Bromley 1-1 Tonbridge Angels - We have to start taking our chances, admits Bromley coach Neil Smith

Monday 27th August 2012

BROMLEY 1-1 TONBRIDGE ANGELS
Blue Square Bet South
Bank Holiday Monday 27^th August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

BROMLEY assistant manager Neil Smith admits his side must start taking their chances after they were left to settle for a frustrating point against ten-man Tonbridge Angels.

Tonbridge Angels opened the scoring inside the opening nine minutes when big target-man Mikel Suarez opened his account for the new season after Bromley keeper Joe Welch denied George Purcell.

And they were reduced to ten-men with 21 minutes left when central midfielder Chris Piper harshly picked up two yellow cards from referee Ian Cooper for fouls on Michael Malcolm and substitute Hakeem Araba.

Bromley threw the kitchen sink at their Kent rivals for the last ten minutes and they deservedly pulled a goal back when 22-year-old target man Araba finished off a fine three-man move.

But a string of outstanding saves from 28-year-old Tonbridge Angels keeper Lee Worgan left the majority of Bromley’s largest home crowd of the season frustrated as Bromley extended their miserable league home record to only four wins stretching over 23 games at Hayes Lane.

Bromley owner, Jerry Dolke and club secretary Colin Russell held a post-match meeting with under-fire manager Mark Goldberg and his management team after the match in the manager’s office and Smith was the first to emerge to face the questions afterwards.

“Very frustrating, but we’re going to take the positives. It was a better performance,” said Smith.

“Again, unfortunately, we’re nearly getting there. We’re creating, how many chances? I wouldn’t like to say. Obviously we’ll look at it. We’ll put down the percentages but only scoring the one goal, obviously the keeper pulled off a great save, two cleared off the line, numerous balls put into the box, but at the end of the day they’ve probably had three chances and scored the same amount of goals.

“It’s disappointing because we were so wanting to get the win.”

Tonbridge Angels manager Tommy Warrilow voiced his anger towards referee Ian Cooper after the game.

He said: “I can’t believe what I’ve witnessed today! We finished poorly first half, we had to get the boys in. Ollie Schulz took a bit of a whack on his ankle.

“I’m not saying Lee Worgan saved the day when you’ve got a referee like that in the middle. They were massive decisions as well. Another sending-off, which was nowhere near a sending off. I think that’s what’s killed it.

“Second half we’ve come out and look to get at Bromley a little bit and try to nullify the wide areas with a 4-4-2 and straight away we’re back to ten-men and defending for our lives.

“Worgs has made a fantastic save but I just think the game was spoilt today. I was just so frustrated with it all!”

The game was watched by two former Bromley managers, Dave Garland and Frank Coles, former Croydon Athletic boss Tim O’Shea and it was said that Gillingham’s director of football Andy Hessenthaler was casting his eye on Bromley’s defensive holding midfielder Ali Fuseini, 23.

Tonbridge Angels created the first chance of the game when Suarez won the ball off Bromley right-back Sanchez Ming and played the ball forward to Purcell, who cut inside central defender Liam Harwood before sweeping a low left-footed shot across Welch which agonisingly bounced off the foot of the far post from sixteen-yards.

Bromley were then denied following a three-throng onslaught at the Tonbridge goal.

Danny Waldren’s diagonal pass released winger Albert Jarrett down the right and he cut inside Tonbridge left-back Henry Muggeridge before cracking a left-footed drive which was destined towards the far corner, but Worgan made his first great save by diving to his right to parry. Danny Waldren’s left-footed follow up shot was headed off the line by Ollie Schulz and Richard Pacquette was denied by Worgan, who used his legs to make a fine block at his near post.

But Tonbridge Angels drew first blood, by scoring in the ninth-minute.

The impressive Muggeridge dinked pass played in Purcell, and his left-footed drive brought the very best out of the diving Welch, who dived full-length to his left to parry, but the ball fell to Suarez, who side-footed the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

Warrilow said: “When they get together, they do work, my front three do cause problems but like I say the way we finished the first half was disappointing.”

Bromley squandered an excellent chance to draw level on the half-hour mark when 22-club striker Pacquette released Michael Malcolm through on goal after playing the ball behind Muggeridge and Ben Judge, but Malcolm’s poor first touch took him away from goal and he dragged a right-footed shot across Worgan and past the far post.

Bromley wide midfielder, Tony Finn, cut the ball back to Waldren, whose right-footed chip sailed over the Tonbridge Angels crossbar from 20-yards.

Bromley upped the pressure towards the end of the first half and Jarrett, who was making his first start of the season following a three-match suspension, stung Worgan’s fingers after he cracked a left-footed curler from 20-yards, which was destined for the top corner.

The Bromley fans increased their support when they won their fifth corner of the game which was swung in towards the far post by Jarrett and Moses Swaibu came up at the far post and his downward header was caught by the visiting keeper.

Eastbourne-born Worgan, who has six caps playing for the Welsh under 21’s, made another block, with his legs, to denied Finn scoring with an angled right-footed drive following a lay-off from Malcolm.

More Bromley frustration followed when Finn was fouled by Tonbridge right-back Walder and took the free-kick himself and Waldren’s header forced Worgan into making yet another fine save, low to his left to push around the post.

Another cross from the impressive Finn was met by a scooping near post header from Pacquette, which sailed agonisingly over the crossbar from six-yards, before Tonbridge Angels almost grabbed a second with the last kick of the half.

Purcell worked tirelessly to win the ball just outside the Bromley penalty area before bursting forward and cracking a left-footed drive from 20-yards, which forced Welch into making a fine diving save, high to his left.

Smith said: “I think we started a bit slow in the first 20 minutes. I think for us to get our foot of the ball and start dominating the game was about 25 minutes, half-an-hour. After that we dominated. We might get hit on the break because we are putting men forward but you can’t give a team like Tonbridge a goal advantage and expect them to go and win the game easily.”

Warrilow was forced into making a double substitution at the break as Ollie Schulz – who was sent off in the 1-1 draw at home to Welling United on Saturday – was forced off with an ankle injury, so Sonny Miles slotted in to partner Judge at the heart of defence after playing the first half in the middle of the park.

The Tonbridge Angels boss explained: “We just felt the way the first half finished Bromley, fair play to them, got the ball down and got it into wide areas. We were sort of stuck in our own half.

“We decided to go back to 4-4-2, but once Pipes has gone off we’re looking at the bench and all due respect to the bench we haven’t got any midfielders or whatever who could go in there so we’ve asked Frannie (Collin) to drop in and we’ve asked the boys to defend for their lives and I can’t ask for anymore from them.”

Warrilow added: “We wanted to go 4-4-2 so we took Mikel off because we thought going up the hill we could turn them with the pace rather than look to Mikel’s flicks. We can get Frannie and George in and to be honest like I said to the lads in there we’ve got some good counter attacks in when we went down to ten-men. We got into some good areas. We gave it a go. I’m not going to fault any of the lads. I thought we defended brilliantly in very, very, very difficult conditions and I don’t mean the wind!”

Pacy winger, Nathan Koranteng, came on for Suarez as Warrilow reverted to a 4-4-2 formation and Collin slotted into midfield after they went down to ten-men later on.

Bromley created a half-chance in the first six minutes when Finn whipped in a cross from the left channel and Pacquette ghosted in at the far post to head wide.

But there was concern for Bromley when Jarrett was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after turning his right knee – the same injury that he sustained in pre-season at Beckenham Town – and Smith believes the 27-year-old Sierra Leone born winger will be ruled out for a couple of weeks.

Smith said: “He caught it in the ground. We’re hoping, touch wood, fingers crossed, it’s not as bad as how he did it in pre-season. He was really lively. He started sharp. He really dominated their full-back and it will be a great loss if we can’t have him in the next couple of weeks.”

That injury put paid to Bromley’s attacking play and there was no further action until the 66^th minute when poor defensive play from Ming allowed Purcell to pick up the ball close to the touch-line before he cut inside and his right-footed angled drive was blocked by Welch’s legs at his near post.

The major talking point of the game came when Piper picked up his second yellow card three minutes later.

Smith said: “I think the first booking and the second booking were very soft bookings to be honest with you but I thought the first tackle in the game should’ve been a booking and I think would’ve prevented the rest. I think some of his decisions were, how can I put it, not right.”

Tonbridge Angels pressed Bromley on the counter-attack and Koranteng’s left0-footed snap shot from 30-yards was comfortably saved low down by the Bromley keeper.

But Bromley only upped the urgency after 80 minutes and when they do attack teams then Hayes Lane can generate plenty of noise.

With “Come on Bromley” echoing from the North Bank, Ming swung in a corner from the right and Swaibu’s header looped over Worgan but Muggeridge made a brilliant headed goal-line clearance beside the far post in the 81^st minute.

Bromley deservedly equalised in the 86^th minute and full marks go to Fuseini.

The Bromley number 4, who protects the back four, made a fine goal-saving tackle on the edge of the penalty area to stop Koranteng in his tracks and played the ball out of the danger before looking up and playing a brilliant ball over the top to pick out substitute Ali Chaaban down the inside left channel.

Chaaban, who scored a 96^th minute equaliser for Staines Town in a 1-1 draw at Hayes Lane back in March, was the hero this time when he cut the ball across the penalty area and Araba side-footed the ball into the left-hand corner from six-yards.

Araba was booked after he took his shirt off as he celebrated his first goal of the season.

Smith said: “I thought Ali Chaaban came on and he turned the game for us a little bit. He got on the ball in the little hole.

“Hakeem took his chance but then we had another one where Richard Pacquette gets down the side and puts in the ball and Hak skies it. He’s got to hit the target there and you don’t score if you put it over especially when it’s from six-yards out!”

Warrilow added: “The pressure was on. We hit them on a couple of counter attacks and not made that count and they’ve come up with a late goal.

“I’m not disputing that they deserve the goal. Bromley are a good side, full of athletes but that’s what it is. I’m a little bit disappointed that we haven’t come away with the three points after holding out for that long, but like I say I’m not going to pick my boys out because they defended for their lives today in very, very frustrating conditions.”

Bromley missed some excellent chances to win the game after that – but it was the same old story as last season, when they escaped relegation by only two points, finishing in seventeenth-place in the Blue Square Bet South table on 45 points.

Finn cut into the penalty area and played a low centre and Chaaban right-footed shot was beaten away by Worgan.

But Worgan produced a world-class save when Finn’s cross from the left was knocked down by Harwood and Swaibu was denied by the Tonbridge keeper from point-blank-range.

Warrilow said: “He’s different class. I can’t talk highly enough of Worgs but I felt the whole side defended brilliantly. Sonny Miles, Ben Judge, Henry Muggeridge, Danny Walder. Browno (Lee Browning) not only defended well but got up to the edge of the box. George Purcell ran himself into the ground up there. Frannie Collin dropped in and done a really good job for us. All in all I’m disappointed that we’ve let in a goal so late but I’m just more disappointed with the way the game was handed today.”

Smith added: “How he got anything on it, he just dived across the goal. He’s a good keeper. We know that. We know all about him but how he got across the goal to keep it out, I don’t know!”

And inside stoppage-time, Ming’s long ball down the right found Pacquette who had time and space to whip in an excellent cross and the unmarked Araba swept a right-footed shot over from six-yards.

Tonbridge Angels could have snatched victory when hardworking lone striker Purcell cut in from the left and passed to Lee Browning, who cut the ball back to Koranteng, who blasted the ball over the Bromley crossbar from the corner of the penalty area.

Smith was full of praise for former Dover Athletic striker Purcell, saying, “I thought George Purcell was absolutely outstanding for them, he never stopped running.”

More frustration followed for Bromley’s supporters as Araba’s strength saw him hold off Miles before turning and his low shot was blocked by Worgan’s legs at the near post.

The last chance fell to Pacquette, who headed Finn’s cross over.

Smith said: “We just feel, at the moment, we’re not getting the rub of the green, but I think if the boys keep working hard, I think we’ll turn this around and hopefully start getting the results that we deserve.

“We don’t want to put the pressure on the forwards that they’ve got to score, but we have as a team have got to start taking those chances because if you’re creating those sort of chances in the first half and numerous ones in the second half, you will have to start converting.”

Warrilow added: “It’s a fantastic point. Bromley played well today. I can’t take anything away from Bromley, but what chance have you got when you get officiated by that. I thought it was terrible today!”

Bromley remain in the relegation zone (with only Havant & Waterlooville and Weston-super-Mare below them in the table), a place below Tonbridge Angels, who like Bromley have collected two points from their opening four games.

Bromley: Joe Welch, Sanchez Ming, Marlon Patterson, Ali Fuseini, Moses Swaibu (Jerrome Sobers 90), Liam Harwood, Tony Finn, Danny Waldren, Michael Malcolm (Ali Chaaban 73), Richard Pacquette, Albert Jarrett (Hakeem Araba 56).
Subs: Aaron Rhule, Mike Jones
Goal: Hakeem Araba 86

Booked: Ali Fuseini 75, Hakeem Araba 86

Tonbridge Angels: Lee Worgan, Danny Walder, Henry Muggeridge, Lee Browning, Ben Judge, Ollie Schulz (Rory Hill 46), Sonny Miles, Chris Piper, George Purcell, Frannie Collin, Mikel Suarez (Nathan Koranteng 46).
Subs: Scott Chalmers-Stevens, George Grimmen, Mark Lovell

Goal: Mikel Suarez 9

Booked: Chris Piper 19, Danny Walder 42, Ollie Schulz 45, Henry Muggeridge 71, Rory Hill 90

Sent Off: Chris Piper 69

Attendance: 805
Referee: Mr Ian Cooper (Rochester)
Assistants: Mr Nick Dunn (Deal) & Mr Matthew Goldsmith (Hastings, East Sussex)