with 14 successful strikes so far. The “winger/forward” appeared around 30 times for Swindon Town and Torquay United, before plying his trade in the non-league game with various outfits under the National League umbrella.

Recent outings involved a 1-0 home win over Harrow, thanks to an own goal midway through the second period, on Saturday (February 17). A week earlier, title favourites Billericay were held 2-2, also at Imber Court.

One aspect of note this season is that the form-book has been somewhat superfluous – expect the unexpected appears to be the 2017/18 trend. But that adds to the excitement – well it does when toasting triumph!

The Bostik Premier match between Tonbridge and Metropolitan Police FC at Longmead Stadium on Saturday 24 February is a 3pm kick-off.

By Simon Piper