Beckenham Town 0-3 Bromley - We want to encourage players to be comfortable on the ball, says Beckenham player-boss John-Paul Collier

Beckenham Town 0 – 3 Bromley
Location	Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3JL
Kickoff	27/07/2015 19:45

BECKENHAM TOWN  0-3  BROMLEY
Pre-Season Friendly
Monday 27^th July 2015
Stephen McCartney reports from Eden Park Avenue

BECKENHAM TOWN joint player-manager John-Paul Collier says he will continue playing an impressive brand of passing football throughout his first season in charge of the club.
 

Beckenham Town welcomed their full-time Vanarama National League neighbours Bromley to Eden Park Avenue and went down to a 3-0 defeat in front of 250 fans.

Bromley, who have already sold 2,200 tickets for their ALL-TICKET clash against Premier League neighbours Crystal Palace at Hayes Lane on Thursday night, sealed a comfortable victory courtesy of two first half goals through Louis Dennis and Moses Emmanuel Ademola.

Bromley, who claimed the Fair Play Award during their Vanarama Conference South title winning season, were reduced to ten-men when substitute winger Anthony Cook was sent-off for reacting to an off-the-ball incident, before the Ravens added a third through Aaron Tumya in the final thirteen minutes of a comfortable victory.

Bromley manager Mark Goldberg said: “It was a good work-out for the boys. It got a little bit fiery at times unnecessarily. We came out with a couple of injuries as well, which is a bit disappointing, but in terms of a work-out and just in terms of working on a few things in terms of movement and passing, it was a good exercise.

“They (Beckenham) were sharp and they had a lot of pace in their side and they had good reasons to show themselves so they didn’t do themselves any harm today.”

Collier reflected in his sixth game in joint-charge of the club and admitted Bromley’s full-time quality showed.

Collier, 28, said: “A good run-out, a good game. First half, first fifteen minutes we were really happy with it.  We kept possession really well without penetrating or creating many opportunities but the possession was good and we got in the attacking third well, just didn’t create as many opportunities as we would have liked.

“After fifteen minutes they came into the game and started creating a few opportunities and they got two goals before half-time, which was the quality of their players.

“We literally made a couple of mistakes. They caught us on the counter attack for one and the other one, they done well. We’ve given the ball away playing out from the back and they punished us because they’re better than us at the end of the day! They’ve got better players so they’ve taken their chances really well and gone 2-0 up.”

Collier, who has come in as joint-manager alongside Jason Huntley, has attracted a new squad to Beckenham Town and they impressed during the early exchanges making them appear to be the full-time outfit as they attacked down the left.

But Collier admitted: “I’m not sure about that! If we got a goal then we’d have been happy. Our game was all built on possession. We want to keep the ball and we did that for the first 15.  I couldn’t have been happier with the way that we kept the ball.

“As soon as they figured it out and their management team figured it out what we were doing, they were going to stop us from doing that and they did that from a certain extend. We did well at times and we tried to play. We was really happy with the performance in the first half.”

The best that the Southern Counties East Football League side could show for their attractive football was when former Croydon striker James Fray rolled a shot into Alan Julian’s gloves from the corner of the penalty area inside six minutes.

Bromley then started to stamp their authority on the game and Reece Prestedge played the ball inside to left-back Joe Anderson, whose left-footed drive screamed past the near post from 30-yards.

Adam Birchall, who started the game in the middle of the park, played the ball out wide to Jack Holland, who ventured forward on numerous occasions in his new role of right-back.  He took a couple of touches before whipping in a cross which found striker Alex Wall, who directed his downward header past the left-hand post from 16-yards.

But Bromley took a fifteenth-minute lead when Anderson released Emmanuel Ademola in behind the Beckenham defence and he cut the ball back for Dennis to drill his first time right-footed drive into the bottom far corner.

Goldberg said: “It was unselfish play by Moses. A good through ball over the top, got to the by-line, pulled it back.

“We had a number of opportunities to do that later in the game but our final ball wasn’t as good.”

Collier said: “You always analyse games, you can stop that, we couldn’t done this and could have done that and sometimes you go they caught us on the counter attack. They’ve got good players’ so the geezer gets the ball in the box and sticks it in the back of the net is a full-time footballer. We’ve got people who have been working all day and they then turn up for a match so that’s the difference in quality and that’s what you’re up against.”

Collier gave the ball away to Emmanuel Ademola inside the Beckenham half and the striker cut the ball back to Birchall, who clipped a quality ball towards the far post where Prestedge planted his header across goal and just past the far post.

Collier clipped a pass forward intended for Benga Ogenseye, who looked to have got the better of Sean Francis, but Bromley’s central defender recovered to make a clean penalty box tackle to deny Beckenham a goalscoring opportunity halfway through the first half.

Nick Wybrow released Fray down the right, who shrugged off Francis’ attentions and stung Julian’s fingers at the near post with a speculative cross-come-shot from the right flank.

But Bromley doubled their lead nine minutes before the break through Emmanuel Ademola’s fine finish.

Dennis played a sublime diagonal pass to find Pierre Joseph-Dubois, who flicked the ball into Emmanuel Ademola, who cut his right-footed volley across Alex Hyde to find the bottom far corner from 15-yards.

Goldberg said: “Pierre got himself into a good position and helped it on and Moses had two stabs at it but he’s finish was good.”

Collier said: “He’s done well. He got around our centre half and we looked like we was going to clear it and he sort of hooked his body around the outside of him and volleyed it in. it’s a great finish. Our keeper didn’t have a chance and they deserved their 2-0 lead because they took their opportunities.”

Midfielder Collier played a fine pass from inside Bromley’s half into Fray’s feet and the former Croydon striker took a touch before drilling his shot over the Bromley crossbar from 25-yards.

Bromley almost made it three just before the break when Wall’s pass released Emmanuel Ademola, whose left-footed dink was parried by the advancing Hyde, who got a slight touch to the striker’s follow-up shot as the ball arrowed just over the bar.

Collier admitted he was disappointed that despite his side’s eye-catching attractive brand of passing football on the pristine playing surface, his players failed to test the Bromley keeper.

He said: “We did everything well up until the final third and it’s that final ball that had to be better. Whether our players’ panicked or whether the players that we’re playing against don’t give you the opportunities to play those final ball passes, whatever it was, it just wasn’t good enough!

“We might be playing against Bromley but we wanted more than that! We wanted to produce more than that. It was just that as a negative but the positive was you can keep possession well against a full-time outfit and you can pass the ball around. You don’t have to be nervous and panic.”

Mark Goldberg made five changes at the break, while Beckenham kept faith with the same eleven players that started the game.

The Bromley boss said: “I was trying to give as many players’ minutes as I could and we managed to do that.

“It was probably even better that we was stretched and pre-season games are all about what you can get out of them. The players put in a lot of effort.”

The hosts created an early second half chance when Fray’s left-footed drive from 25-yards bounced into Julian’s hands after 79 seconds.

Former Millwall midfielder Ali Fuseini picked out Bradley Goldberg with a searching pass but the striker dragged his shot across Hyde and past the far post from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

But Bromley were reduced to ten-men with 51 minutes on the clock when Cook was shown a red-card by referee Peter Killip after reacting to an off-the-ball kick from Collier, which sparked an ugly melee and Cook had to be dragged away from the pitch.

Goldberg said: “It was something the ref didn’t see off the ball. The players’ should never react in that way. It’s disappointing we had to contend with that tonight.”

When asked about the incident, Collier replied: “I thought you would ask me about that! I think it might’ve been me, yes!

“He (Cook) weren’t very happy. These things happen. He’s reacted and he’s got sent-off.  I got yellow carded. No one wants to see someone sent off especially in a friendly as well.

“To be honest, they went down to ten men and we didn’t really punish that. They just carried on playing like that had eleven, which is probably the disappointing thing in the second half. When they did have ten we didn’t control the game but we made eight substitutions so it wasn’t the same team.”

Collier subbed himself following the altercation and seven substitutions then arrived for Beckenham in the 57^th minute, which damaged the flow to the game and Bromley played the game out in a comfortable fashion.

Holland was getting forward when he could at any given opportunity and he was found by another quality Fuseini ping from midfield, but Holland drilled his shot across goal and wide.

A mistake from Hyde gifted possession to Fuseini, who played a one-two with Goldberg before unleashing a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which Hyde pulled off a great save, diving high to his right and using a strong right hand to push the ball against the top of his crossbar and behind for a corner after 63 minutes.

Goldberg was brief in his reply, saying, “Yes, it was a good move, a good save.”

Collier said: “Alex done well there. We said this to him. We encourage our players, especially our goalkeeper to play out from the back and he’s tried to play out and he’s given possession away.

“Ali Fuseini had a good shot and Alex has made up for a mistake from playing out from the back and made a great save, tipping it over. I was very happy about that. It was a good save.”

Bromley were solid at the back and Beckenham Town failed to trouble Julian for the majority of the game.

The Ravens wrapped up a comfortable victory – to maintain their 100% record against lower league sides – with a third goal with thirteen minutes left.

Lee Minshull clipped the ball over the Beckenham defence to find Birchall on the right, who cut the ball back across the face of goal for Tumya to tap the ball in from close range at the far post.

Goldberg added: “I think there was some good passing and moving. I think the fact that the players’ got some more minutes under their belt and it’s always nice to come back and visit Beckenham Town.

“We’ve been every year for a while now. The pitch was in good condition.”

Collier added: “That was perhaps the most disappointing goal because it wasn’t their quality showed in that goal.  It wasn’t like they took a real good opportunity and finished it. I think it bounced around in the box four times before anyone could kick it in the back of the net.

“We could have been playing against Sunday United and they could have scored that goal!

“It wasn’t as though their quality showed in that. We should have dealt with it and cleared it earlier but we didn’t and they finished it off.”

Striker Goldberg had the last chance for Bromley at the death, cutting in from the left and drilling his shot high and wide.

Collier has a reputation of playing attractive football on the deck and Beckenham Town will certainly be able to do that on their pitch.

“That will always be our philosophy wherever we go,” said the former Holmesdale and East Grinstead Town coach.

“I’ve come to a club like Beckenham who already had that philosophy anyway, with the pitch at hand and nothing will change.

“We hope we can prove a point by putting a team out and not just doing the normal playing the ball long and hitting channels and turning teams. We want to try and play. We want to encourage players to be comfortable on the ball and trust each other in possession and I will do that against any team that we play.”

One player who impressed for Beckenham Town tonight was versatile former Croydon player Adam Allen, who is highly-rated.

“We brought him in as a centre half and he said he was a centre midfielder so we tried him out tonight and I thought he was man-of-the-match,” said Collier.

“He played 45 minutes first half in centre midfield and I thought he was brilliant and then he played the centre half at centre half and I thought he was the best player.

“He’s changed my mind. Someone comes in and does that, changes your mind again so he’s done well.”

Dulwich Hamlet manager Gavin Rose and his assistant Junior Kadi watched tonight’s game and they will bring their side here on Thursday night, before Beckenham Town travel to Kent Invicta League side Sheppey United on Saturday.

Beckenham Town begin their league campaign with a trip to Ashford United on 8 August.

Paul Chambers’ side are expected to be battling it out with Greenwich Borough for the league title this term.

“In our last two matches we have to play the team that we’re going to think about playing Ashford. They’ll be a few people we’re still looking at.

“Dulwich are going to be tough. We actually said that Dulwich will be tougher (than Sheppey United) as they’re Ryman Premier so they’re a little bit closer to us.  Their managers were watching us tonight and if they send their first team down to play us that will be a tough game.

“It was our final cut tonight who we were going to go with.  You have a team in mind (for Ashford), that’s changed tonight. I had a team but now that’s changed and I’m sure that will change again on Thursday and probably again on Saturday.

“Yes, you do have a team in mind but then is everyone fit, everyone available? Maybe they’ve not played so well.  Yes, you have an idea, I wouldn’t say you definitely know.”

Beckenham Town: Alex Hyde, Tamel Bilal (Andrew Whorms 57), Aaron Williams, Adam Allen, Jamie Marshall (Joel Reyes 57), Marc Cumberbatch (Ashley Henry-Brown 57), Romario Hart (Harry Wilkins 57), John-Paul Collier (Ciro Donario 53), Benga Ogenseye (Januario Vaz 57), James Fray (Justin Hemmings 57), Nick Wybrow (Emmilliano Husi 57).
Subs: Billy Hensman, Andrew Thompson

Booked: John-Paul Collier 51

Bromley: Alan Julian, Jack Holland, Joe Anderson, Reece Prestedge (Ali Fuseini 46), Rob Swaine, Sean Francis (Aaron Tumya 76), Pierre Joseph-Dubois (Lee Minshull 46), Adam Birchall, Alex Wall (Bradley Goldberg 46), Moses Emmanuel Ademola (Ben May 46), Louis Dennis (Anthony Cook 46).
Sub: Ugo Udoji

Goals: Louis Dennis 15, Moses Emmanuel Ademola 36, Aaron Tumya 77

Booked: Lee Minshull 57

Sent Off: Anthony Cook 51

Attendance: 250
Referee: Mr Peter Killip (West Norwood, London SE27)
Assistants: Mr Pitor Zachwieja (Chatham) & Mr Alexis Stacchini (Orpington)