RAVENS SWOOP INTO FA CUP FIRST ROUND: BRING ON THE BIG BOYS, SAYS BROMLEY SKIPPER TUTU HENRIQUES

BROMLEY skipper Tutu Henriques paid tribute to Gareth Williams as the driving force behind the club’s famous FA Cup win at Dartford today, writes Stephen McCartney.


Manager Mark Goldberg guided the Kent outfit into the FA Cup First Round for the third time in five years’ following their battling 2-1 win at their Blue Square Bet South rivals Dartford.

The Lillywhites took the lead through a 28^th minute penalty from hardworking, lone target man Hakeem Araba before third-placed Dartford levelled just three minutes later through striker Jack Pallen.

But Dartford squandered an excellent chance to take the lead eleven minutes after the break when winger Ryan Hayes drove his penalty past the post and Bromley snatched victory with fourteen minutes remaining through Williams’ curling 25-yard free-kick.

It certainly made up for Bromley’s 4-1 defeat to Dartford in last season’s Kent Senior Cup Final and their 3-1 loss in Blue Square Bet South earlier on in the season.

Henqriques, 29, who is Bromley’s longest-serving player, making his 286^th appearance for the club at Princes Park today, admitted this was pay-back time for Tony Burman’s men.

He said: “Coming into this one I just felt it was our time and we were due a result but that was just a personal feeling.

“Hopefully that feeling translated into all of the players’ performances.  The team done magnificent to get the victory.

“Everyone was asked to do a job and they just did it,” said Henriques, who slotted in at an unfamiliar position at right-back, forced upon him due to Danny Waldren, who has never played in the FA Cup First Round before, was suspended.

“Players’ were technically playing out of position but the tightness within the unit that is a squad is amazing at the moment and the management are steering us the right way.

“If we keep listening and we keep working hard, anything can be achieved as we’ve seen today.”

Williams was clearly the man-of-the-match, playing in a midfield holding role and linking up with lone striker Araba or substitute Warren McBean.

“I can’t describe enough what a magnificent contribution Gareth Williams had for us out there today,” praised Henriques.

“He’s signed to be that difference.  You’ve got players’ out there who would die and do everything that’s required and you’ve got players’ who can actually win games.  Gareth can win a game and that’s his value, popping up.

“I believe he can and I know he can make a difference but it just reconfirms my thoughts and beliefs the magic and the quality Gareth Williams’ has. 

“Congrats to him and thank him for driving the team through!”

Bromley had defeated Welling United, Margate and now Dartford, albeit with luck along the way in all three games, and are ball number 76 in Sunday’s eagerly awaited First Round Draw.

Bromley are the only Kent non-league club remaining in the competition after Dover Athletic and Ebbsfleet Untied were knocked out by Bath City (Blue Square Bet Premier) and Redbridge (Ryman League Division One North) respectively.

“Yes, we have (done it the hard way),” admitted Henriques.  “Local games are always hard games.  All respect have to be given to Dartford for being resilient and actually coming out there to perform.

“They came back with a strong answer and a strong response and we matched it and we managed to have the difference at the end.”

That difference being Williams, 29, who also featured in the club’s previous First Round ties, against Gillingham (2006) and Colchester United three years’ later.

“It’s a role I’ve been asked to play a few times for different managers at different clubs.  I think it’s second nature to me now,” said Williams.

“Obviously I try and get myself involved near the box because I want to score goals as well, but my role’s to become more of a link man, I suppose, is the word for it and obviously chip in a fair share of goals and get a few assists as well.”

Today’s battling victory at Princes Park will go down as a famous FA Cup victory for Bromley.

Williams said: “It’s got to be (a battling performance) when you come to somewhere like Dartford.  This is a club that’s on the up with the facilities and the backing that they’ve got.   It’s a nice club.  When you come here you can see everything’s set-up to progress and it showed on the pitch.

“We had to dig in today, it was a tough first twenty minutes but you basically have to stay in the game and then it opens up over the time as it did so we had a little bit of quality ourselves in order to take our chances and to get ourselves into a (winning) position.

“Even if you’re under the cosh you always get a chance, always, it’s like a handwritten rule in football.   You keep yourselves into it and then you could be getting battered and then that chance comes to you and you take it!

“We obviously put ourselves into a position where we shut up shop and defended for our lives and catch them on the counter attack, which we almost did.”

Williams revealed that he persuaded left-back Marlon Patterson to leave the match winning free-kick to him with fourteen minutes left.

Williams explained: “He said  ‘me or you?’ I was feeling quite confident.  I struck it nice, it’s gone over the wall and next thing I know I’m running away celebrating,” said Williams.

Bromley will be BALL NUMBER 76 in Sunday’s FA Cup First Round Draw, which will be screened live on ITV1 on Sunday at 1:30pm.

Goldberg wants a glamour tie at Hayes Lane, the club’s home since 1938.

“I think if we can get a home game against any big team really – for me personally it will be nice to get a Charlton - but I think we’ll  take any team at home but we’re happy to be in the hat whatever happens.”

But for Henriques and Williams, they want a big day out.

Henriques said: “I want a big fixture away from home.  There’s lots of former Championship and Premiership teams floating around in League Two and League One.

“Charlton, I want to put it out there, Sheffield United, as well.  That’s my draw, that’s what I want.  I don’t know what the chairman, directors, other players’ want, I don’t know.

“An ex Premiership team away from home.  Let’s enjoy the occasion.”

Williams also wants to strut his stuff at a Football League venue.

He said: “I think a League club away is always nice because you go and get to play at a stadium, a few more fans’.

“We’ve been in a position before where we’ve got younger boys’ at the club who haven’t had the chance to play at those places.

“It’s always nice to go and test yourselves, ‘I can still play there, play with good players like that’.”

The numbers for The FA Cup with Budweiser First Round draw are as follows:

1 ACCRINGTON STANLEY        
2 AFC BOURNEMOUTH              
3 AFC WIMBLEDON                
4 ALDERSHOT TOWN             
5 BARNET                     
6 BRADFORD CITY              
7 BRENTFORD                
8 BRISTOL ROVERS            
9 BURTON ALBION             
10 BURY                     
11 CARLISLE UNITED          
12 CHARLTON ATHLETIC          
13 CHELTENHAM TOWN          
14 CHESTERFIELD            
15 COLCHESTER UNITED        
16 CRAWLEY TOWN            
17 CREWE ALEXANDRA           
18 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE      
19 EXETER CITY              
20 GILLINGHAM                 
21 HARTLEPOOL UNITED         
22 HEREFORD UNITED            
23 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN         
24 LEYTON ORIENT           
25 MACCLESFIELD TOWN        
26 MILTON KEYNES DONS      
27 MORECAMBE              
28 NORTHAMPTON TOWN         
29 NOTTS COUNTY             
30 OLDHAM ATHLETIC          
31 OXFORD UNITED            
32 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE           
33 PORT VALE                
34 PRESTON NORTH END         
35 ROCHDALE                   
36 ROTHERHAM UNITED          
37 SCUNTHORPE UNITED         
38 SHEFFIELD UNITED          
39 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY       
40 SHREWSBURY TOWN          
41 SOUTHEND UNITED           
42 STEVENAGE        
43 SWINDON TOWN               
44 TORQUAY UNITED            
45 TRANMERE ROVERS          
46 WALSALL                 
47 WYCOMBE WANDERERS         
48 YEOVIL TOWN 
49 TAMWORTH            
50 DROYLSDEN OR BLYTH SPARTANS
51 STOURBRIDGE
52 BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE)
53 GATESHEAD
54 GRIMSBY TOWN
55 WREXHAM
56 MANSFIELD TOWN OR FLEETWOOD TOWN
57 NANTWICH TOWN
58 ALFRETON TOWN OR LINCOLN CITY 
59 AFC TELFORD UNITED
60 SOUTHPORT
61 FC HALIFAX TOWN
62 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS OR CORBY TOWN 
63 DARLINGTON OR HINCKLEY UNITED
64 BARROW 
65 BATH CITY 
66 SALISBURY CITY 
67 EAST THURROCK UNITED
68 CHELMSFORD CITY OR GLOUCESTER CITY
69 CAMBRIDGE UNITED
70 MAIDENHEAD UNITED
71 LEATHERHEAD 
72 OXFORD CITY 
73 AFC TOTTON
74 BASINGSTOKE TOWN
75 ARLESEY TOWN
76 BROMLEY 
77 LUTON TOWN
78 KETTERING TOWN
79 REDBRIDGE
80 NEWPORT COUNTY

Ties to be played 12 and 13 November 2011

Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.net