Bromley 3-0 Tonbridge Angels - We can go far in The FA Trophy with this squad, says Mark Goldberg

BROMLEY  3-0  TONBRIDGE ANGELS
The FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round Replay
Tuesday 2^nd December 2014
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

BROMLEY manager Mark Goldberg says his side could go far in The FA Trophy if they receive the right breaks.


The Ravens reached the First Round for the 12^th time in their history after needing two games to edge past Tonbridge Angels, who arrived at Hayes Lane in eighteenth-place in the Ryman Premier League table.

Tonbridge Angels have won only one of their last fifteen games against Bromley going into the game and last celebrated a win at Hayes Lane back in November 1994, winning a Kent Senior Cup First Round tie 4-3.

But they faced an uphill struggle against a Bromley side sitting in second-place in the Vanarama Conference South table when Jerrome Sobers scored an own goal inside the opening six minutes at a former stomping ground.

Tonbridge Angels played some good football on a pitch that was staging its 62^nd game of the season, but they failed to beat Seb Brown in the Bromley goal, who missed Saturday’s goal-less draw at Longmead Stadium through suspension.

Sobers was forced off through his problematic groin strain on the hour mark and with it went Tonbridge’s hopes of progressing, after they beat league rivals VCD Athletic and Grays Athletic (both 2-0) to reach the final qualifying round.

Moses Ademola won and converted a penalty to score his ninth goal for Bromley, before Jamie Slabber came off the bench to hook home his second goal for Bromley to seal a home tie against Ryman Premier League side Leiston on 13 December.

“Really pleased to have got the victory tonight,” said Goldberg afterwards.

“We started well tonight and we got the early goal but we didn’t make the pressure count.

“I was worried at half-time because we had a number of chances in the first half to have gone in at half-time really very strong but when there’s only one goal in it you still worry.

“But second half we came out again, got the penalty decision at the right time and then we really finished strong so it was a good victory.”

Tonbridge Angels boss Steve McKimm regretted not finishing Bromley off when they had the chance at the weekend.

“I felt Bromley done a job on us in terms of they were clinical in front of goal,” he said.

“I felt my players played well.  First half they were a little shell-shocked for some reason, which I was a bit annoyed about at half-time.

“Second half, we came out and played.”

McKimm admitted the 3-0 scoreline may have been flattering for their bogey team.

“If you look at the three chances that they had at the end of the first half, I’d say no. As the game overall, I’d say probably yes.

“We had a couple of scrambles in and around their box. We didn’t really test their keeper but I’m just pleased with the footballing aspect.

“In general, I felt we played football. We played the way that I want them to play.”

With Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League, a crowd of 408 braved the chilly conditions at Hayes Lane to watch this Kent derby.

Bromley created their first opening when Brown’s big kick sailed straight down the middle and Danny Waldren played the ball into Ademola, whose right-footed drive sailed over from 25-yards.

Tonbridge Angels arrived in Bromley having gone 412 minutes without conceding a goal, but Bromley took the lead with five minutes and three second on the clock tonight.

Central midfielder Waldren hit a fine diagonal on the volley towards left-winger Louis Dennis, who burst forward before reaching the channel.

He whipped in a cross towards the near post where the unfortunate Sobers sliced his clearance just inside the near corner to give an old club a helping hand.

Goldberg said: “It was an early cross and you put in early crosses like that, defenders hate it!

“We work on that in training so it’s just so pleasing it worked for us today because so often it doesn’t.  It was an excellent start.”

McKimm refused to blame Sobers for the gift.

“It was one of those,” he said.  “The ball in was fantastic. He’s got to try and do something with it because it’s in that grey area.  If he leaves it there could be a striker coming in for a tap-in. If he goes for it, listen some of them go wide, some of them go in. Unfortunately this time it’s just gone inside the near post.”

Tonbridge Angels squandered an excellent chance to draw level inside fourteen minutes.

Bromley had every player behind the ball at Chris Piper’s free-kick and central midfielder Tom Parkinson directed his diving header straight at Brown.

McKimm knew it was a key opportunity to claw themselves back into the game.

“It’s one of them. You’ve got to be there to put those chances away. Tom was brave and went in there with that header.  They had the rub of the green maybe and that’s it so I don’t know mate.

“If that goes in, it’s a different game but it didn’t. We went in at half-time 1-0 and came out second half fighting.”

Bromley striker Jordan Robertson stung the gloves of visiting keeper Thomas Hadler, an eighteen-year-old on loan from League One side Gillingham, when he unleashed a right-footed drive towards goal from 25-yards.

Bromley then started to step up a gear and right-back Ugo Udoji played the ball into Robertson, who turned his man to send a right-footed angled drive sailing just over the bar.

Robertson and Ademola then linked up well and substitute Damian Scannell (an early replacement for the injured Pierre Joseph-Dubois) was denied a goalscoring chance by a fine block by Angels defender Laurence Ball on the edge of the six-yard box.

Robertson’s cut back from within the right-channel was clipped over the bar by Bromley midfielder Ali Fuseini.

Tonbridge Angels striker Alex Teniola – who escaped from inside Rob Swaine’s pocket - cracked an angled drive from the right which flew into Brown’s gloves for a comfortable save on the half-hour mark.

Waldren unleased a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which screamed narrowly past the right-hand post.

Tonbridge Angels enjoyed some good spells in the game, without testing Brown.

Robertson squandered a couple of excellent chances within 65 seconds towards the end of the first half, which would have killed the game off.

Ademola played a fine through ball for the four-goal striker, who let the ball run across him before dragging his right-footed shot across Hadler and past the far post from sixteen-yards.

Robertson missed a sitter on the stroke of half-time when he steered his first time shot wide of the right-hand post from eight-yards after Ademola cut the ball into his path from the right.

Goldberg said: “Jordan had two or three that really on another day, at least he got himself into good positions to shoot today so that was the promising thing.

“We’re creating chances and he’s getting in on the end of them now where he hasn’t been doing that, but all in all we’ve come through. It’s all pleasing.”

McKimm added: “That was a point at half-time, there was two minutes to go and they’ve had two or three chances and didn’t take them.  It could have been three-nil at half-time but it wasn’t. It was 1-0 and that gave us a chance second half.”

Both managers admitted to not being happy during the half-time interval.

“I was worried that at only 1-0 it’s so easy for us to think that the job is done when it’s not,” said Goldberg.

“Second half was so important that first 20 minutes that we went out there physically competing, winning second balls and then on the break catch them off guard.”

McKimm added: “I was disappointed with them because it seemed a few of them froze.

“I want them to get the ball down and play and we didn’t seem to really want to get on it. That disappointed me a little bit. I told them that!

“Second half, I give them credit because they wanted to go and play.  I’ve got a good bunch out there that want to play football but they just disappointed me first half.  They was a little bit shell-shocked.”

Tonbridge Angels produced another fine sweeping move after 52 minutes which saw five different players link up inside Bromley’s half before Dee Okojie whipped in a low centre from the left but Teniola failed to get his shot away at the near post and Bromley were able to clear their lines.

Tonbridge Angels striker Tommy Whitnell then played a clever free-kick into the penalty area but Teniola dragged his shot across goal and in the end Piper’s cross-come-shot drifted wide.

McKimm admitted losing Sobers to injury on the hour-mark killed off any hope of a comeback – as Bromley scored twice with former Queen’s Park Rangers defender Emmanuel Monthe, 19, at the heart of defence.

“If he’d been on would have that stopped the penalty? Maybe. You never know,” said McKimm.

“Jerrome’s a big miss for us. He’s a big, big player for the club, a big player for me. He’s a leader. 

“He needs some treatment done and we’re getting to the bottom of that and that’s going to happen and he’ll come back a fresh new player.

“At the moment we’re managing him all the way through games as we can because if he’s on for 20 minutes or 60 minutes he’s a big presence for us at this football club and he helps the players around him.”

Bromley were gifted a second after 68 minutes, which sent them on their way to playing fifth-placed Leiston in the next round.

Piper made a challenge to bring down Ademola inside the penalty area after the Bromley striker played a fine one-two with Fuseini.

Ademola, 25, stepped up and buried his right-footed penalty into the net, sending Hadler the wrong way.

Ademola has been Bromley’s most productive striker this season.

“I think it was coming. We had chances.  The game needed a bit of a spark and the goal gave us that,” said Goldberg.

“Good old Moses, he’s doing well. He’s scoring goals. He got the penalty himself so he deserved to take it and I’m glad to say we’ve scored from a penalty!”

When asked about the tackle from Piper, McKimm said: “Just the wrong side. They played a little bit of play around the box and Chris is the wrong side and he’s gone in for a tackle.

“The ref’s given it so it is a penalty. I’m not going to say it wasn’t from where I was, I was too far away. He’s given the penalty and that’s it.

“Moses steps up and he’s tucked the penalty away. He was a thorn in our side all night. I thought he played very well.”

Fuseini pulled the strings again, with Bromley’s third goal six minutes later.

Fuseini started the move which finished with Dennis playing Ademola down the left channel and he whipped in a cross towards the far post where Slabber hooked the ball into the corner from a tight angle.

Slabber has played well as a substitute in recent weeks and it was a surprise that he didn’t start the game.

Goldberg said: “It was a difficult one as well for Slabbs because it went past the far post and he had to hook it back in with his wrong foot. It was a good finish in the end (following) a good move.

“I’m delighted that the subs have made such a good impact again today that they have done in recent games.  I think when he’s come on he’s done really well.”

McKimm added: “We gave the ball away in an area that we shouldn’t have given the ball away and at this level you get punished if you make mistakes like that. With one pass they’re down the wing.

“It was a great cross and Slabber’s at the back post like he’s done all of his career and put it in the back of the net.”

Tonbridge Angels’ first chance of the second half arrived in the final ten minutes.

Substitute Flavio Tavares played the ball out to left-back Jack Parter, who found Okojie on the overlap, but Saturday’s man-of-the-match failed to recapture his form at the weekend, dragging his shot past the near post.

The goal-draught for Bromley striker Adam Birchall continued tonight, although he had a couple of efforts in his regular cameo role as substitute.

Scannell did well to race half the length of the pitch to reach the by-line before cutting the ball back to Birchall, who forced Hadler to dive low to his left to parry his low shot.

Tonbridge Angels’ right-back James Folkes clipped the ball upfield towards the corner of the penalty area but Teniola drilled his angled shot screaming past the near post.

Nathan Campbell then played the ball into the feet of Tonbridge substitute Jack Brivio, who beat his marker with trickery, but his left-footed shot from 30-yards was poor and rolled into Brown’s hands.

McKimm said: “Jack had a chance.  I ask all my players to be positive.

“Flavio come on and had a shot. It may have been a tame shot but he’s actually had the balls to have a shot. I want these players to go and do that. I want them to enjoy their football. I want them to be explosive, expressive and hopefully they can do that and move on.”

Tavares then cut in from the left and his low drive brought another comfortable save from the Bromley keeper.

Birchall remains stuck on one goal and he was denied by another smart save from Hadler, who dived to his right to keep out the striker’s left-footed chip at the death.

Bromley scooped £4,000 in prize money after winning tonight, but McKimm has earnt £5,950 for his club from their FA Trophy run.

“I don’t know how much they’ve made in the previous few years but I don’t think it’s as much as that,” he said.

“The FA Cup (losing at Ryman One South Redhill) was the most disappointing thing because that could have been a money spinner but we’ve earnt £5,950 in this so hopefully the chairman will be happy with that and we’ll concentrate on the league now.”

Reflecting on their two games against highflying Conference South opposition, McKimm said: “They’re physically strong. They’ve got some strong boys. Footballing aspect, yes at times they’ve played. We can match Conference South sides in terms of passing.  Physicality, maybe, just not there - and experience.

“I looked at them and they’ve got an experienced side there and some are experienced and some are still learning in my side.

“What we’ll do is we’ll work with that we’ve got at the moment and keep trying to progress and push them on and help them.

“Saturday my side held them and if not, in my opinion, others are different, we were better than them and I felt tonight we tried our best and played some nice football but they were just more clinical. They had chances there and they took them.”

Bromley have previously reached The FA Trophy Third Round on two occasions and Goldberg would like an extended run in the competition.

“It was really important for us to have a run in this competition because it’s a competition that we’d really would love to do well in and the prize being a home draw against Ryman League opposition again so again it’s going to be a tricky one.

“But at least we know we’re there in the First Round and we stand a chance.

“The FA Trophy is one competition that is important because commercially it’s important for the club to have a run. It could be important for the club to have a run. It could be good for the club to have a run and also with this group of players that we’ve got we can really believe we could go far in if we have the right breaks.”

McKimm added: “I wish them all the best for the next round and for their season because there’s some people here that I know.”

Bromley: Seb Brown, Ugo Udoji, Joe Anderson, Ali Fuseini, Rob Swaine, Jack Holland, Pierre Joseph-Dubois (Damian Scannell 19), Danny Waldren, Jordan Robertson (Jamie Slabber 64), Moses Ademola (Adam Birchall 75), Louis Dennis.
Subs: Paul Rodgers, Reece Prestedge

Goals: Jerrome Sobers 6 (own goal), Moses Ademola 68 (penalty), Jamie Slabber 74

Booked:  Ugo Udoji 9, Louis Dennis 42, Damian Scannell 56, Rob Swaine 90

Tonbridge Angels: Thomas Hadler, James Folkes, Jack Parter, Nathan Campbell, Jerrome Sobers (Emmanuel Monthe 61), Laurence Ball, Chris Piper, Tom Parkinson (Jack Brivo 83), Alex Teniola, Tommy Whitnell (Flavio Tavares 69), Dee Okojie.
Subs: Marvin Williams, Lee Carey

Booked: Jerrome Sobers 30, Tom Parkinson 65, Chris Piper 68,

Attendance: 408
Referee: Mr John O’Brien (Wimbledon, London SW18)
Assistants: Mr James Whittaker (Junior) (Harlow, Essex) & Mr Daniel Richardson (Enfield, Middlesex)