BROMLEY ON THE ORIENT: IF WE BEAT LEYTON ORIENT WE'LL BE IN DREAM WORLD, SAYS COACH NEIL SMITH

BROMLEY coach Neil Smith says he wants one of his players to grab all of the headlines and pull off a FA Cup First Round GIANT-KILLING for his home-town club at Leyton Orient on Saturday afternoon, writes Stephen McCartney.



The Blue Square Bet (Conference) South club have NEVER beaten a Football League club in The FA Cup and it’s been 66 painful years’ since they have won a First Round tie.

Saturday is the time to break that dismal record and every player in black and white to play the game of their lives and to bring glory to the Kent club, who are managed by Mark Goldberg, who has previously led the club to the First Round, where they lost to Gillingham in 2006 and Colchester United three years later.

Smith, 40, who began his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur, before playing for Gillingham, Fulham and Reading, is desperate to end the Hayes Lane club’s long wait for FA Cup glory.

“It’s the chance for the bricklayer, we’ve got schoolteachers, we’ve got removal men, playing against professional footballers and that’s why the FA Cup will always have the tradition and history because it gives little clubs a chance against the so-called bigger ones,” said Smith.

“We know it’s going to be difficult, but we know on the day if they’re not up to it and we have the game of our lives, it gives us a chance.

“But what we have got, we’ve got experienced players in the team as well with a few young boys’ as well, so their enthusiasm and hopefully the experience of the older guys’ like Joe Dolan and Gareth Williams can bring the other ones through.

“We’re going to give it a real good go and make sure the supporters are proud of us and to see we have got nothing left when we come off the pitch.”

The FA Cup can produce non-league heroes such as Ronnie Radford, who scored that thumping screamer for Hereford United against Newcastle United and Matt Hanlon scoring the winner for Sutton United, the last non-league club to beat top-flight opposition, when Coventry City were humbled at Gander Green Lane in a Third Round tie back in 1989.

“There’s always a story in The FA Cup, why can’t that story be about us getting a result and a result is a draw or a win,” said Smith.

“There’s always stories, one as a team, one as a club, there is someone who could make a name for themselves in The FA Cup.  How many times have you seen a Ronnie Radford goal come up, Micky Thomas for Wrexham against Arsenal, Sutton and Coventry?

“It could make someone into a hero.  It could be a story for the rest of their lives.  There is a hero in that team.  It could be a goalkeeper whose made a great save to keep us in the game, but if they work hard and stay together as a team and don’t try to do it on their own. 

“We’d love to do a giant-killing, but if we can come back and get a draw that’s a great result as well.

“People who don’t even support clubs come and watch their local club because there is that history and there’s that one chance that we can be the team that everyone wants to read about in the papers as we’ve done a giant-killing over Orient.

“It’s down to us on the day to really go there and enjoy ourselves, work extremely hard and give ourselves a chance.

Smith revealed that he has never been on the end of a giantkilling by a non-league side during his professional career – but he knows just how scared the League One club feel going into Saturday’s exciting clash.

“I’ve been a league player playing against a non-league side and what you don’t want to do as a League club is to be embarrassed,” said Smith.

“We want to be in the story for producing a giant-killing.  As a League club you don’t want to be the club that’s everybody’s reading about as they’ve knocked you out.”

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.

Smith said: “They’re going to be difficult and hard to beat.  Russell Slade will have them very organised, they’re going to be strong and very fit. 

“For an hour we have to make sure we’re in with a chance and if we do that, for the last half-an-hour anything can happen.

“Sixty-Six long years of getting past this first round would be a massive achievement for this club looking to rebrand itself and be a new club and kick on and make history for ourselves.

“We have to take the chances if and when they come on Saturday as we won’t get many.  If we do get them we have to grab them with both hands.
“It gives us a great opportunity to have a run in the Cup.  It would be fantastic if we can bring them back here (to Hayes Lane) with a result.  It will be absolutely dream world if we can beat them!

“These things can happen. There’s going to be a lot of hard work.  They’re not going to give it to us so as long as we stand toe-to-toe and get ready for that, it gives us a great opportunity.

Bromley have reached the First Round the hard way, beating three of their Kent rivals en-route and they fly the flag for Kent non-league football on Saturday.

The Ravens defeated Welling United 2-1, courtesy of two Danny Waldren penalties, were 2-0 down away to Ryman Premier League side Margate but scored three goals in the final twenty minutes to snatch victory, and turned the form-books upside down with a memorable 2-1 win at Dartford in the fourth qualifying round.

Smith said:  “A lot of people weren’t giving us a chance to get this far.  Now we’re there we have to give it one mighty push to get something out of it.  As long as we come out of it with our heads held high.

“If we can get a draw, brilliant.  If we get a win then we’re in dream world, we really are. 

“We’re going to enjoy it and we want the supporters’ to enjoy it and the town to get behind us and we’ll give it one good go!”

For details how YOU can grab your tickets and be one of the 3,000 Bromley fans’ housed in the East Stand at Brisbane Road to hopefully watch a historic FA Cup Giantkilling, visit www.bromleyfc.net

www.kentishfootball.co.uk will be covering this game and will bring you all the pre-match hype, match report and post-match reaction over the course of the week.

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


Leyton Orient  v  Bromley
The FA Cup with Budweiser First Round
Saturday 12^th November 2011
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Brisbane Road, Leyton, London E10 5NF