Tonbridge players showed there will be no downing tools before the end of the season in their win over Chelmsford.

Angels moved back up to 10th place in National League South courtesy of a 2-1 win at Longmead on Saturday.

Midfielder Taylor Maloney scored the second-half winner after Sean Shields’ early opener was cancelled out.

Manager Jay Saunders has spoken of his determination to land a top-10 finish in his final season at the club.

And his players are equally up for the fight with six games remaining, starting with a trip to Salisbury this Saturday (3pm).

“Since it came out I was leaving I think a lot of people questioned whether we would down tools but the boys have shown they haven’t,” said Saunders.

“They’re desperate to finish in that top 10.

“We’ve been in and around it all season, so I think they’re desperate for themselves, for the club and for the supporters.

“We’ll keep going. We’ve got another long away trip on Saturday.

“Our away form has let us down this season but hopefully we can go to Salisbury and back up last weekend with another good performance.”

Tonbridge have the seventh-best home record in the division, with 11 wins and three draws from 20 games.

There was no shortage of entertainment in their latest victory against a Chelmsford side also seeking a top-10 finish.

“I thought we were good value for it,” said Saunders.

“First half, we were very good and could have been two or three up. I was really pleased with how we played.

“We conceded from their first attack, which was a blow.

“But, going forward, if we’d been a bit more like that throughout the season, we might have turned some of our draws into wins.

“It did have that feeling of two teams who probably had the pressure off them a little bit, so both were going for it.

“It was probably a bit of a manager’s nightmare because the game was so open.

“At times they were attacking and we were leaving one v one at the back, and they were doing the same.

“I thought we deserved to edge it but on another day they could have nicked it.

“I’d imagine for the neutral it was a really entertaining game, two teams trying to win the game.

“Sometimes when teams go away they shut up shop but they didn’t do that. They came and had a good go at us as well.”

Tonbridge handed a debut to former Sheffield Wednesday striker Luke Cook.

The 22-year-old made his Owls debut in a League Cup tie against Sunderland in 2022 and has since played for Carshalton, Hendon and Whitehawk.

“He came in training with us for a bit through an agent I know about three weeks ago,” said Saunders.

“I said we probably wouldn’t be able to do anything because of where we’re at but he carried on coming in.

“Things change and with Luca Botti looking like he’s pulled his hamstring and Harry Ottaway not fully fit, we had no fit forwards so it was important we had another body until the end of the season.

“He’s showing what he can do, he’s a good lad and I think he’ll do all right.”