BROMLEY ON THE ORIENT: I beleive in the romance of The FA Cup, says Bromley skipper Tutu Henriques

BROMLEY have been handed a great draw away to Leyton Orient in the FA Cup with Budweiser First Round, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Blue Square Bet South club are the last remaining Kent non-league club left in the competition, having knocked out Welling United, Margate and Dartford and travel to Brisbane Road on the weekend of 12/13 November.

Manager Mark Goldberg says supporters will relish a short trip to east London to give his players’ passionate support.

“Hopefully this will be the start of things to come,” said Goldberg, after a penalty from lone target-man Hakeem Araba and Gareth Williams’ free-kick sealed a famous 2-1 win over Kent rivals Dartford yesterday.

Bromley have never defeated a Football League club in The FA Cup before and their last First Round win was 66 years’ ago.

Goldberg suffered First Round exits at the hands of Gillingham (2006) and Colchester United (2009) and wants Bromley to produce a giant-killing.

Remember, Leyton Orient, managed by Russell Slade, held Premier League giants Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Brisbane Road in last year’s Fifth Round (last sixteen) before going out 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium with their heads held high.

“We’ve never done it (beat a Football League side), but it’s third time lucky (for me) hopefully,” said Goldberg.

“We’ve had some big games against Gillingham and Colchester, now let’s see.  I want to enjoy just being there at the moment, but we will go into the game certainly hoping, believing we can keep the run going.”

Assistant manager, Murray Jones, said: “We are really looking forward to playing against Football League club opposition.

“All the players’ and staff have worked extremely hard to get through to this stage.  We are going into the tie fully believing that we can reach the Second Round.

“What a fantastic opportunity for all of our players’ who are looking forward to the game.

“No one outside our camp gave us much chance of winning at Dartford and we now go into this tie very much as underdogs but we all firmly that we have a realistic opportunity of getting through to the next round.

“We have a good record of reaching this stage and why shouldn’t we progress?  To see and be part of the euphoria of all the players’ and fans’ after the game was great.

“We will be prepared and ready. All the pressure is on Leyton Orient.  We will enjoy the day but our opponents will be in for a difficult Cup tie.”

Bromley based coach Neil Smith, 40, who began his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur, before playing for Gillingham, Fulham and Reading, is delighted with the draw.

He said: “It’s a fantastic draw for us.  The boys will be excited to be going to a League club and one that is also a great club.

“The way the players played against Dartford they deserved a great draw. 

“I’m also pleased for the owner Jerry (Dolke) and chairman Ashley (Reading) as their hard work deserves this and I’m also really pleased for Mark as he can now pit himself against a very good manager in Russell.

“The supporters can have a really great day out and hopefully we can do them proud.

“I can’t wait for the game and we will enjoy every minute of it.”

Bromley skipper, Tutu Henriques, 29, the club’s longest serving player, having made his 286^th appearance for the club at Dartford yesterday, is delighted with being drawn away to a Football League club.

Henriques said yesterday that he wanted to play at a former top-flight club that was “floating in League One and League Two” and Leyton Orient spent one season in the highest level of football in the early 1960’s.

“Yeah, a fantastic draw.  Difficult fixture away but we are ready to take on the challenge,” he said.

The versatile Henriques, who slotted in at right-back at Dartford yesterday and admitted “local” games are “always hard games,” having won against Welling United at Hayes Lane and then away to Margate and Dartford enroute to this stage.

Henriques is relishing playing a League One outfit, who will not enjoy facing a potential giant-killer, especially as they have lost five of their eight league games at home.

“That’s the beauty of The FA Cup,” he said, as he looks forward to playing in his third appearance in the First Round.

And the level-headed skipper knows Bromley will take a large following to Brisbane Road and give the same vocal support that they did at Princes Park yesterday.

“It’s a moment when the club comes together from fans’ through to management and players,” he said.

“It’s a journey we all want to go through but unfortunately not every team can win every round.  This year it has been us.  We’ve had our games, we’ve made the First Round proper so it’s an absolute massive pat on the back for the squad.

“I believe in the romance of The FA Cup.  I believe in triumphing over greatest odds against you, so why can’t it be us?”

Club secretary, Colin Russell, added: “A tough draw and we have to travel again but delighted that it’s a fairly local tie.

“Bromley fans’ will travel in numbers to the game and the atmosphere at Brisbane Road should be electric!”

Jim Brown, 64, the club shop manager at Hayes Lane, who has been supporting his home-town club since 1960, added: “I was hoping in a way for a home draw purely for financial reasons, but on the other hand the majority of our players’ wanted a big day out and what a better place to go than a London professional club.

“We should take a good following to Brisbane Road.”

Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road Stadium, which opened in 1937, holds 9,271 and the east Londoners average 3,987 in League One this season.

Bromley’s Hayes Lane ground, opened in 1938, has a capacity of 5,000 and the Kent club average 507 in Blue Square Bet (Conference) South this season.

BROMLEY’S FA CUP RECORD
Bromley first competed in The FA Cup back in 1914, their run being ended in the Sixth Qualifying Round by Luton Town, after starting in the previous round, needing a couple of games to get past Hampstead Town.
Bromley have never beaten a Football League club in The FA Cup
Bromley have gone 66 years’ since winning a First Round tie in The FA Cup
Bromley’s record win (12-1) came in a FA Cup Preliminary Round tie away to Chertsey Town back in 1982.

1937-1938
First Round:  King’s Lynn (away) W4-0
Second Round: Scarborough (away) L1-4

1938-1939
First Round:  Apsley (home) W2-1
Second Round: Lincoln (away) L1-8

1945-46:
First Round: Slough United (home) W6-1 & (away) L0-1
Second Round:  Watford (home) L1-3 & (away) D1-1

1947-48:
First Round:  Reading (home) D3-3 & (away) L0-3

1949-50:
First Round:  Watford (home) L1-2

1950-51:
First Round: Aldershot (away) D2-2 & (home) L0-1

1951-52:
First Round: Torquay United (away) L2-3

1976-77:
First Round: Swindon Town (away) L0-7

1996-1997:
First Round: Enfield (home) L1-3

1996-97:
First Round:  Gillingham (away) L1-4

2009-2010:
First Round: Colchester United (home) L0-4

2011-2011:
First Round:  Leyton Orient (away)

FA Cup Qualifying Round ties not listed

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