Tonbridge Angels Football Club is a professional football club based in Tonbridge, Kent, England. The club was founded as Tonbridge Football Club in 1947 and became known as "The Angels" in 1949 when they started playing at the Angel Ground. Since 1980, they have played home matches at the Halcyon Wealth Longmead Stadium. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club reached what was then the Conference South in 2011, after winning the play-off final of the 2010–11 Isthmian League Premier Division. They were relegated back to the Isthmian League in 2014, but were promoted back to the National League South in 2019 after winning one of the "Step 3 Super Play-Offs" at the end of the 2018–19 season. Notable ex-players include England international Malcolm Macdonald, Aston Villa's league championship winning manager Ron Saunders, and former England manager Roy Hodgson. History Formation and early history Tonbridge Football Club was formed in October 1947 following the suggestion of local businessman and founder chairman Herbert Portch, and was one of four clubs to be elected to the Southern Football League for the 1948–49 season. The club took out a lease on the Angel Ground, formerly the home of Kent County Cricket Club and named after the nearby hotel, 'The Angel'. Hence Tonbridge FC became known as 'The Angels'. A crowd of around 5,000 turned up for the club's opening league fixture against fellow newcomers Hastings United but the match was lost 2–1, with Albert Robson scoring the club's first ever goal. Progress was slow in the early days, with the club rock bottom at Christmas and with Harold Hobbis taking over as manager from Dunoon and Marshall Raybould, but the club would improve their form in the second half of the season to finish third from last. Throughout the 1950s the Angels (as they were nicknamed at the time, although it was not yet formally part of the club's name) would struggle to make any progress in the Southern League and a peak of 11th place was reached in 1949–50, the club's second season. However, Tonbridge would prove to be a strong side in cup competitions. In 1949–50, the club reached the semi-finals of the Southern League Cup, losing 3–2 to Colchester United. In three successive seasons, 1950–51, 1951–52 and 1952–53, Tonbridge reached the First