Bromley 1-1 Staines Town - It's like a loss - we're all devastated, says Bromley coach Neil Smith

BROMLEY  1-1  STAINES TOWN
Blue Square Bet South
Tuesday 6^th March 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

BROMLEY coach Neil Smith admitted his players suffered from nervousness as their survival hopes took a devastating blow after Staines Town snatched a last-gasp equaliser to claim a point in this relegation dog-fight at a sparse Hayes Lane.

And their first chance came inside the opening nine minutes when striker Anthony Thomas cut the ball back for Jarrett, whose angled right-footed shot curled over the top of the far post from 25-yards.

Staines Town created their first chance within a couple of minutes as Richard Butler’s initial chip wasn’t cleared by Liam Harwood and that allowed Mark Nwokeji a chance but the striker drove an angled right-footed drive wide of the near post.

Jarrett stepped up to blast a left-footed free-kick over the Staines crossbar from 22-yards, before Bromley broke the stalemate through Malcolm’s second goal in Bromley colours.

Danny Waldren dinked a pass forward from the middle of the park and visiting keeper James Courtnage came sprinting out of his penalty area and smashed his clearance into his left-back Adam Thompson.   The ball fell nicely for Malcolm, who won a foot race against Danny Gordon and slotted a low shot into an empty net from four-yards.

Smith said: “Out of all the efforts and chances we had, that was probably the scruffiest one we had!  I thought we had better chances to score and put the game to bed but we didn’t put them away.

“We actually thought again, maybe this is our luck turning a little bit – but not to be.”

Courtnage, however, made amends for his howler, getting down low to his left to deny Malcolm, who unleashed a driven shot on the angle, before making an even better save from South African Tutu Henriques, who was making his 303^rd appearance for the club.

Liam Harwood floated in a free-kick from the halfway line and the ball dropped to the Bromley skipper, who took a touch before smashing a right-footed drive into the ground and the ball was destined to find the far corner, but the visiting keeper dived and stuck out his right arm to make a fine block to turn the shot around the post.

Staines Town’s best chance of the first half came in the 41^st minute when Jarrett gifted possession inside the Bromley half to Butler, who exchanged a one-two with Andre Scarlett and Butler, who was in acres of space on the edge of the Bromley box, struck a right-footed drive which was beaten out by Bromley keeper Joe Welch, who was relieved to see Tom Kavanagh’s follow up sail wide.

Scarlett then curled in a free-kick from distance which Butler glanced his header wide of the far post from inside a crowded Bromley penalty area.

Cordery made his first tactical switch at the break, taking off defender Jake Goodman for attacker Marc Charles-Smith as the visitors’ changed for their formation from a 3-5-2 to 4-4-2.

Charles-Smith whipped in a low cross from his position down the right flank and Kavanagh’s first time shot with his left foot sailed wide from the edge of the box.

Bromley should have doubled their lead inside the first three minutes of the second half when Malcolm was put through on goal and Courtnage atoned for his earlier mistake by making a fine save and despite having a second bite of the cherry, Malcolm couldn’t stab home the rebound.

Winger Pierre Joseph-Dubois played a delightful low cross in from the right which fell nicely at Thomas’ feet but the Bromley striker’s swept shot was blocked by the keeper’s outstretched left leg.

Smith added: “Tommo and Michael Malcolm as well, when he had the one-on-one when he put it straight at the keeper, it’s rebounded out, he’s put it over the keeper and the guy’s cleared it off the line. 

“Tommo had one when his first touch was brilliant.  He’s lined himself up and he’s hit it straight at the keeper so we’re very, very disappointed, but you have to carry on creating chances and just hope they start going in for us.”

Staines went close on the hour-mark, Kavanagh’s right-footed drive from 25-yards, deflected just past the left-hand post.  It appeared to be Bromley’s night up until then.

Cordery introduced Chaaban in the 65^th minute and went for it with an attack minded 4-2-4 formation and Bromley sat back and brought on Hakeem Araba to play as the lone target-man, but the ball kept coming back at an over-run Bromley defence.

Smith admitted: “We were hanging on and we were sitting back. We were making mistakes and we weren’t doing the things we were doing so well in the first half.

“We’ve just said in there maybe because we were shouting and keeping them on their toes, maybe we were making them a little bit nervous.  It was all about just getting the result so there were mistakes made, but as a group we are in it together and we will take it on the chin.”

When asked what went wrong during the final 25 minutes, Smith admitted: “I think they felt the nervousness. I think they felt the panic.  These are important games. I think we all understand that!”

Swaibu picked up a yellow card for fouling Butler some thirty-yards from goal and Kavanagh cracked a low right-footed free-kick towards goal, which was kept out by Joe Welch, who saved low to his left.

Staines continued to press and when Chaaban sent a right-footed chip over Welch’s crossbar in the final two minutes, the Bromley faithful felt that was it.

The board for an additional three extra minutes was raised but there was a controversial moment in the 93^rd minute when Swaibu collected his second yellow card – and then a red – for not leaving the pitch to change into another shirt.

“We were led to believe he just had to change his shirt, so that’s why we threw the shirt on but apparently he had to come off to put it on,” explained Smith.

“When we threw it on at him we looked at the linesman and the linesman didn’t say anything about he’s got to come down here so he’s just walked back on again.”

When asked whether the defender had left the field of play to change into the spare shirt, Smith replied, “No!  I just threw it on at him because he was going to turn his shirt inside out because we didn’t have a shirt and then we found one.

“We just threw it at him and he put it on, on the pitch so again the linesman could’ve told us.

“It’s a mistake that we’ve all made and we’ll take it.”

Moments after being awarded the sponsors’ man-of-the-match award over the public address system, Welch made a fantastic save to prevent Gordon from scoring with a diving header, the keeper diving to his right to stick out his right arm to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Smith said: “Joe was brilliant when we needed him for crosses.  When he was coming out he took the ball well. I feel sorry for the lad.  He’s thrown himself into everything and the boys’ just let him down on a rebound. 

“It’s a team performance and we’ll all do it together.”

But Bromley were to suffer heartbreak when Scarlett swung in the resulting corner from the left, which was half-cleared by the Bromley defence and an unmarked Chaaban smashed a right-footed drive from 25-yards through a crowd of players to find the right-hand corner.

“We know Ali, he gets a chance and he’ll take it and that’s what we said,” said a devastated Smith.

“We had to be steadfast because they’re only going to score past us from a set-play, corner, free-kick, throw in, whatever you like.

“The fact that we’ve cleared our lines and we haven’t come out to meet the second one and it’s gone through a few players to get to the back of the net, so then we knew the ref was going to blow up.  It just seemed it was going to be the last kick of the game was always going to kill us.”

Reflecting on the mood inside the home dressing room, Smith added: “It’s like a loss in there at the moment – we are absolutely devastated!”

This was Bromley’s 200^th game in Conference South, following their promotion via the Ryman Premier League play-offs in May 2007. 

However, if Mark Goldberg’s side fail to pick up the 12 points from their last ten games, which have now been classed as cup-finals, then the club will be playing Ryman Premier League football again next August.

Bromley: Joe Welch, Tutu Henriques, Marlon Patterson, Ali Fuseini, Moses Swaibu, Liam Harwood, Pierre Joseph-Dubois, Danny Waldren, Michael Malcolm (Hakeem Araba 68), Anthony Thomas (Lewis Taylor 87), Albert Jarrett.
Subs: Michael Jones, Aaron Rhule, Gareth Williams

Goal: Michael Malcolm 22

Booked: Moses Swaibu 79

Sent Off: Moses Swaibu 90

Staines Town: James Courtnage, Simon Jackson, Adam Thompson, Danny Gordon, Jake Goodman (Marc Charles-Smith 46), Will Antwi, Andre Scarlett, Gareth Risbridger (Ali Chaaban 65), Richard Butler, Mark Nwokeji, Tom Kavanagh (Adam Everittt 83).
Subs: Scott Taylor, Kyle Merson

Goal:  Ali Chaaban 90