Tonbridge have waited an extra couple of weeks for the first game on their 3G pitch but in reality the club are way ahead of schedule.

While the possibility had been discussed in years gone by - “It was pie in the sky back then,” says chairman Dave Netherstreet - Angels started last season with no plans to take up their grass.

But things change and a phenomenal fundraising effort that saw community-owned Angels raise more than £600,000 in a matter of weeks made the project happen.

Tonbridge had to switch their opening game of the season a fortnight ago but new-look Longmead, their home of 42 years, is now ready for action as Jay Saunders’ side host Hampton tomorrow.

The pitch is the best on the market today - and it shows.

So, how did it go from pipe dream to reality?

“In 2016, I think, I found an email between myself and the then-chairman Steve Churcher, saying we think we need a 3G pitch, and then it was pie in the sky,” said Netherstreet.

“But we did look at Sutton, we looked at Maidstone, we talked about contractors, with Slatters (the eventual contractors) on the list.

“It wasn’t on the programme at the start of last season, that we were going for a 3G pitch, it really only started happening in September and then we gradually gathered momentum.

“With the drive of Phil Broad, who’s on the board, Sophie (Purves), Geoff (Curtis), Dave (Couldridge), and Ian (Clear), it all came to fruition. I’m not sure how but it has all come to fruition.

“I should mention we were given three-and-a-half weeks to raise something like £600,000, or a bit more, and we did it.

“Phil produced a prospectus, we’re a community club, we’re not privately owned, people have bought into the idea of it, and we raised just over £600,000.

“We’ve got to pay it back but over a five-year period it’s doable.

“The project is a bit more than that with the floodlights but we’re getting grants for those and some of the walkways.

“Wherever we can get a grant from, we will do, but we didn’t go for the pitch grants that were available because that would be another 18 months to get all the paperwork sorted out.

“It’s exciting times and I can’t quite believe it.

“It’ll save me in mid-December having to get the fork out to get rid of the puddles on the pitch!

“It’s all laser-guided so the pitch is level to within 3mm, which is why some of the surrounds are a bit higher.

“The pitch is the best you can get at the moment.

“The man who’s laid it is one of the best in the country.

“He’s done Chelsea and Liverpool training pitches, and they won’t use anybody else apart from him.

• Jay hoping for big crowd

“He’s very good, he’s very particular, and also he’s a great bloke.

“I can’t fault the contractor, I can’t fault anyone, from the volunteers to the council, everyone’s been so supportive.

“I’d love to thank everyone in the local area as well. They've put up with 250 lorry movements while all this work is done, without a single complaint.”

Netherstreet says the 3G pitch is just the start for Tonbridge, who also intend to build new dressing rooms and redevelop the clubhouse side of the ground.

While the chairman isn’t one for five-year plans - “They normally change after five minutes,” he says - that’s the sort of timescale the club are aiming for.

Back in the present, everything is geared towards making the absolute maximum of Longmead and its 3G pitch as a community asset.

Several full-time staff are on the books to help make that happen - it truly is a new a dawn for Tonbridge.

“It’s going to be a benefit for the community,” said Netherstreet.

“The pitch provides regular cash flow, which is what we need, and the marquee (events marquee behind the goal) also provides cash flow.

“It’s about sustainability.

“You always hear about clubs that can’t meet their obligations. I’ve been through years of that, trying to find money.

“I don’t want other people to have to go through that because it is very wearing and debilitating.

“You get the right people who can enable the income to be generated, which is what we’re doing.

“We’re employing full-time staff, people who are good at their jobs, and it takes the pressure off the board.

“We’ve got a commercial manager, Ross (Bennett), he’s been set targets, he’s on plan to meet those; Sarah (Parks), the events manager has got targets; Pete (Elves) is looking after the pitch and is stadium manager.

“We’ll gradually find people to do the jobs but also we’ve got a manager in Jay who has experience of 3G pitches and experience of high management from his time at Maidstone.

“I do classify myself as a very lucky chairman because things have happened, things have fallen into place.

“It’s been difficult at times, I won’t deny that, but I think this club is fantastic.

“I’m not saying it’s better than any other club but it’s a fantastic club, it’s different.

“Each club has its own model, we’ve just tried to create a model we feel will work for the area.

“I don’t like going on a journey, I’m not into management speak, what I am into is finding the best solution to a problem, practical solutions, and I find this is what we can do.”