Kentish Football 
Bromley 2-1 Welling United - The potential at Bromley is enormous, says table-topping Mark Goldberg
Saturday 28th August 2010
BROMLEY 2-1 WELLING UNITED
Blue Square Bet South
Saturday 28th August 2010
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane
BROMLEY manager Mark Goldberg says he is pleased to be topping the Blue Square Bet South table after five games, admitting his side have finally got used to this level of football.
After a disappointing, cagey first half, The Lillywhites sealed the points in this Kent derby, courtesy of Warren McBean’s eight minute brace after the hour mark.
Tired looking Welling United, meanwhile, who went into the game sitting in fourth place having remained unbeaten against Hampton & Richmond Borough, Dover Athletic, Havant & Waterlooville and Chelmsford City, only started playing at the death and substitute Ben Billings’ injury time header was scant consolation.
“I definitely think the second half display by our lads was excellent,” Goldberg told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.
“Other than a very difficult last minute and a half when we just lost our concentration when they nicked a goal - we should never have allowed the cross to have gone in - and they found themselves with an open goal on the line and they scored, suddenly we were panicking a little bit that Welling could grab an undeserving point.
“Throughout the game and certainly as the game went on we just got stronger and stronger, created a number of goalscoring opportunities and I’ll be honest with you, in the first half nothing really worked for us, we tried to play football but the final ball wasn’t good enough.
“We had a serious talk amongst ourselves at half-time and I think although it wasn’t the best football that we played, we deservedly got all three points against our local rivals.”
Welling United player-manager, Jamie Day, who was also speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, admitted his side were off colour.
“I didn’t think we played very well today, we looked a yard off the pace,” said the 30-year-old central midfielder. “I thought we looked a little bit tired and one straight ball has cost us the first goal and then they’ve gone two-up.
“We shown a little bit to get back into it towards the end and a great save at 2-1, but I don’t think we deserved anything from the game.”
All the talk before the game was about the two sides’ strike forces - but Bromley’s largest crowd of the season - 940 - witnessed two sides that cancelled each other out and attacking quality was short on supply in the first half.
Bromley’s best chance of the half arrived after 17 minutes when left-sided midfielder Ryan Dolby played the ball forward and a flick forward from striker Paul Vines was met by a right-footed drive from midfielder Salifou Ibrahima - who was later withdrawn with a bruised ankle - and his effort sailed over.
Bromley keeper Wes Foderingham was finally called into action ten minutes later when Jordan Johnson chipped the ball to the edge of the box, which was chested down by Jack Oberstellar and Andy Pugh’s low shot was comfortably saved.
Bromley did have the ball in the net after 29 minutes but Vines was already flagged for offside by the time his low centre was flicked home by Harrison Dunk at the near post.
A turn by Louis Cumbers gave the former Gillingham striker space and he found Johnson in space down the left and his low drive was saved at the second attempt by the Bromley keeper at his near post.
Bromley created another chance when Bromley’s longest serving player Tutu Henriques (who partnered skipper John Scarborough at the heart of defence as Jerrome Sobers was serving a one-match ban) punted a free-kick from inside his half into the Wings penalty box, but an unmarked Vines turned and swept a low shot towards goal, but this was comfortably collected by Mitten, diving low to his right.
Goldberg brought on Nicky Greene for the injured Ibrahima and he was booked within a minute for a lunge on Jack Parkinson, who needed treatment. Mitten took the resulting free-kick which was flicked on by Joe Healy but Pugh’s shot from the edge of the box sailed over.
But Bromley broke the stalemate in the 64th minute, courtesy of one ball straight down the middle of the pitch.
Welling defenders Jamie Coyle and Andy Sambrook allowed Wes Daly’s ball over the top to drop over their heads, but McBean’s right-footed finish from the edge of the box was simply emphatic, blasting the ball past a hesitant Mitten into the roof of the net.
Bromley then doubled their lead and it appeared that lethargic Welling would not have enough to fight back.
Dolby played the ball towards Greene, who dummied the ball, before McBean played in Dolby down the left and he rolled the ball unselfishly across for McBean (who interested Npower League Two newcomers Stevenage during the summer) to side-foot the ball into the net from close range.
The Wings brought on winger Billings for the final five minutes of the game and he pulled a goal back nine seconds into (what was going to be three minutes of) stoppage time.
Fellow substitute Tommy Whitnell had time and space to float in an excellent cross towards the far post and Billings powered his header into the corner from an acute angle.
Welling United almost snatched an unlikely equaliser just 82 seconds later when Billings’ excellent cross from the left was met by a bullet header from substitute Femi Omogbehin, which was rocketing towards the roof of the net, but Foderingham pulled off an excellent athletic save to tip the ball over.
McBean should have netted a hat-trick at the death when he snatched the ball away from last defender Day on the half-way line, and the two-goal hero burst forward and had the freedom of Hayes Lane to take home the match ball, but he allowed Mitten to smother the ball at his feet, where the better option was to centre for Dolby to slot home into an empty net.
Goldberg heaped plenty of praise on his number 10 for his third and fourth goals of the new season.
He said: “Two goals. What can we say about Warren McBean? He’s a goalscorer and it’s a pleasure for us to have three goalscorers (Vines and Nic McDonnell being the other two) in our team at the moment.”
Goldberg issued a rallying cry to maintain crowds at today’s level.
“If we’re winning the crowds can come,” he said. “We’re a big borough and the potential at Bromley is enormous, but we’ve got to be winning games.
“We’ve got to be impressing the supporters and so far we’ve had a good start, but we’re not getting carried away. We’ve got a massive game (at fifth-placed Bishop’s Stortford) on Monday and we’ll have to make sure we go there and we focus on what we have to do.
“But we are well organised and we’ve got more resilience about us than we’ve had in previous years so we should. We’ve now learnt the level, it’s my fourth year as manager and it’s about time I got things right.”
Top-of-the-table after five games, Goldberg explained further: “As I say this year we’ve had the benefit of two years of learning the level of Conference South. Again, as I say, what we’ve got right now has been built over a number of years. We’re determined to be stronger and we understand what we want from our players and we’re making sure we’re drilling the messages home and so far it’s a well oiled machine and let’s make sure we continue on Monday.”
Whilst Bromley claim the local bragging rights until the Park View Road clash on 28 December, you’ve got to feel sorry for Wings boss Day, who is currently under a transfer embargo and could only name three substitutes due to injuries within his small squad.
Reflecting on the game, Day said: “I mean first half was probably even, there weren’t much between the two sides and even at 0-0 it wasn’t a great game to play in and probably not to watch either.
“I still felt we were comfortable without really threatening and then we’ve let in two goals and like I say, last five minutes we’ve shown a little bit.
“The lads have had a busy two weeks and today has probably taken its toll a little bit. Hopefully we’ll have enough players (for the home game against Lewes) on Monday.”
Welling finished the game with three strikers on the pitch, but neither Luis Cumbers, Pugh or Whitnell could get on the score sheet.
“I just think it’s not just the front three,” insisted Day. “I just think the balls in behind, our final pass just wasn’t there today. It was only the last five minutes that we actually created anything!
“Ben Billings came on and changed the game and a great save from the keeper at the end from Femi and we could’ve nicked a point, which probably we didn’t deserve.
“It was a little bit disappointing. It wasn’t the front three, it was a team performance where we underperformed.”
Day admitted that their impressive 3-2 home win over Chelmsford last Tuesday might have taken it’s toll on his players, who will need to be bandaged up and sent out again in 48 hours time against fifth-from-bottom Lewes.
With his side now down to seventh place in the table, Day said: “It was a great result midweek and we have players that are carrying injuries, who are still playing and we’ve only got three subs today.
“We’ll carry on, there’s not a lot we can do about it. If we can get everyone fit for Monday - get them in the treatment room tomorrow - and then we’ll turn up on Monday trying to get three points.”
Bromley: Wes Foderingham, David Graves, Harrison Dunk, Wes Daly, John Scarborough, Tutu Henriques, Tony Finn, Salifou Ibrahima (Nicky Greene 55), Paul Vines (Nic McDonnell 75), Warren McBean, Ryan Dolby.
Subs: Arron Fray, Ben Jordan, Elliott Jones.
Goals: Warren McBean 64, 72
Booked: Salifou Ibrahima 21, Tony Finn 36, Nicky Greene 56
Welling United: Charlie Mitten, Jamie Coyle, Jack Oberstellar, Jamie Day, Graeme Andrews, Jack Parkinson (Femi Omogbehin 79), Jordan Johnson (Ben Billings 85), Andy Sambrook, Louis Cumbers, Andy Pugh, Joe Healy (Tommy Whitnell 68).
Goal: Ben Billings 90
Booked: Jack Parkinson 21
Attendance: 940
Referee: Mr Stuart Butler (Maidstone)
Assistants: Mr Graeme Ions (Maidstone) & Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone)
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