Bromley 1-2 Boreham Wood - I didn't have the resources available, says Bromley boss Mark Goldberg

Bromley 1 – 2 Boreham Wood
Location	Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF
Kickoff	10/11/2015 19:45

BROMLEY  1-2  BOREHAM WOOD
Vanarama National League
Tuesday 10^th November 2015
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

BROMLEY manager Mark Goldberg says he did not have the resources or  ammunition available to him to avoid slipping up to a surprise home defeat to struggling Boreham Wood.

The Ravens claimed the Vanarama Conference South title last season, leaving runners-up Boreham Wood with the bridesmaid’s tag, having to win promotion via the play-offs.

Bromley are suffering with a crippling injury crisis that is keeping the club’s medical staff very busy at present.

Boreham Wood became the sixth team this season to open the scoring inside the opening six minutes against Bromley, who faced a mountain to climb when Luke Howell scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes to put Boreham Wood in the driving seat.

Moses Emmanuel scored his fifteenth-goal of the season before half-time but Boreham Wood held out to secure their fifth league win of the season to remain in the bottom five on 19 points from 20 games, while Bromley slipped down a couple of places into sixth in the Vanarama National League with 33 points.

“I was very disappointed with the way we started tonight,” said Goldberg after his side’s seventh league defeat of the season.

“It was a makeshift  back four and it could take a little bit more time for Lee Minshull to settle in as a centre half.  He was doing us a favour today playing there. 

“In all fairness when they went 2-0 up it looked like they could make it a bit of a rout.

“The fact that we grinded ourselves back into the game and as time went on I felt we could get a goal before the half then game on, we can get back into this game.

“We got ourselves that goal just before the half, very disappointing that we didn’t make more of it in the second half.”

Boreham Wood started the game on the front foot and almost opened the scoring after 80 seconds when right-winger Ricky Shakes dragged his shot across the face of goal and just past the foot of the far post.

But Bromley were facing an uphill struggle when Boreham Wood scored with two minutes and 59 seconds on the clock.

Clovis Kamdjo drilled a shot from 20-yards, which sailed across Chris Kettings and clipped the inside of the far post and Bromley failed to clear their lines before Howell looped in the rebound.

Goldberg said: “No real excuses for trying to play the ball out from the back the way that we did.  We got caught out with the basics.  We had chances to clear our lines before they started dominating possession.

“We kind of invited pressure on ourselves and we were shaky and there’s no real excuse for the way that we started.”

Goldberg’s decision to play central midfielder Lee Minshull as left centre-back alongside Rob Swaine backfired as Boreham Wood doubled their lead with 10 minutes and 58 seconds on the clock.

Right-back Joe Devera clipped a long ball out of defence which Minshull failed to cut out and Howell latched onto the ball and swept his first time drive past Kettings into the bottom corner.

“Very disappointed with the way we conceded the second goal. I wonder whether we could’ve organised ourselves better,” added Goldberg.

Boreham Wood captain Conor Clifford floated in a free-kick into the Bromley penalty area but David Stephens came up from the back to glance his header harmlessly past the far post.

Woeful Bromley took nearly 20 minutes to fashion their first opening of the game.

Left-back Joe Anderson fed Emmanuel, who took a touch and powered his left-footed angled drive flashing past the far post from 25-yards.

Bromley could have sunk in a third goal in the 26^th minute, but for a fingertip save from their on-loan from Crystal Palace goalkeeper.

Clifford clipped his right-footed free-kick towards the roof of the net from 30-yards, but Kettings pushed the ball onto the top of the crossbar and behind for a corner.

Goldberg simply added: “I expect the keeper to save that!”

Bromley twice went close to giving themselves a lifeline before pulling a goal back.

Ugo Udoji launched a trademark long throw into the Boreham Wood penalty area and the recalled Brendan Kiernan hit a first time shot screaming past the right-hand post from 16-yards.

The Ravens were awarded a free-kick on the curve of the D after Emmanuel was brought down and Joe Anderson clipped his left-footed free-kick over the wall but his effort towards the top left-hand corner was tipped around the post by the diving goalkeeper James Russell, diving to his right.

The Bromley boss said: “We had one or two good little moves. We had enough corners to create some problems. I’m a little bit disappointed that we didn’t make more of our corners either.”

Bromley finished the first half on the front foot and they pulled a goal back with 38:58 on the clock.

Kettings big kick fell at Emmanuel’s feet, who produced a moment of quality to cut inside and bend his right-footed shot around Russell for the ball to nestle inside the bottom far corner of the net from 20-yards.

Goldberg admitted for the first time that he expects to lose the 26-year-old, 15-goal striker during the January transfer window.

He said: “It was a bit of brilliance from Moses to get us back into the game. That’s why it was a little bit disappointing that we didn’t at least get a result at the end.

“I think it’s inevitable that clubs will have a look.  He showed again tonight his class, that he got us back into the game.

“I think it will be very difficult (to keep him here), if the right club comes along.”

Ali Fuseini floated in a deep cross into the Boreham Wood penalty area but defender-turned-emergency target-man Jack Holland glanced his free header past the far post.

When asked what he told his players during the half-time interval, Goldberg replied: “We pressed the self-destruct button in the first 20 minutes so they deserved to have a bit of a talking to, a bit of a dressing off, by the way that we started.

“But the fact that we grinded ourselves back in, we done so poorly, but we were still in the game. We had everything to play for.”

Boreham Wood squandered an excellent chance to kill Bromley off after 87 seconds into the second half.

Minshull made another mistake in defence and Charlie MacDonald made progress down the left before cutting the ball into the penalty area for Howell to hit a first time shot straight at Kettings from 12-yards.

Emmanuel, who was Bromley’s main threat, played a one-two with Paul Rodgers, before hitting a first time drive with his right-footed, which screamed just past the top of the right-hand post from 30-yards.

This was the start of a period of dominance from Bromley, but Goldberg admitted his side didn’t show their usual quality to net an equaliser.

“I think we started quite brightly but we just didn’t show enough of our quality, enough composure,” admitted Goldberg.

“Although we had some half chances, we just didn’t have enough shots on goal.

“Moses had one or two when he should’ve pulled the trigger but the ball got caught under him or he just chose to take an extra touch.”

Fuseini played the ball into Emmanuel, whose right-footed shot from 20-yards deflected past the near post.

Reece Prestedge swung in a left-footed corner from the right which was met by Swaine’s towering header, the Bromley skipper going close as his effort sailed agonisingly past the far post.

Bromley won the corner count eight-three and Goldberg added: “We had a lot of corner kicks and we could’ve done with a Rob Swaine special from one of those corner kicks to get ourselves back in the game.”

Bromley’s last chance during this attacking spell arrived in the 58^th minute.

Fuseini pinged a deep diagonal pass from the left, which sailed over Minshull’s head on the corner of the penalty area and landed at Prestedge’s feet. He cut the ball onto his left-foot before blazing his shot over the bar.

But Boreham Wood weathered the storm and Bromley – who were watched by their legendary former captain and manager Frank Coles – could not find the breakthrough their attacking football deserved.

Boreham Wood’s intensions for the final 20 minutes were clear, when they replaced Howell and decided to try to hit Bromley on the break.

Bromley ran out of ideas in the final third and it was Boreham Wood that had chances to increase their lead.

Shakes drilled a shot from the right-hand corner of the penalty area, deflecting off Anderson and Kettings plucked the ball out of the air high to his left to prevent the ball sailing into the top corner.

Scott Doe then clipped a long ball out of defence to put MacDonald through on goal and his hooked shot beat the advancing Kettings from a tight angle but Swaine got back on the line to hook the ball off the line.

Clifford went close with a 30-yard free-kick which screamed across goal and just past the far post, before Kettings moved smartly at his near post to prevent the same player finding the bottom near corner from a tight angle at the end.

Goldberg said: “I think a draw would’ve been a respectable result considering our situation at the moment.

“I think it’s fair to say that we didn’t show enough quality but I don’t have the resources available.  You can only play with the resources and the ammunition you’ve got.

“We know our bench (had three Academy players) and Louis (Dennis) was the only one and he wasn’t fit to really play.

“Bradley (Goldberg) got injured in the warm-up, thigh strain and Joe Anderson got injured (calf strain) in the last ten minutes and Moses is suffering from a dead leg from the first half so really all-in-all our boys have done a magnificent job in the last few weeks.

“The fact that we could’ve got a draw and probably deserved a draw is a testimony to what the lads are doing – without all the resources available to us.”

When asked to reveal the injury crisis at Hayes Lane, Goldberg replied: “So we’ve got Ben May, Alex Wall, Alan Julian, Max Porter, now we’ve got Brad, we’ve got Pierre Joseph-Dubois not fit.  We had Louis not really fit and we had Anthony Cook suspended and I think I’ve probably not named everybody have I?”

Goldberg added: “And Ben Chorley and Sean Francis.  So you think about it we had nine players out and one more in the warm-up so we had 10 players out and we had a player on the bench who wasn’t really fit to be on the bench and to be fair other than the first 20 minutes, a draw would’ve been, I would’ve thought we deserved a draw out of today.”

Bromley make their LIVE TV debut when the BT Sport cameras make their long-awaited debut at Hayes Lane when Altrincham visit on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).

Goldberg, who runs with a 21 man squad, said: “My hope is that we can call some players back from injury. We’re hopeful with Max Porter, hopeful with Ben May, hopeful with Pierre Joseph-Dubois potentially to come back. Cookie should be back, hopefully Ben Chorley, so it could be a real together different proposition on Saturday.”
 
Bromley: Chris Kettings, Ugo Udoji, Joe Anderson (Aaron Tumwa 87), Ali Fuseini, Rob Swaine, Lee Minshull, Paul Rodgers (Louis Dennis 66), Reece Prestedge, Moses Emmanuel, Jack Holland, Brendan Kiernan.
Subs: Michak Stanic-Stewart, Jordan Higgs, Conal O’Leary

Goal: Moses Emmanuel 39

Booked: Ali Fuseini 82, Aaron Tumwa 90

Boreham Wood: James Russell, Joe Devera, Dan Woodards, Clovis Kamdjo, Scott Doe, David Stephens, Mauro Vilhete, Conor Clifford, Charlie McDonald, Luke Howell (Sam Cox 70), Ricky Shakes.
Subs: Callum Reynolds, Junior Morias, Preston Edwards, Mustafa Tiryaki

Goals: Luke Howell 3, 11

Booked: Clovis Kamdjo 45, Mauro Vilhete 74

Attendance: 939
Referee: Mr Dean Treleaven (Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire)
Assistants: Mr Neil Morrison (Staines, Middlesex) & Mr Matthew Lee (Selsey, West Sussex)
Fourth Official: Mr Jim Paterson (Camberley, Surrey)