Jay Saunders has seen the commitment he’s looking for as Tonbridge bid to climb National League South.

Angels dropped into the bottom four after their 3-3 draw at home to Hemel Hempstead last weekend.

But they won’t be there for long if they match the effort they showed to get a late point against the Tudors with 10 men.

Jordan Greenidge scored against his old club but was later sent off and Angels, whose second goal was scored by debutant Sean Shields, trailed with 3-2 with time almost up.

Lewis Gard scored a last-minute penalty and Tonbridge will look to build on that at Weymouth on Saturday (3pm).

The Terras are just a point outside the relegation zone.

“We’re both down the wrong end of the table,” said Angels boss Saunders.

“I don’t think either team feel they should be but we are.

“It’s a long trip but we’ve got to go there and try and get the win.

“I’m not worried about the table.

“You’re always going to get some who moan but the people who have been at most of the games will say we shouldn’t be sitting where we are.

“I had to make a decision on whether to stick with the players we had and try and turn it around with them or make changes, and I decided to make changes.

“I think Saturday showed just how much the players care.

“People think players don’t care but with 10 men we’ve gone to the end and got the penalty.

“When we had 10 we had them pinned in their half, so it wasn’t like we were giving up.

“A few weeks ago, a couple of times I accused the boys of that.

“It felt like once we conceded, our heads went down.

“I said to them before Hemel that whatever happens, I want to see your commitment and desire.

“They showed that and that’s why they were clapped off at the end because everyone could see the effort.”

Saunders, having signed Sonny Fish and Charlie Pegrum on loan from Crawley and Leyton Orient respectively, completed two more signings before the Hemel match.

He signed former Ebbsfleet winger Shields, who’d been playing Combined Counties League football with Rayners Vale after leaving Scunthorpe, along with former Newcastle and Swansea trialist Francis Mampolo.

“Shieldsy is one I’ve been chatting to since the start of the season,” said Saunders.

“When I first got made aware he was available, I’d already done my business so I didn’t have any money free.

“At that point, I felt I should give the lads I’d signed a chance but unfortunately it didn’t work out for some of them, so I made that decision to have a bit of a clear-out.

“Four or five have gone and we’ve brought new ones in who made a big difference on Saturday.

“Shieldsy has that quality and a bit of class about him.

“He’d only had one training session and he’s come in and got a goal and an assist and showed why I was so keen to get him.

“He’s a good lad who loves his football and takes it very seriously.

“When we were speaking, it was, ‘I want to come and improve you, what can we do?’ All the talks were good.

“Francis is one who got flagged up to us by an agent who asked if we could have a look.

“You could see in his first session he offered us something different. He wants to take people on, he’s got good feet and he’s a good size.

“We played him in a friendly against Hashtag and he was a bit quiet but he came on in the Kent Senior Cup at Chatham for half an hour and was probably the only bright spark, so we decided to get him in.

“He’s got stuff to learn but he’s a good lad and he’s keen to improve, so we’ll see how we go.”