Kentish Football 
Bromley 0-0 Ebbsfleet United - It's been a great day, says Bromley boss Mark Goldberg
BROMLEY 0-0 EBBSFLEET UNITED
Skrill South
Thursday 26th December 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane
EBBSFLEET UNITED boss Steve Brown says league leaders Bromley are cast iron favourites to win the Skrill South title this season.
Bromley remain thirteen points clear of third-placed Ebbsfleet United, who became the first side to take points of Bromley at Hayes Lane this season.
Bromley, who went into this crunch Kent derby with a 100% record after nine league home games, were held by an Ebbsfleet Untied side that arrived at Hayes Lane with a record nine wins on the bounce after their 2-0 home win over Sutton United last Saturday.
But Bromley’s first goal-less draw of the season maintained their seventh clean sheet on the bounce (going 652 minutes without conceding a goal) and Ebbsfleet United – who beat Bromley 4-1 in The FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round at Stonebridge Road on 16 November – secured back-to-back clean sheets.
But Bromley’s largest crowd of the season of 1,344 had to settle for a stalemate as both side’s defences came out on top on this Boxing Day showdown.
“I thought it was a very good game actually,” said Brown afterwards.
“I just said to the boys in there that you look for those sort of games as a player and as a manager – top of the table clashes.
“We’ve come to a team’s patch that have not dropped a single point and they’ve failed to score.
“They had a couple of bright moments, but I also thought we had several bright moments as well.
“I thought it was a really good game of football that sort of ebbed and flowed in terms of who was in charge.
“We expected Bromley to have moments certainly during the 90 minutes when they were in charge and I have to say we had as many moments in control of the game and some really good opportunities to score a goal so I’m pleased.”
Bromley’s lead at the top has been cut to eight points after second-placed Eastleigh, who have two games in hand, came away from Dorchester Town with a 2-1 win.
Bromley boss Mark Goldberg said: “I’m a little bit disappointed in the end that we didn’t nick a win. Certainly second half we had far more of the opportunities and I think we really stepped it up a gear in the second half.
“I thought first half it was a pretty even affair and we didn’t get the ball in the box early enough and we lost the ball a couple of times, just holding onto it too long, but all in all I think a draw is pleasing because I think a win would have been more important for them than it would have been for us today.”
When asked about their 13 point lead on their Kent rivals, Goldberg replied: “Ebbsfleet are the team to watch out for this year with Eastleigh and a few others so I think today was a good measure of where we are – that we’ve earned the right to be where we are and we’ve competed with them and if anything I thought we probably should have got all three points.”
Ebbsfleet United shaded the first half, starting the game on the front foot.
Right-back Chris Sessegnon threw the ball to Billy Bricknell, who released right-winger Alex Osborn and his cross was palmed away towards safety by Bromley keeper Joe Welch after 26 seconds.
Ebbsfleet United keeper Preston Edwards swept a clearance out to Osborn on the right, who skipped past Joe Anderson to whip in a cross towards the far post but Anthony Cook steered the ball harmlessly wide of the left-hand post from ten-yards.
Bromley’s opening chance, however, arrived in the fourteenth minute when former Leeds United winger Ryan Hall slipped the ball into Brendan Kiernan, whose shot from 20-yards took a deflection and Edwards made a comfortable save when he dived low to his right.
Hall then whipped in a free-kick from the right which was headed away by the Fleet defence and Rob Swaine caused a nuisance inside the box and threated the ball through to Bradley Goldberg, who was thwarted by Edwards as the keeper smothered the ball from the thirteen-goal striker.
Bromley squandered an excellent chance in the 21st minute after Osborn was penalised by referee Ryan Atkin for using his right hand to stop a right-wing cross from former Ebbsfleet United defender Dean Pooley.
Central midfielder Danny Waldren stepped up and sent his right-footed free-kick ballooning high over the crossbar from 25-yards.
Former Ebbsfleet United goalkeeper Joe Welch thwarted his former club in the 33rd minute when he made a low save from left-back Aiden Palmer, who skipped into the corner of the Bromley penalty area.
Ebbsfleet United striker Ben May went close to scoring his eighth goal of the season, sweeping his right-footed shot on the turn agonisingly wide of the foot of the post after Daryl McMahon played a low ball into the Bromley box.
Goldberg was full of praise for his defence and central defender Rob Swaine slid in to win the ball cleanly from Bricknell who was destined to burst into the penalty area on the counter-attack.
The Bromley boss was full of praise for his resilient defence that have kept so many clean sheets on the bounce.
He said: “Yes, well, that’s something to be proud off. Our defensive shape is extremely good at the moment. The characters are there and are all playing for each other and the team spirit is great.”
However, the best chance of the first half fell to Ebbsfleet in the 38th minute after Edwards launched the ball forward.
Cook controlled the ball before stroking a right-footed drive, which forced Welch to dive to his right to push the ball around the post.
Bricknell made space on the left-hand side of the Bromley penalty area and after Cook was given no room, the ball was cut back to McMahon who powered a first time left-footed drive sailing over the crossbar from 25-yards.
McMahon played a sublime diagonal ball along the deck straight to Cook, who swept his shot just past the foot of the near post.
Ebbsfleet United shaded the first half, Bromley shaded the second.
Brown agreed and said: “I thought they shaded the second half and that’s what made it an even contest but funnily enough second half I thought we had better opportunities.”
But Goldberg disagreed: “I’m not sure really. I didn’t walk in at half-time feeling that we were vulnerable to them. I felt our defence played extremely well in the first half.
“We didn’t look after the ball well enough in the first half, but I didn’t feel that they had the better of the first half. I would say the first half was an even affair but second half I definitely think we deserved to get at least the draw – if not the win.”
Bromley took only 25 seconds to create an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the second half.
Waldren played the ball up to Goldberg, who cushioned a header down to Kiernan, who cracked a first time right-footed drive towards goal from 30-yards, which forced Edwards to dive to his right to tip the ball around the post.
Ashley Nicholls then curled an effort wide of the far post.
Bromley’s inspirational skipper Swaine played the ball up field and former AFC Wimbledon winger Kiernan released Goldberg, who swept a shot harmlessly wide of the near post from 20-yards.
Bromley almost scored a controversial goal in the 57th minute when play was allowed to continue, despite Ebbsfleet’s central defender Osei Sankofa flattened by a knock to his head on the edge of his penalty area.
Waldren and Kiernan linked up well and target-man Jake Reid (who was making his Bromley debut having signed for Hayes & Yeading United) poked his shot into Edwards’ gloves six yards from goal at the near post.
Kiernan then linked up well with Goldberg with a one-two before playing the ball inside to an unmarked Waldren, who once again cracked his right-footed shot ballooning over the crossbar from 25-yards.
Cook is always a threat for Ebbsfleet United and he skipped past two Bromley defenders on the by-line before forcing Welch to palm his speculative drive away high to his left and towards safety.
Bricknell retrieved a lost cause on the right - after Welch palmed away Palmer’s cross from the left – and cut the ball back to Sessegnon whose left-footed angled drive sailed harmlessly wide of the far post.
Bromley finished the game on the front foot and were to be denied by a smart block from Preston with 22 minutes left.
The Ravens linked up well down the left with Hall, Waldren and Kiernan playing their part in the move which put Goldberg in behind the Fleet defence for the first time but his angled left-footed shot was kept out by Edwards at his near post.
Brown said: “You’ve got to expect that coming to Bromley. They’ve scored 31 goals here and conceded five. There’s no other team in the league that have that plus 26 goal difference at home and played nine, won nine, drawn none and lost none and we’re the first team to take points off them.”
The Fleet should have won it with 76 minutes on the clock when Dean Rance’s cross was knocked down by May and Bricknell cracked a left-footed hooked volley from 18-yards, which deflected agonisingly wide of the right-hand post.
Osborn blasted over the Bromley crossbar with a right-footed angled drive and a frustrated Goldberg suffered the same fate at the other end with a left-footed effort from 25-yards.
Ebbsfleet United had another chance to win the game with seven minutes remaining when substitute Michael Corcoran burst forward before seeing his right-footed curling drive deflect agonisingly wide of the right-hand post from 22-yards.
Brown said: “When Corcs let that shot go, that curling shot, it looked like one of those shots that were just going to curl into the corner - and it just took a deflection.
“Every time we managed to get a shot off or looked threatening they managed to get a body in front of it or a little deflection that sent it wide.”
Bromley had the last chance of the game when Waldren’s diagonal pass found Pooley, who played the ball inside to substitute Ben Swallow, who cut inside and curled a left-footed shot towards goal from 25-yards, which was tipped over by the outstretched right-hand of the diving Edwards.
Reflecting on the Goldberg and Swallow chances, the Bromley boss said: “I think the goalkeeper did well on both occasions didn’t he? We can’t say we missed any great chances. What we did was we created some good chances and tested the keeper and that’s all we can ask for from our players.”
Brown added: “If you thought we were going to come here and not concede a single shot in 90 minutes, I could have told you before kick-off that wasn’t going to be the case.
“You rely on your keeper to make a couple of saves when you come away to Bromley, that’s par for a course in football. They’re a very, very good, attacking side but we’ve restricted them to probably two saves from our goalkeeper in 90 minutes, which if you look at all the other matches they’ve had, I would have said they’ve had 20 shots on average per game and we’ve limited them to shots from distance that were blocked.”
Brown added: “I thought Welch had to make more saves than Preston.
“Preston made one or two saves, especially in the second half. I thought that save in the second half was an excellent save but my view of it was Welch was the busier keeper and we’re the away team.
“I’m really pleased. I would have loved to have got the three points but we’ll take the one.
“It wasn’t the most boring 0-0 I’ve ever seen. I have to be honest. It was exciting. There was some end-to-end play, especially in the second half.”
Brown was pleased that both sides gave their all in this massive Kent derby.
He said: “Those players gave everything – from both sides – the Bromley players and obviously the Ebbsfleet players and there were some really, really tired legs there, some desperate challenges, some really honest challenges actually but they were two good sides. We’re third and they’re first. You could see there were two good sides and nobody really wanted to come off with a point. Both sides wanted three. We just couldn’t breach them enough to get those three.”
Bromley travel to Brighton to play fourth-from-bottom Whitehawk on Saturday, before playing Ebbsfleet United at Stonebridge Road on Wednesday 1 January (both games kicking off at 3pm).
Goldberg explained why it’s important for the club to attract regular crowds over one thousand.
“I’m really pleased for the club. It was very important at this stage because we haven’t had many home games and we needed this especially commercially where things are so tight – so thank you. We’re absolutely delighted with the crowd. It’s a good platform for us to go on.”
Both managers were asked their thoughts on the title race. Bromley last won a league title back in 1961 when they clinched the Isthmian League title (Ryman Premier League in today’s money).
Goldberg said: “Eight points (clear of Eastleigh), it’s better than seven! It could have been seven points and Ebbsfleet could have caught up with us and Bishop’s Stortford lost and so did Eastbourne so all in all today’s been a great day.”
Bromley have collected 47 points from 20 games – last season they finished in fifteenth-place with 48 points from 42 games – and have not finished in the top half in Conference South since joining the league in August 2007.
“We’re pleased in the position that we’re in at the moment,” said Goldberg. “I think it’s likely that we’ll not be playing Ryman League football (next season) but we need to achieve what we set out to achieve, which is to finish the highest that we’ve finished so far in my reign here.”
“All we can do is concentrate on us. We can just put good performances together to gain points to claw away at that point’s difference.
“We’ve done really, really well over the last three months to get to a position of one win in nine to where we are now and we’ll continue to try to increase our points tally to put pressure on the Eastleigh’s and the Bromley’s.
Ebbsfleet United welcome Dover Athletic to Stonebridge Road on Saturday, before facing Bromley again on the first day of 2014.
Brown added: “It’s not ten straight wins but nevertheless if you would have told me after the Bishop’s Stortford loss we would have nine straight wins and draw away at Bromley I certainly would have taken it!
“Let’s hope we can continue the unbeaten run. It would be very nice to get through the next two fixtures without being beaten that’s for sure.”
Bromley: Joe Welch, Dean Pooley, Joe Anderson, Danny Waldren, Rob Swaine, Jack Holland, Brendan Kiernan, Ashley Nicholls, Jake Reid (Nic McDonnell 79), Bradley Goldberg, Ryan Hall (Ben Swallow 74).
Subs: Taylor Parmenter, Albert Jarrett, Elliot Buchanan
Booked: Rob Swaine 27, Joe Welch 89
Ebbsfleet United: Preston Edwards, Chris Sessegnon, Aiden Palmer, Daryl McMahon (Michael Corcoran 70), Paul Lorraine, Osei Sankofa, Alex Osborn, Dean Rance, Ben May, Billy Bricknell (Tom Phipp 89), Anthony Cook.
Subs: Joe Howe, Brandon Hall, Stacy Long
Attendance: 1,344
Referee: Mr Ryan Atkin (Sydenham Hill, London SE26)
Assistants: Mr Chris Phillips (Carshalton Beeches, Surrey) & Mr Peter Georgiou (Wimbledon, London SW17)
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