Maidstone United 0-5 Bromley - Someone had it coming to them, says Bromley manager Paul Proctor

MAIDSTONE UNITED  0-5  BROMLEY
Ryman Youth League East
Thursday 12^th January 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Culverden Stadium

BROMLEY turned the table upside down when they humiliated Ryman Youth League East leaders Maidstone United to win their first league game of the season.


The Ravens went into the game sitting at the foot of the division after picking up just one draw and scoring only seven goals from their first eight league games but they romped to a shock victory over a Maidstone United side that led the eight-team Kent based division by two points.

The Stones had won six and drawn two of their nine league outings and only conceded seven goals before tonight’s game at Tunbridge Wells’ Culverden Stadium, but their first game in six weeks turned out to be a nightmare.

Bromley squandered three one-on-one chances during a dominant first half and they had to wait until five minutes before the break before striker Chris Clarke slotted home.

Bromley doubled their lead through left-back Kristian Campbell, who converted a penalty nine minutes into the second half, before substitute striker Matt Barber, 16, netted a 22 minute hat-trick to seal a shock victory.

Bromley manager Paul Proctor, 46, was extremely delighted with his side’s performance.

He said: “It is an amazing result on paper but to be honest with you the football we’ve been playing this year (we deserved it). 

“We’ve had terrible injuries and they tell you the league never lies, but I’ve got to be honest with you, it does lie because we’ve been the best team in 60-70% of the games we’ve played this year and we haven’t come away with the results that we’ve deserved.

“It’s a young team.  There were two second year players out there at any one time. The rest are first years so they’ve gone barely sixteen playing in an under 18 league, which is not far off being academy level football and it’s been a learning curve for them.

“But they’re excellent players and we do try to play football and it’s a good education.  I’m not too surprised – someone’s had it coming a little while!”

Maidstone United manager, Ian Grieves, 52, added: “We’re obviously very disappointed but all credit to Bromley.  They battled well tonight and they played very well and we have to take this defeat on the chin.

“From our point of view we’re very disappointed.  It was the first game back in six weeks but obviously we have to improve for our next fixture next Wednesday.”

Maidstone United created the game’s first chance after just 122 seconds when Hassan Nalbant should have found the net with a left-footed shot on the turn from only eight-yards out, but he clipped the ball straight into Tom Kitchens’ hands at the near post.

But Bromley swiftly turned the league table upside down as they tore Maidstone United to shreds and should have gone into the half-time break with a comfortable lead.

Diminutive central midfielder Nathaniel Edwards, who had a good game, released Clarke through on goal but the striker chipped the ball over the advancing Simon Vanderhook, but the ball dropped agonisingly wide of the near post.

Bromley continued on the front foot, but they failed to convert some excellent chances.

The Stones keeper came off his line to thwart Clarke and the ball fell to winger Liam Connor, who centred low towards the near post where substitute Barber (who had just replaced Luis Regis, who like Maidstone midfielder Sam Barnard was forced off early through an ankle injury) stabbed the ball agonisingly wide of the foot of the far post from one-yard out.

Maidstone’s central defensive pairing of Tom McKenzie and skipper Adam Kennedy couldn’t cope with Bromley’s pace and they were split in the 25^th minute by a sublime through ball from Tom Smith which put Barber through on goal but Vanderhook saved his team-mates bacon by making a fine block low to his right and the ball trickled past the far post.

Bromley squandered yet another one-on-one on the half-hour mark when central midfielder Ted Bailey released Barber through on goal and a combination of Vanderhook (who stuck out his right hand to block) and right-back Matt Mills (an acrobatic hooked goal-line clearance) prevented Bromley from deservedly scoring.

Maidstone United seemed to have weathered the storm and they went close in the 36^th minute when right-winger Sam Small found left-back Rob Town in space on the edge of the box and his shot on the turn only just cleared the Bromley crossbar.

And the Stones called Bromley keeper Kitchener into action when David Henn released Nalbant down the left and after winning a foot race against Charlie Proctor, his left-footed shot was turned around the near post by the diving keeper.

The Bromley followers were celebrating for the first time when their side deservedly opened the scoring.

Connor put in yet another defensive splitting through ball to release Clarke and he slotted home a right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

Manager Proctor said: “Very good finish.  I only signed him just before Christmas.  It’s actually the first time he started.  I’m very pleased with his performance. He started a bit nervously and cramped up in the end when his fitness was gone, but very good, encouraging start today.

“What normally happens,” added Proctor, “we normally go one or two down and we find it difficult to get back into the game because when you play the likes of Maidstone, who are an excellent team, they wouldn’t let us back in.  If they would’ve gone 2-0 up they would’ve done the same to us because we would’ve pressed and they would have taken advantage of us.  That’s how good the standard of football is.”

But Maidstone United swiftly attacked as they tried to come to terms with their poor first half and Nalbant was denied by Kitchens, who dived to his right to save.

Maidstone United came out of the blocks meaning business and Nalbant played a stabbed pass through to Small, whose left-footed drive from 20-yards whistled past the post.

But Bromley doubled their lead in the 54^th minute from the penalty spot.

Barber latched onto Tom Smith’s through ball and as the striker was setting up to shoot he was brought down by last defender McKenzie (who didn’t even pick up a card) and assistant referee Mr Ricky Riddall awarded the penalty.

Left-footer Campbell stepped up and stroked the resulting penalty straight down the middle, with the Stones keeper diving to his right.

Proctor said: “My normal penalty taker was injured this week and I normally have Xavier (Richards) and he was on the bench today.  We had a game on Tuesday night so the boys were under pressure tonight to put a performance in so Kristian put his hand up so I let him have it.  Mind you the way it went in I’m not sure I’ll let him have it again!”

Maidstone United were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position but Town managed to get his right-footed free-kick over the Bromley wall but Kitchener made a comfortable low save in front of his body.

After losing Clarke to cramp, Ed Boateng almost made a dream start when with his first touch (after being put through on goal by Campbell) he drove a right-footed shot agonisingly past the foot of the near post.

Nalbant spread the ball across to striker Charlie Smith out on the right but he scuffed his right-footed shot and the ball rolled into the Bromley keeper’s gloves.

Maidstone United couldn’t live with Barber’s pace and if the slender striker bulks up he could make a name for himself in a few more years’ time as defenders can’t live with pace.

Proctor praised his hat-trick hero, saying, “Matt’s a bit of an impact player.  He’s got a terrific turn of pace, he’s got a good, clean finish.  It just hasn’t run for him this season. 

“I left him out on Tuesday night all together to get a reaction and he gave me one!”

Bromley eased into a three-goal lead in the 68^th minute, when the Stones defence failed to get back following a block from their keeper.

Pacy substitute Boateng cut in from the right, leaving Kennedy on his backside, and lashed a right-footed shot towards goal, which was blocked by Vanderhook, but the ball fell to Barber who tapped the ball into an empty goal from close range.

Bromley romped into a 4-0 lead with their next attack, in the 71^st minute.

Mills’ crunching but fair challenge on Barber inside the penalty box flattened the Bromley striker, but he showed composure to bounce straight back up and stroked a right-footed drive past the stranded Vanderhook.

The stunned league leaders squandered two free headers, which they should have taken to bring an inch of respectability to the score.

Substitute Joe Hudson got in behind Charlie Proctor down the right and floated in a delightful cross towards the far post but Kennedy summed up his awful night by planting a free header over from six-yards.

Another cross from another substitute, Connor O’Neil, this time from the right, picked out an unmarked Nalbant, who planted his free header over from similar range.

Bromley midfielder Edwards cracked a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which stung Vanderhook’s fingers as the game entered the final stages.

Maidstone didn’t have any luck all evening and this was the case when substitute Arron Heslop played the ball inside to Nalbant, whose left-footed shot looped off Luke Pinniger’s head and Kitchener plucked the ball out of the air from underneath his own crossbar.

Bromley wrapped up the game with a fifth goal two minutes into stoppage time with Barber’s deserved hat-trick.

Bailey’s defensive splitting pass released Barber through the middle where his pace dazzled a couple of flat-footed defenders and he glided the ball past the advancing Vanderhook and slotted the ball into an empty net with his right-foot.

Maidstone United, meanwhile, lost top spot to Corinthian tonight after their 3-1 win over second-from-bottom Faversham Town at Gay Dawn Farm.

Reflecting on his side’s second league defeat of the season, Grieves said: “I think we didn’t adapt too well to the conditions.  We were very disappointed in our play and there’s a lot of things that we need to get back on the training ground and get right before our next game.

“Good luck to Bromley.  Obviously we need to get ourselves sorted for next Wednesday.

“We’ve done particularly well up until Christmas time and we’ve got quite a young squad.  They’re still learning and they make mistakes etc.  It’s a bit of a learning curve so we have to learn from this tonight and move on and improve on our next result.”

Grieves admitted only a couple of players came out of the game with any credit.

“I think Simon (Vanderhook) came out of it quite well.  I also think David Henn tonight came out very well in midfield.  I thought he played the ball well and worked hard over the whole ninety minutes.”

Maidstone United:  Simon Vanderhook, Matt Mills, Rob Town, Tom McKenzie, Adam Kennedy, David Henn, Sam Small, Sam Barnard (Arron Heslop 26), Charlie Smith (Connor O’Neil 75), Jack Howlett (Joe Hudson 60), Hassan Nalbant.
Sub:  Mathiew Guila

Bromley:  Tom Kitchener, Charlie Proctor (Xavier Richards 57), Kristian Campbell, Ted Bailey, Luke Pinniger, Nathaniel Edwards, Luis Regis (Matt Barber 16), Chris Clarke (Ed Boateng 65), Tom Smith, Liam Connor.
Subs: Fred Kitzso, Dan Carpenter

Goals:  Chris Clarke 40, Kristian Campbell 54 (pen), Matt Barber 68, 71, 90

Attendance:  36
Referee:  Mr Anthony Gambardella (Tunbridge Wells)
Assistants:  Mr Ray Perry (Sevenoaks) & Mr Ricky Riddall (Tunbridge Wells)