Tonbridge’s victory over unbeaten leaders Leiston was no surprise to manager Steve McKimm.

The visitors slipped to third in Bostik Premier after Angels inflicted a first defeat, with McKimm’s men up to sixth – outside the play-off places on goal difference alone.

Angels trailed after three minutes but goals from Alex Akrofi and Nathan Elder earned a 2-1 victory.

McKimm said: “It was a good performance. It wasn’t a surprise to me that we got a result because I know how well we’ve been playing and we deserved it.

“We’ve been playing like that for the majority of the season, with the same intensity and the same spirit, which is what you always get from my sides.

“Just because we’ve beaten a team who hadn’t lost all season people are shouting about it from the rooftops but I’m not because I know what we’ve been doing.”

Angels led at Hendon on Saturday through Chris Kinnear but lost 2-1 to a last-minute penalty. The Leiston performance was the perfect response.

McKimm said: “To dust ourselves down and play like we did was magnificent.

“People go on about the shape we play but we weren’t successful with 4-4-2 last season because we didn’t achieve anything.

“Sometimes you have to fail to succeed and we’re going to stick with this diamond now.”

Captain Sonny Miles made his 300th Angels appearance at Hendon and will lead the side into the home game against struggling Tooting on Saturday.

Bar a season at Maidstone, after McKimm first took over, Miles has spent his whole career at Longmead. McKimm said: “You know what you get with Sonny – good and bad.

“He’s a hell of a player and a hell of a man and to reach 300 appearances when he’s still young is magnificent.

“I know why he left. My budget was non-existent when I took over but Maidstone had a good budget and gave him a better chance of winning the league.

“He was surplus to requirements there and I welcomed him back with open arms, as did all the management team and the majority of the supporters, which is now all the supporters.

“The rivarly came into it but look at the top level. You’ve got Rangers and Celtic, Liverpool and Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham – players have gone back and forward from these clubs so why can’t you do it non-league?”