Bromley 2-1 Dorchester Town - Jamie Butler has the potential to have an excellent future, says Bird

Saturday 14th August 2010

BROMLEY 2-1 DORCHESTER TOWN
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 14th August 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

BROMLEY got their Blue Square Bet South campaign off to a winning start, but assistant manager Hayden Bird admitted his side can play better.

Dorchester Town were a side that relied too heavily on right-back Ryan Hill’s set-pieces and it was his seventh minute wonder goal that put the visitors on the front foot - his goal being the first one scored in the division this season.

But Bromley hauled themselves back after 34 minutes, through striker Paul Vines, but six minutes later, the returning striker Nic McDonnell skied a right-footed penalty that he won, but he was substituted on the hour for Warren McBean and the towering striker headed Bromley’s winner after 71 minutes.

Bromley were reduced to ten-men inside the final four minutes when defender Jerrome Sobers collected his second yellow card, but Hill was denied a second, courtesy off a brilliant penalty save from former Tottenham Hotspur keeper Jamie Butler.

Bromley manager Mark Goldberg handed debuts to Butler, David Graves (Carshalton Athletic), skipper John Scarborough (Hampton & Richmond Borough), Tony Finn (Chelmsford City), and welcomed back Vines (Tooting & Mitcham United) and McDonnell (unattached) to the forward line.

And despite winning eight of their pre-season games, including morale boosting successes against Gillingham, Dagenham & Redbridge, Millwall and Crawley Town, the Kent side started slowly and fell behind to Hill’s wonder strike.

Dorchester were awarded a free-kick some 30-yards out on the right-hand side, but up stepped set-piece specialist and with his right-foot his curler beat a flapping Butler at his near post and the ball clipped the post and flew across the keeper as the ball nestled inside the opposite corner.

Bird, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game, admired the opening goal.

He said: “I think we have to look at ourselves for the opening goal, as much as it was a completely needless free-kick, when we know that they have their free-kick specialist, to concede a free-kick like that is disappointing.

“The first goal, for Dorchester, you have to give them credit. You won’t see a better goal than that anywhere in the first game of the season. It was a peach!

“They deserved to go 1-0 up. I think they really had a strong 20 minutes after that and we looked a little bit nervous after the goal.

“I thought we played with a complete lack of composure but as the half grew on we slowly got into our stride and probably deserved to come in 1-1 at the break.”

Dorchester really should have doubled their lead after just 12 minutes when central defender Scarborough lost his footing on the edge of the box to allow striker Matt Groves to slide an angled right-footed shot across Butler, which bounced off the foot of the far post and Groves followed up but the angle was too tight and he missed the rebound.

But Bromley clawed themselves back into the game, with a fortuitous finish from Vines.

Graves and Finn combined down the right and Graves’ delivered a first time cross for McDonnell to head down inside the penalty box. Dorchester failed to clear their lines so Wes Daly hooked a shot back in from the edge of the box and the ball deflected off Vines’ chest and left goalkeeper Regan Coward stranded as the ball bounced to his right and into the back of the Dorchester net.

But Bromley squandered an excellent chance to take a 40th minute lead - but McDonnell fluffed his big chance on his Hayes Lane return.

Finn, who was lively down the right throughout, wriggled past Steve Devlin and his cross found its way out to Harrison Dunk outside the box and he had time and space to drill a shot into the penalty box, which diverted into McDonnell’s path, and after getting past central defender Kevin Hill, he was impeded by Coward.

The goalkeeper was lucky to only pick up just a yellow card for his last-man challenge, but McDonnell’s right-footed penalty ballooned over the crossbar, much to the despair of the Hayes Lane faithful.

Bromley finished the half strongly and Finn’s pinpoint floated cross found Daly unmarked inside the box but his flicked lob was cut out by Coward and Vines flashed a shot past the far post after he was released down the inside right channel.

Other than a couple of early chances for each half, the second half was a disappointment, as both sides suffered from first day nerves.

Ryan Hill drove a hopeful low right-footed drive from 40-yards, which was never going to beat teenage stopper Butler, who got his body behind the ambitious free-kick.

And yet another excellent delivery from former Welling United winger Finn, this time a 52nd minute free-kick, was met by a leaping Vines, but his 14-yard header sailed agonisingly past the far post.

Bromley’s good moments were coming from Finn, so it was no surprise when his excellent free-kick in the 71st minute won the game.

With McDonnell already off the pitch, it was his replacement McBean that leapt and met Finn’s pin-point free-kick with a bullet header, which rocketed past Coward into the top left-hand corner.

Butler made a fine save to prevent Hill once more, diving full length to his left to turn around another right-footed drive, this time from 35-yards out, before the game took another twist late on.

Sobers didn’t have to make a challenge on Dorchester striker Ryan Moss as he cut along from the right, but the giant defender slid in and sent the striker sprawling to the ground.

Already booked, Sobers was shown his second yellow and a red by Sutton based referee Mr Craig Hicks, but was relieved to hear the home fans’ cheers as Butler saved his bacon, by pulling off another excellent save, diving to his right to prevent Hill scoring with a right-footed penalty.

Reflecting on their opening day win, Bird admitted Bromley can play better.

“I think it was more difficult than it should’ve been,” he said. “I think we are realistic enough to accept that we didn’t play well.

“I did say before the game that we would really know where we are after this game. Pre-season’s been great, but the truth is you never quite know where you are until the league campaign starts and what we saw there’s lots of work to do.”

Bird added: “There were definite positives. The ball from Tony Finn, the delivery from Tony Finn for Warren McBean’s winner was truly exceptional!

“Individually some players did play well. As a unit, as a team, I thought that we have to do a lot better and if we’re going to make any sort of impression this season we have to learn from what we’ve done today.”

Bromley won this game at both ends of the pitch, and Bird praised his three strikers and keeper Butler, whose pre-season performances have kept out highly-rated Craig Holloway (who is suffering with a back injury at present), who has arrived from league rivals Braintree Town.

On the equaliser, Bird said: “That’s why we’ve brought Vinsey here. Vinsey will score goals. We believe all our strikers will score goals. Nic (McDonnell) is sitting in the dressing room very disappointed he didn’t score from the penalty spot, but Nic’s experienced enough to deal with that and today wasn’t his day, but he’ll have many, many games where he’ll win games for Bromley.”

When asked why McDonnell was substituted, Bird explained, “There’s no criticism of Nic that he came off but we needed a different sort of striker, who has different attributes to cause them problems, which I thought Warren did.”

And on today’s late penalty incident, Bird admitted Sobers played his get-out-of-jail card.

He said: “I thought it was a penalty, not much to say. Jerrome should know better. He knows he should know better.

“If we had drawn today, I think he would’ve been the first to hold his hands up and accept responsibility for that, but thankfully Jerrome was bailed out by a breathtaking save from the goalkeeper.

“Everybody speaks about Craig Holloway, who is probability the best goalkeeper in the league. I think he’s the best goalkeeper in the league, but he’s got a fight on his hands in Jamie Butler.

“Jamie Butler is an up-and-coming 18-year-old goalkeeper, people forget that! The kids only 18 and he’s a goalkeeper with the potential of an excellent future.”

Bromley: Jamie Butler, David Graves, Harrison Dunk, Wes Daly, John Scarborough, Jerrome Sobers, Tony Finn, Tutu Henriques, Paul Vines (Reis Boyle 86), Nic McDonnell (Warren McBean 60), Ryan Dolby.
Subs: Ben Jordan, Elliott Jones, Aaron Fray.

Goals: Paul Vines 34, Warren McBean 71

Booked: Jerrome Sobers 77, Ryan Dolby 80

Sent off: Jerome Sobers 85

Dorchester Town: Regan Coward, Ryan Hill, Kyle Critchell, Mark Jermyn, Nathan Walker, Kevin Hill, Nick Crittenden (Jamie Coutts 66), Jamie Gleeson, Ryan Moss, Matt Groves (Stuart Douglas 66), Steve Devlin.
Subs: Neil Martin, James Frampton, Simon Evans.

Goal: Ryan Hill 7

Booked: Regan Coward 39, Jamie Gleeson 51, Ryan Moss 55, Kevin Hill 71, Nathan Walker 76

Attendance: 458
Referee: Mr Craig Hicks (Sutton, Surrey)
Assistants: Mr Andy Roberts (Ash Vale, Surrey) & Mr Gavin Collins (Aldershot, Hampshire)