Tonbridge boss Jay Saunders praised FA Cup matchwinner Jamie Fielding for his defending - rather than scoring the winner on Saturday.

Fielding marked his return to the side with a finish his team’s strikers would have been proud of to win 1-0 at Cray Wanderers in the fourth qualifying round.

It puts Angels in the hat for Monday night’s first round draw with the potential of landing a plum tie against the likes of Birmingham City or Charlton Athletic.

“We’ve missed Jamie massively,” admitted Saunders. “People will look and say ‘he scored the winner’ but I look and say ‘we kept a clean sheet’.

“The minute Jamie came out of the side we’d had five clean sheets on the bounce and he’s a big player for us. I know that and to lose him then was a big blow.

“I felt a lot more confident with him in the team. Although he’s 25, he’s our older head back there.

“It was a great finish, I thought it was (striker) Noel Leighton at first. We did well in the initial phases to keep the ball alive and if you do that then you’ve got a chance.”

It’s only the second time Tonbridge have got to the first round of the FA Cup since 1972.

Even that was a behind-closed doors game during Covid times against Bradford four years ago, so Saunders was particularly pleased the club’s supporters can experience this moment.

“I’m buzzing for the supporters, the club and the players,” added Saunders.

“I told them before the game that it doesn’t come round very often, you always think there’s next year but it doesn’t work like that.

“I felt there was an opportunity for us and I’m delighted for everyone associated with the club.

“It means a lot. A lot of people are happy and a few directors are saying it’s great for the bank. It’s more than money although that’s important to us.

“We’re not one of the big boys in the league so it’s great that we can get here and earn a bit. The club pay us every month no problem and I think it’s a chance to give back to the club.”

On the match itself, Tonbridge always seemed in control despite a late rally from Cray Wanderers during 10 minutes of stoppages.

“There wasn’t much in it,” reflected Saunders. “We’ve watched a lot of Cray and thought there were ways we could hurt them in wide areas but we didn’t move the ball quick enough in the first half.

“I’m not making excuses, the pitch is a lot smaller than ours so I felt it was a case of the boys getting used to it. We felt a goal would come from a set-piece, a cross from wide areas and thankfully we got that.

Report: Cray Wanderers 0-1 Tonbridge Angels

“At the end you’ve got to give Cray full credit, they kept going and it was hard for us. We had chances to kill it off and they went right until the last minute. It was a proper cup-tie.

“It’s a credit to Cray, I’ve not been here before. It’s great to see them back at home and with a big crowd here, it was a really good occasion.”