BROMLEY ON THE ORIENT: WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE AND MAKE A LITLTE BIT OF HISTORY, SAYS JONES

BROMLEY assistant manager Murray Jones says he knows what to expect at Leyton Orient as the Kent club bid to beat their first ever Football League side in The FA Cup on Saturday, writes Stephen McCartney.


Jones attended the O’s 1-1 draw to Hartlepool United at Brisbane Road at the weekend and will pass on his knowledge to manager Mark Goldberg ahead of Saturday’s exciting First Round tie.

Bromley have NEVER beaten a Football League club in The FA Cup before and it’s been 66 long years’ since they won a First Round tie.

The Ravens have defeated Welling United, Margate and Dartford enroute to Brisbane Road and FA Cup fever has gripped the club.

“It’s a fantastic draw.  It’s a game that everyone connected to the football club are looking forward to,” said Jones, who also runs the club’s youth academy.

“We do anticipate it’s going to be a great day out for the players.  It’s a good experience to play a team higher than us.  The crowd will surely go out and enjoy us and give us their full backing, so we’re very much looking forward to the Cup tie.”

The Bromley camp warn Russell Slade’s League One outfit, who are currently unbeaten in eight games, but have the same amount of league points (eighteen) as their Blue Square Bet (Conference) South opponents, not to write them off.

And not many people thought they would go to their highflying rivals Dartford and beat them 2-1 on their own patch in the final qualifying round, courtesy of goals from target man Hakeem Araba and a sublime Gareth Williams free-kick.

“We was probably the only ones who thought we could be in the hat against Dartford,” added Jones, who is Mark Goldberg’s number two.

“I’m not saying we were confident, we just felt the team was playing well enough, although results aren’t great, but the confidence and the mood in the camp was vibrant and it was a game we were looking forward to.”

Goldberg, who handed his eighteen-year-old son Bradley his debut as Bromley crashed to a 2-1 defeat at in-form Boreham Wood last Saturday, Neil Smith and Jones will have their players’ well drilled as they bid to end 66 years’ of FA Cup misery and grab all of the giant-killing headlines.

Jones said:  “The players’ will be ready and well prepared and it’s a one-off opportunity.  Anything can happen in a Cup tie and we need the players’ to perform on the day as they are three levels above us.

“What an opportunity to create and make a little bit of history for the players’ and for the football club.

“I went to watch Leyton Orient on Saturday and I came away thinking it’s a good, professional outfit, but it’s a game similar to Dartford, both teams have got a good opportunity of progressing. 

“Let’s hope it’s  time for Bromley Football Club to be at least be in the hat for the second round, either by winning or take them back to Hayes Lane for a replay.”

Bromley have been allocated 3,000 tickets for the game and their fans’ will be housed in the East Stand, with the regular supporters, who are more likely to give their heroes passionate backing, housed in the north section.

Jones said: “The fans’ are over in the East Stand so they’ll make a good noise.  The fans’ have been fantastic, at Margate (in the second qualifying round) they probably helped us hang in the game.  At Dartford there were fantastic celebrations afterwards, to hear the fans afterwards and see how pleased they were. 

“It’s great to be part of the club at the moment.  We have to make sure we’re prepared and we turn up on the day and give a good account of ourselves.”

There is always one non-league club that produce a shock in The FA Cup – this year it’s Bromley’s turn!

“We just have to make sure the squad is well prepared, there’s a couple of pieces we need to be prepared of as Leyton Orient as they are a professional team,” said Jones.

“We’ve got our strengths as well and it’s very much playing to our strengths and hopefully that little bit of quality that we know we have got comes through.

“Remember we have got experienced players who have played in the Football League, who have been at professional clubs, who have played in the FA Cup in the first, second and third round so hopefully we can utilise all that experience together and get a result.

Jones added: “We have got a chance, their form hasn’t been great, our form hasn’t probably been great, but we know what we’re capable of.  We’ve got a resilient squad of players.  We’ve come back from several goals behind and showed plenty of character. 

“It could be a close game.  We just have to make sure we can be as professional as we can and be well organised and those margins and the spin of the ball will go in our favour.

“Our run of late has probably been the hardest across all of the teams to progress into the First Round.  We were excited when the tie came out of the hat.  In some ways there was a little bit of disappointment that it wasn’t at home but to go to a professional club for the players’ to get that experience and go out and enjoy the day – a great experience for Bromley Football Club and the supporters’ and maybe to make a little bit of history.”

“It will be a great experience and we just want to come away whatever the result saying we’ve done our best and couldn’t have done no more and everyone’s enjoyed it.

“It will feel better if we’re in that hat for the second round!”

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

1945-1946:
First Round: Slough United (home) W6-1 & (away) L0-1
Second Round:  Watford (home) L1-3 & (away) D1-1

1947-1948:
First Round:  Reading (home) D3-3 & (away) L0-3

1949-1950:
First Round:  Watford (home) L1-2

1950-1951:
First Round: Aldershot (away) D2-2 & (home) L0-1

1951-1952:
First Round: Torquay United (away) L2-3

1976-1977:
First Round: Swindon Town (away) L0-7

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

1996-1997:
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