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Tonbridge manager Steve McKimm can’t understand the negativity around Longmead. Angels are eighth in Bostik Premier, three points off the play-offs, having kept clean sheets in four of their last five games. They beat Wingate & Finchley 1-0 last weekend and moved above them as a result going into Saturday’s game at fourth-placed Hendon. But McKimm said: “There’s plenty of negativity around at the minute for one reason or another, which I can’t put my finger on. “It’s not from everybody but there’s certain elements of the ground that aren’t happy. “As players and staff, we just get on with our jobs and try to put on the best performance we can. “It’ll please some, it won’t please others but as long as we’re getting victories and keeping clean sheets, I’ll be a happy manager. “We’re just going to keep going and at 20 games I’ll have a look at the table and see where we have to go from there but at the moment all I’m concentrating on is the next game that comes along. “We’re doing all we can on the pitch. The players have got on with it and they’ve been a credit to the club. “We’ve taken 10 points out of 15 so it’s not as if we’re not winning games.” Tonbridge will again be without George Bevan on Saturday while Dan Thompson and Andre McCollin are both carrying injuries. Hendon boast the best home record in the division, having scored 17 goals and conceded none in five straight wins. However, the Tonbridge cause has been helped by the arrival of midfielder Xavier Vidal from Harlow. McKimm said: “He was an exciting prospect when he was at Dulwich at 18, went to Welling and did well but wasn’t to the new manager’s taste so went to Merstham. “If we can get him back to where he was in his Dulwich days, he’ll be enjoying himself, our fans will enjoy him and we’ll get the fruits of his labour. “He can get goals from midfield. He’s technically good on the ball and if he shows the work rate and application we know he can, he’ll be a good addition to our squad.” Tonbridge are at home to Leiston on Tuesday. Powerlifter Anthony starred on his Championships debut.
Representing England, the 18-year-old from Aylesford won three golds and a silver medal in Potchefstroom, South Africa, last month.
It was quite a return for a man who only took up the sport as a hobby a couple of years ago.
Ramsbottom, who trains at Evolution Strength and Fitness on Quarry Wood, said: “My gym, a couple of years back, had a mock competition there and one of the PTs said to me to maybe give it a go, so I went along. I enjoyed it and it took off from there.”
Ramsbottom competed in the under74kg class, beating expectations, with the trip made possible thanks to sponsorship from the Royal British Legion.
He said: “Three golds and a silver is better than I thought I’d do, without a doubt. My expectations were one gold and three silvers but it turned out to the opposite way round. There were a fair few hundred there so it was a big tournament.
“There was one lad I was quite close Ramsbottom Commonwealth with. He was from the England team as well and it was a close fight between us but I got the gold just about.”
Ramsbottom trained 12 hours a week for the Commonwealths and will need to keep working hard to realise his ambitions on the world stage, particularly as he no longer qualifies for the under-18 age group. He said: “Hopefully, I’ll go the World Championships.
“There’s one next year but I go into the under-23 class now so if I’m only 18 and all the others are 22, 23, then they’re going to be stronger.
“It’ll be difficult but a nice challenge.”