Bromley 4-1 Dartford - We're running on empty, admits Darts boss Tony Burman

The Lillywhites turned it on and the home fans in the crowd of 922 left with smiles on their faces as Bird’s side recaptured the clinical form that they showed during their first seven games of the season, when they were surprise league leaders.

Bromley’s largest win of the season (in their penultimate home league game) takes them into ninth place in the Blue Square Bet South table and they are destined to record their highest ever finish in their four year history at this level.

For Dartford, they currently sit in eleventh place, and today’s Kent derby day disappointment was their third successive defeat and many of their supporters were seen heading for the exit in the last ten minutes.

“It was a very good performance but indicative of the way that Bromley have been playing,” said Bird after he emerged from the home dressing room afterwards.

“I’ve said to you in the last few weeks that since the Thurrock game (a 1-0 win on 29 March) our performances have been very good.  I said to you we were going through a difficult period but there wasn’t much wrong as people thought. 

“We’re ending the season the way we started the season - it’s just the middle part to work on next year!”

Dartford boss, Tony Burman, meanwhile, admitted their 55th competitive game of the season has caught up on his off-colour side.

“At the moment, my players are running on empty, they are literally running on empty,” admitted Burman.

“Mentally, physically, you can tell in the last three  games what’s happened. I think they’ve given their all to keep us in the division, so I’m not going to knock them too much.

“The effort that has been put in from January onwards has been fantastic and I thank the players for doing that.”

The opening exchanges were cagey, but Bromley edged into the box seat as two goals within three minutes from central defenders Jerry Nnamani and Jerrome Sobers ensured Bird’s boys enjoyed a 2-0 lead after 22 minutes.

But after Lee Burns struck the post, Dartford pulled a goal back when striker Charlie Sheringham converted a 32nd minute penalty, and then he caressed a hooked volley against the crossbar in a good spell from the Darts.

Bromley increased their lead in the 57th minute when striker Leon McKenzie signed off his season (before starting his three-match suspension) with his eighth goal for the club, before his strike partner Warren McBean ended his SEVENTEEN game drought later on with his first goal since November.

Bromley goalkeeper Tom Locklock, who was making his eighth appearance as Craig Holloway was nursing a painful rib injury, kicked the ball up field and McKenzie’s flick released Harry Harding through on goal, but he screwed his shot wide of the near post as Dartford defender Joe Bruce slid in.

Sheringham’s first shot of the game followed just 32 seconds later as he cracked an ambitious right-footed half-volley, which bounced into Lovelock’s gloves.

Bromley grabbed the lead in the 19th minute, through a set-piece.

Wes Daly delivered an excellent free-kick with his right-foot from 35-yards and visiting goalkeeper Andrew Young didn’t know whether to come for the ball or stay on his line.  Nnamani headed the ball up in the air and then jumped to glance the ball into the net from close range.

Bromley stunned Dartford as they doubled their lead just 159 seconds later, moments after Daly’s free-kick was met by a downward header from Sobers in a crowded penalty area, which deflected wide.

And Liam Harwood put the ball back into the danger area and Sobers clipped a right-footed volley past the stranded Young to give Bromley the edge.

Bird explained why the game took a while to explode into life.

He said: “I think the start of the game was always going to be like that.  Don’t forget, it’s a big Kent derby.  Team’s don’t want to give anything away early on.  It was a little bit about them sussing us out and us feeling the water but set plays is something that we work on and it’s good to see them come off.

“Both centre half’s, eh.  You would never have a bet on that before the game.  They both did well.  They both took their goals well, didn’t they?”

Burman just couldn’t believe it!

He said: “In the first half we were in control of the game and they’ve had two set-pieces and they’ve gone two-nil up and that was the first time they bothered us.”

Harry Harding then whipped in a corner from the right to find Sobers at the far post, who planted his header over the bar, before Dartford fought back and came so agonisingly close to pulling a goal back in the 25th minute.

Poor defending from three Bromley players allowed the ball to roll through to Lee Burns, who drilled a low right-footed shot towards goal, which was tipped onto the right-hand post by the diving Lovelock and the ball rolled along the goal-line and Harwood was on hand to clear the ball away.

Dartford almost snatched a lucky goal when Nnamani rolled the ball back to his goalkeeper, but his clearance was charged down by the advancing Sheringham, and to sum up Dartford’s luck at present, the ball flashed just past the post.

McBean then cut inside from the left and unleashed a low drive with his right boot, which screamed past the far post, before Dartford clawed themselves back into the game, through Sheringham’s 22nd goal of the season.

Noble was brought down following Sobers’ challenge and inconsistent referee Mr Ashvin Degnarain point to the spot and Lovelock should have stayed where he was instead of diving to his left as Sheringham blasted his right-footed penalty straight down the middle.

Burman added, “We got a bit of good fortune, we get a penalty and we could’ve come in 3-2 up because Burnsey hit the post and Charlie’s hit the bar and it just hasn’t gone right for us.”

Bird added, “I think it was a penalty.  I would’ve been appealing for a penalty if it was a Bromley player (that was fouled in the box).

“That was the only disappointing part of the game for me.  After we went 2-0 ahead, I thought we became a little bit sloppy.  We stopped doing things we’ve done well for weeks now and they got back into the game a little bit.

“We spoke at half-time about ways to close the game down, to make sure we kept a clean sheet second half and we done a professional job.”

A slick Dartford move resulted in more agony for the Darts.  Tom Champion, James White and Noble combined and Sheringham’s right-footed hooked volley at the near post agonisingly caressed the top of the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.

Dartford skipper Elliot Bradbrook then steered a low drive just past the foot of the left-hand post after poor defending from Sobers - and a poor punch from the Bromley goalkeeper - fell kindly for the Dartford midfielder.

Bromley weathered the storm and went into the break 2-1 up.

Burman added, “At 2-1,  we’re thinking we’ve got a chance.

“Give Bromley credit, they’ve done well today, but in the second half we’ve defended poorly.  We’ve been done by one ball which was down the middle and it’s defended poorly.  

McBean - who was back to his early season form - was released through on goal and after cutting inside he was denied by a low block from Young, who was relieved to catch the ball as it looped into the air with him lying on the deck.

Bromley increased their lead in the 57th minute, through McKenzie.

Right wing-back David Graves played the ball inside to Harding, and McBean played the ball around the corner from the edge of the penalty area and McKenzie kept his composure by flicking the ball around Young and rifled the ball into the roof of an empty net.

Burman bemoaned, “It’s blatantly handball! It’s blatantly handball and the referee’s got it wrong!   The referee has got that goal wrong and when that’s happened the players are on empty and it’s difficult to come back from it again.

“I hope we get ourselves together and we don’t finish on three losses.  At the moment they need a hell of a lot of help because they’re running on empty, that’s for sure.”

Bird was just pleased that the former Thurrock striker scored on his final appearance of the season.

He said: “It’s Leon’s last game today because of his suspension, that’s a shame because he did exceptionally well.”

Dartford then brought on substitute Ryan Hayes and he wasn’t deployed in his normal position on the right wing, but in a diamond formation, as the game was battled out in the middle of the park.

But clinical Bromley wrapped up the victory, as McBean finally scored for the first time since he scored in a 2-2 draw with Woking at Hayes Lane back on 9 November.

A ball over the top of the Dartford defence from Harrison Dunk found McBean in acres of space and he turned and bent a low right-footed shot past the stranded Young to make the score 4-1 to Bromley in the 72nd minute.

Bird added, “I think Warren McBean deserves great compliments today.  He’s had difficulties this season, he’s had his critics this season, but he’s come back into the team against Staines and again today and he showed everybody what an outstanding footballer he can be.”

Bradbrook then played the ball through for substitute Jack Pallen, but the shot from the corner of the box sailed just over the Bromley crossbar.

Fed up Dartford fans started to stream out of Hayes Lane with 12 minutes of the game remaining, and Bromley created two late chances.

Dartford’s fans are arguably the best fans in Kent and to see them stream out of Hayes Lane was a shock.

Burman said, “They’re disappointed.  What I’ve been saying they’ll probably won’t accept because it’s eleven-versus-eleven.  I just feel first half we did alright, yet we find ourselves 2-1 down.  It wasn’t because Bromley were tearing us apart was it?”

McKenzie latched onto McBean’s pass to reach the by-line and his cut back was cleared out by Paul Goodacre, who found Jamie England and the Bromley substitute passed to McKenzie, who was denied by the diving Young, who tipped the ball around the post.

A left-wing corner from England found Harwood at the far post and he planted his header across goal and wide.

So, which team will hold the favourites tag for the Kent Senior Cup Final on Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May (3pm) - a game which should attract over 1,500 to Dartford’s Princes Park Stadium.

On today’s showing, it should be Bromley, but Dartford will want to perform in front of their own fans at a stadium which was built to stage such games.

“If Bromley can win the Kent Senior Cup and secure a place in the top 10, I think that’s a successful season for this club,” said Bird.

“I don’t think the result today will have any affect on the final.  The only thing it might do is because we’ve won 4-1, it might give them an extra spur to seek revenge on us.

“But I’ve said before the game I don’t think this game would have great affect.  The game will be totally different and I maintain that view that it will be totally different in the final.”

Dartford boss Burman added, “It will be on a better pitch that’s for sure!  I’m glad we won the toss!

“Listen, we’ll just have another good game with them.  We’ve got a fantastic side and they’ve got the bragging rights (having taken four points from us in the two league games) and hopefully on Monday week we’ll do something about it.”