Goalkeeper Jonny Henly made an heroic return for Tonbridge Angels on Tuesday night.

Henly missed the weekend win against Bath City while at a wedding but returned to face Hampton & Richmond and saved two penalties - the second in stoppage-time - as Angels won the match 1-0.

Devante Aransibia netted the only goal of the National South game on 74 minutes - a second successive 1-0 win for Jay Saunders’ team after their one-goal weekend win at Bath.

Saunders said: “Jonny is as good as anything at this level and he has got better as the season has gone on. Mitch (Walker) has come in (as a coach) and really helped with the goalkeeping side of it. They work well together, credit to them.

“Jonny is a big character around the changing room. The lads were buzzing and singing his name in the changing room afterwards.

“We were playing a Hampton team that had won back-to-back games at home and we’ve had to play in tough conditions over the last three games. The games have been scrappy but the boys dug deep.”

Henly dived to his right to keep out a first-half penalty from Dan Wishart and when Aransibia had put them infront it was down to Henly again to save the day, this time making himself big to deny Adrian Clifton, as he went down the middle.

“We defended the balls into our box well and then Jonny has come up with the goods when it mattered,” Saunders said.

“You think your hard work might have come undone. I felt for Tommy Fagg because he gave both penalties away but they were harsh, he was probably still our best player on the night, which was crazy, but Jonny has dug him out and we’re delighted to get the points.

“Saving two penalties in a match doesn’t happens very often, I’m not sure Jonny has ever done it before.”

Former Hampton player Tommy Wood was in the Angels side and Saunders revealed that their returning striker helped out with the first penalty, suggesting Henly should go to his right - which was the right call.

It’s been a good week for the goalkeeping department.

George Bentley came in on Saturday at Bath due to Henly's unavailability - keeping a clean sheet and getting himself a place in the KentOnline team-of-the-week.

“Trying to sign a goalkeeper for one game is very difficult,” Saunders said. “George trained with us pre-season and then went to Faversham and carried on training with Mitch Walker and Jonny and we felt comfortable enough putting him in. He did well and it wasn’t easy.

“We had three debuts, Tommy Wood coming back, George Bentley in goal and Marcel Elva-Fountaine at right-back (on loan from Aldershot) and that shows what a good performance it was.

“We put Jonny back in and he makes two penalty saves. It was harsh on George because he did well and kept a clean sheet, but I did make him aware that Jonny has been our number one and deserves to come back in, and thankfully he repaid the faith.”

Those two 1-0 away wins leave the Angels a point off the play-off places. The games followed a narrow defeat at Chelmsford last Monday. Saunders’ men are back at home this Saturday when they face Taunton Town.

“It’s been tough on the boys,” said the manager. “They have done a lot of travelling and stuck together and to take six points from those games you have to be pleased.

"It was harsh to have lost against Chelmsford, to a 96th minute goal. Could we have played better in the games? Probably, but they were good solid away performances.

“We have lost one in 11, including the Kent Cup, it’s a good run, it’s a good dressing room and even when we are not at the best they are sticking together and I am looking forward to a home game on Saturday.

“We lost down there in the only other game Jonny missed because he was ill. We didn’t have a first choice keeper and it was a bit last minute. We had a young lad in goal and I would like to think that if we had Jonny in goal I don’t think we would have lost.

“They are organised, hard to beat, a big side and it will be a tricky one but a game that, realistically if we want to try and sneak into those play-offs, Taunton at home is one you want to get three points.”

Forward Jack Wood, meanwhile, has agreed to stay until the end of the season, extending his loan deal from National League side Southend United. He scored the winner at Bath but the paper-work on the new agreement wasn’t done in time for the midweek match.

Saunders said: “He was excellent (last Saturday) and he came off the bench. He has been unlucky to be out of the side, we changed shape, it suited other players, but he has stuck with it and his attitude has been first class.

“He got the winner on Saturday and we left it up to him and Southend. They were happy for him to stay, they feel it’s a good place for him to be and for the lad was as well, he half thought about going elsewhere to guarantee that he would play or come back where he feels comfortable.

“After speaking to Kevin Maher at Southend he feels this is the place he wants to stay and I am delighted because he is a good lad, he can play a few positions. It’s good we’ve kept him to the end of the season.”