GO AD LITE | £30 off your Annual Digital subscription. Use code AUTUMN
GET STARTEDMore on KentOnline
Tonbridge coach Lloyd Blackman can’t wait to see forwards Noel Leighton and Trevan Robinson in full flow.
The pair have jumped two divisions to join National League South Angels, with Leighton joining from Three Bridges and Robinson arriving from Leatherhead.
They scored 41 and 19 goals respectively last season and have the qualities to succeed at Longmead.
They’ve both suffered ankle niggles during pre-season, with Leighton still sidelined although Robinson started the 3-2 midweek defeat by Bromley.
The sooner they’re fit and firing, the better.
“I’m sure they’ll be a handful,” said Blackman.
“There are traits I like in both. They’re both very different. Noel is obviously a big, strong physical presence who works very hard and aerially is very strong.
“Trevan offers a lot of different qualities. He’s technically very good in and around the box, he’s sharp and lively with his movement, so combined we tick a lot of boxes in that forward line.
“It’s just important for us they get back fit as quick as possible so we can look forward to August 10 and the first game of the season.
“Trevan’s back, which is a positive, and he’s building his fitness.
“Noel, I think may be a little bit longer but it’s not a serious one, it’s more a little niggle that doesn’t want to go away.
“We’ll keep monitoring him and hopefully he’s back in action sooner rather than later.”
Leighton worked with Angels boss Jay Saunders at Margate and was a man in demand after his goalscoring exploits at Three Bridges.
Robinson, meanwhile, excelled playing down the middle for the first time and laid on as many goals as he scored.
“We’d been keeping tabs on those two players,” said Blackman.
“We feel they’ll be good additions to the squad and they offer those different variations in their styles.
“It’s nice to have different tools depending on different occasions and different opposition and they’re both good lads who are hungry to impress and improve.”
The Bromley match followed a 3-1 home defeat by Chatham on Saturday as Tonbridge continued preparations for the new National League South season.
Blackman said: “There’s always good and bad things in pre-season.
“With the turnover of players we’ve had, we know it’s going to take a while but we’ve been pleased with some aspects and we’ll continue to work on others but in general I think we’re all just raring for the season to start.
“For us, it’s a case of we’ve quite a few new boys in the group.
“The gaffer made it clear for the first game or two we were looking at individual performances and then we can gel the team together over the period of pre-season. It’s a challenge but one we’re enjoying.
“In general, the new boys have done well. It’s never easy when you’ve got a large group of boys coming together but as characters and personalities they’re all good lads.”
Tonbridge open the season at home to Weymouth on August 10.
The management are starting to think about their opponents while being fully aware that squads can still change.
“We’re still a few weeks away from the start of the season but we’ve always got an eye on that first month,” said Blackman.
“It’s always nice to start the season as positive as possible but there’s a lot that can happen between now and then, not just with us but the opposition as well.
“But we’ll be doing our work and our due diligence as much as we can.”
Tonbridge host Margate in a friendly tomorrow (3pm).