We just have to make sure we're not going to be part of a Cup shock story, says Mark Goldberg

The Ravens remain in second-place in The Skrill South with seven wins and a draw from their opening ten league games and they welcome Heybridge Swifts to Hayes Lane in The FA Cup Third Qualifying Round.

The Essex side arrive in Kent sitting in sixth-place in the Ryman League Division One North table, winning five and drawing five of their 12 league games.

Bromley struggled to beat Ryman League Division One South side Burgess Hill Town in the previous round two weeks ago, relying on Shamir Mulling’s 20^th minute tap in to win the game.

Goldberg wants his side to stamp their authority on Heybridge Swifts at fortress Hayes Lane tomorrow and take their place in the hat for the final qualifying round draw on Monday morning.

“We’ve had a similar task two weeks ago against Burgess Hill where we played a team in an equivalent league and found the task extremely difficult,” said Goldberg.

“We were to a certain extent outplayed for periods of the game by what should have been lesser opposition.

“We are fully aware of what they are all about. We’ve done our research and we’ve prepared extremely well. 

“We know they can be dangerous.  We also know the opportunity for us to break them down and create chances four ourselves.

“We’re looking to be very professional in our approach and hopefully we believe that should be good enough to get through to the next round.”

Bromley are unbeaten at Hayes Lane this season and Goldberg wants this impressive run to continue.

He said: “We have had a good track record at home – but The FA Cup is a different competition all together.

“There’s always Cup shocks in every round and we just have got to make sure we’re not going to be part of that story. It’s just a question of being extremely focused and disciplined in our approach and we should come through to be in the hat for Monday.”

Bromley trained on the Hayes Lane pitch last night and Goldberg and his coaching staff have drilled into the players what they can expect in tomorrow’s game.

Goldberg said: “We’re in good spirit. Good form. Although we only drew last weekend against Boreham Wood, it was one of our best performances that we’ve had so far during this season.

“We keep learning from every game and responding from every negative.  Hopefully we will take the good preparation of this week into the game tomorrow.

“Everybody has been well informed of what to expect from Heybridge. We’ve been able to work on the pitch last night and go through an exercise of what we believe we’re going to have to prepare for and at the same time working on our passage of play of how to break them down.

“We’re going into the game confident – but very respectful of the opposition.”

Bromley, who have never beaten Football League opposition in The FA Cup, have reached the first round four times in recent years, losing to Gillingham (2006), Colchester United (2009), Leyton Orient (2011) and last season they went down to a 3-0 defeat away to League One side Fleetwood Town.

Goldberg said: “The FA Cup has a fever of its own for everybody involved in, non-league especially.

“It is our opportunity to commercially gain towards the budget for the rest of the season and it’s also the opportunity to play against higher opposition in later rounds. 

“We have been fortunate in the past to get Football League club opposition in the first round. It’s the ultimate and who knows if we can get to that stage we haven’t been able to get beyond that.

“We are very ambitious and we do believe in the future we will be able to plot ourselves against higher opposition and The FA Cup is the greatest vehicle for any non-league club to be able to do that.”

When asked whether that statement meant promotion in to the Conference Premier for the first time in the club’s proud history, Goldberg replied: “We’re not talking about Conference Premier football at all at the moment. What we’re saying is that the club is ambitious for the future to look at a higher level of football than where we are at the moment.  I’m not relating to that to where we are at the moment this season.”

Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.net

Bromley  v  Heybridge Swifts
The FA Cup with Budweiser Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 12^th October 2013
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF