Bromley 4-0 London Bari - We achieved everything that we wanted, says Mark Goldberg

The Ravens won the London Senior Cup for the fifth time in their history last season and Goldberg gave the competition respect when he fielded a very strong side against Essex Senior League strugglers London Bari in front of 103 fans at Hayes Lane tonight.

The Clapton-based outfit arrived at Hayes Lane with only two points from their opening sixteen league games and they are seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.

London Bari knocked out Southern Counties East Football League side Fisher at The Old Spotted Dog in the last round, while Bromley have just needed one game to reach the quarter-finals, when they will play the winner of AFC Wimbledon or tenants Cray Wanderers.

It was clear that London Bari’s players were going to enjoy the occasion as they came face to face with The Skrill (Conference) South leaders, who have won all off their eight league games at home.

Bromley were wasteful in front of goal and should have racked up double figures, but they had to settle for four goals against plucky opposition.

Right-winger, Pierre Joseph-Dubois scored two first half goals to take his goaslcoring tally to nine for the season, before striker Bradley Goldberg scored his eleventh goal from the spot before substitute striker Josh Oyinsan hooked in a debut goal at the death.

London Bari deserved their standing ovation at the final whistle and Goldberg said afterwards that he was pleased with the work-out ahead of their Conference South home game against Farnborough on Saturday.

“I was really pleased tonight because it was a game that obviously we wanted to win but also we wanted it to be a good work-out for as many of the first team players that haven’t been getting enough game time,” said Goldberg.

“We didn’t have a game at the weekend so we needed to keep the momentum going from our previous fixtures so we managed to achieve everything that we wanted to achieve tonight – a win, a comfortable win, a good work-out for all the players that needed it and we also managed to bring three youngsters on to give them an opportunity to be a part of the first team and get them some game time.

“When I say three youngsters, I include Shamir (Mullings) in that as well so all in all, a very good night’s work.”

Visiting goalkeeper Ricardo Braganza, 24, entered the arena with a gleaming smile on his face – and took home a recording of his club’s biggest ever game in their history.

Bromley should have opened the floodgates after only 90 seconds when Pierre-Joseph’s through ball released striker Jay May, who swept his right-footed shot across the keeper and just past the foot of the far post.

Ben Swallow then released Bradley Goldberg through on goal, but the Bromley striker suffered the same fate as May, sweeping his right-footed shot past the same post.

Bromley, who comfortably won the corner count 11-0, should have scored from their first corner inside nine minutes.

Swallow swung in the ball from the right and influential skipper Rob Swaine came up from the back to plant his header over at the far post.

London Bari did have a shot on target when Sean Pusey, Salid Jaffa and Stefan Kilron linked up well down the right and Jaffa’s left-footed angled shot rolled into Joe Welch’s gloves at the near post.

But Bromley opened the scoring after sixteen minutes when Elliot Buchanan stopped Ali Shikheey making progress past the halfway line before releasing May, who put Joseph-Dubois in behind the defence and he dinked a right-footed shot over the advancing keeper and into the empty net.

Goldberg said: “Pierre’s coming back into form and getting confident again with his goalscoring, so a good night as far as that’s concerned.”

This should have been a signal for the floodgates to open but Bragana performed heroics to frustrate their more illustrious hosts.

The goalkeeper came rushing off his line to make a smart block to thwart Goldberg scoring after the nineteen-year-old striker took a touch to beat his marker after Buchanan kept alive a left-wing corner taken by Swallow.

Braganza pulled off an excellent save to deny Goldberg again in the 22^nd minute.

Joseph-Dubois was inside Bromley’s half and his right-footed pass cut open the London Bari defence to release Goldberg, who cracked a right-footed drive towards goal, which saw the keeper dive to push the shot away high to his right.

Swallow swung in the resulting corner from the right and May glanced his header agonisingly wide of the far post.

Another chance soon followed for dominant Bromley as Academy skipper Thomas O’Connor laid the ball off to the unmarked Swallow, who drilled a left-footed shot wide of the near post from sixteen-yards.

Buchanan played a lovely diagonal pass from right to left for Swallow to bring under his spell before curling his right-footed shot past the far post.

Swallow then whipped in a cross form the left which struck London Bari defender Omer Ozdemir and Joseph-Dubois looped his header over.

May cracked a right-footed drive from 20-yards, which sailed agonisingly over Braganza’s charmed goal.

London Bari did have the ball inside Bromley’s penalty area in the 40^th minute but Stefan Kilron directed his header harmlessly wide after ghosting into the penalty area to meet Shikheey’s free-kick.

Another chance went begging for Bromley when Goldberg didn’t read Swallow’s short corner, but Buchanan kept the move alive when he played the ball back out to Swallow, who whipped in a cross but the unmarked May powered his header wide from six-yards.

But Bromley doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time to kill off their opponents.

May knocked the ball down inside the penalty area and Goldberg teed up Joseph-Dubois to rifle a right-footed shot on the turn into the top right-hand corner from fifteen-yards.

Goldberg added: “It was good football, good team work, everyone involved and unselfish play and he finished it well.”

The first half finished with left-back Joe Anderson stroking a free-kick into Goldberg’s feet, who played the ball out to Anderson to whip in a first time cross and the ball fell to Swallow on the other side of the pitch, who cut inside before drilling his left-footed drive over.

London Bari squandered their best opening of the game just 75 seconds into the second half.

Bromley fell asleep for the only time and Charlston Brown’s quickly taken throw-released striker Lance Lord, who raced into the penalty area but lacked composure when he only had Welch to beat – screwing his left-footed shot towards the corner flag from sixteen-yards.

Mayhem broke out following Bromley’s eighth-corner. 

Swallow swung the ball in and Joseph-Dubois stabbed the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble but the goal was ruled out and a 55^th minute penalty was awarded instead.

Goldberg stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way, lashing his right-footed penalty into the top right-hand corner.

Boss Goldberg said: “I could see that was a penalty. The referee did blow – I can’t remember who it was to be honest with you but somebody was taken out before the incident occurred.  I think the referee, in all fairness, probably blew before the ball went into the back of the net.”

Reflecting on his son’s penalty, the manager added: “He had to finish! It was good that he got a goal as well. It was a good work-out.”

It should have been 4-0 to Bromley when a free-kick from right-back Taylor Parmenter was headed across goal by Joseph-Dubois and Swallow somehow skied the ball over an empty net.

Goldberg said: “I think we missed a few both halves really didn’t we?  We hit the crossbar in the second half. Ben Swallow had an open goal that he put over the bar.  We had a lot of opportunities today. It could have been eight or nine but look, we’re happy that we’ve won 4-0 is fine.”

The Bromley manager changed his forward line after Joseph-Dubois missed another good opportunity.

Goldberg cut the ball back to O’Connor, who crossed from the left and Joseph-Dubois glanced his header wide of the far post.

Joseph-Dubois and Goldberg were to be replaced by Oyinsan and Shamir Mullings.

Bromley eased up until the final twenty minutes when they squandered even more chances.

Diving goalkeeper Braganza was relieved to see Buchanan’s left-footed free-kick sail just wide of the left-hand post from 26-yards in a central position.

There was to be a ripple of applause from the away bench when London Bari fashioned an effort.

They linked up well down the left with Pusey, substitute Justin Hounkpatin and Lord but central midfielder Maxwell Amoako cleared the crossbar with a speculative right-footed drive from 35-yards.

Oyinsan issued a warning with a right-footed angled drive from 20-yards, which brought a comfortable save at the near post by the visiting keeper.

Braganza pulled off another excellent save inside the final ten minutes when he pushed over Buchanan’s left-footed shot on the turn with an outstretched right arm.

Swallow swung in the resulting corner and Mullings’ header looped into the keeper’s grateful hands as he plucked the ball out of the air despite being under pressure from underneath his crossbar.

Buchanan was inside Bromley’s half when he swept clear the ball to release Oyinsan, who cracked a speculative left-footed shot which was gathered at the second attempt by the London Bari stopper.

Oyinsan then cut the ball back to Mullings, who flashed his left-footed drive narrowly wide of the foot of the near post, before Bromley wrapped up a comfortable win at the death.

Swallow picked up the ball on the halfway line and pelted past Levi Mathurine to reach the left by-line before he cut the ball back and Oyinsan hooked the ball into the back of the net from six-yards.

When asked about the striker’s background, Goldberg revealed: “He was at the Nike Academy so he was one of the players that got released a couple of years’ ago from a pro-club. The Nike Academy take them in and give them the opportunity to stay in the game and give them an opportunity to get back in to the pro game.

“I’ve managed to give him the opportunity to see what he’s about. He looks promising, a hard worker with some good technical ability and was in the right place at the right time and that’s something that you can’t really teach sometimes.

“He’s got an ability to be there. Other than the fact that he was wearing the wrong studs and slipped all over the place, I thought he gave a good account of ourselves and got a goal as well.”

Dominant Bromley were to be denied a fifth when Buchanan’s left-footed free-kick from 25-yards cannoned against the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

London Bari were not very organised during the warm-up and appeared to be from the local pub when they turned up at Hayes Lane.

But they can take the plenty of positives on their biggest game in their history by restricting the Conference South leaders to four goals.

Goldberg said: “I’m not sure whether they had a real shot on goal. They worked hard. They gave us a really good work-out tonight. Actually it was a good work-out for preparation for Saturday.

“It was really a question of using tonight for preparation for Saturday – that was our priority and once we felt we’ve done that we’ve prepared to try to see a couple of new players and youngsters and gave them an opportunity and give Shamir a run out as well.”

Looking ahead to their quarter-final date, Goldberg said: “We don’t realty mind (who we play).  We’ll worry about that game when it comes up.

“We want to win the London Cup and the Kent Cup this year.”

Bromley: Joe Welch, Taylor Parmenter, Joe Anderson, Elliot Buchanan, Rob Swaine, Jack Holland, Pierre Joseph-Dubois (Fabian Secon-Smith 71), Thomas O’Connor, Jay May (Josh Oyinsan 63), Bradley Goldberg (Shamir Mullings 63), Ben Swallow.
Subs: Tommy Degiorgio, Mac Owusu

Goals: Pierre Joseph-Dubois 16, 44, Bradley Goldberg 55 (penalty), Josh Oyinsan 90

Booked:  Shamir Mullings 87

London Bari: Ricardo Braganza, Jacque Eduardo, Charlston Brown (Stefan Lawrence 83), Maxwell Amoako, Dundar Hassan, Omer Ozdemir (Justin Hounkpatin 61), Stefan Kilron, Salid Jaffa (Levi Mathurine 65), Lance Lord, Sean Pusey, Ali Shikheey.
Subs: Scott Summersby, Garry Matthews

Booked:  Salid Jaffa 49, Sean Pusey 57, Dundar Hassan 71

Attendance: 103
Referee: Mr Aji Ajibola (Erith)
Assistants: Mr Tukan Yesilyury (Wandsworth, London SW18) & Mr Jack Forman (Earlsfield, London SW18)