Swindon Supermarine 1-0 Bromley

BROMLEY came back down to earth with a bang on Saturday in deepest Wiltshire as they crashed out of the FA Trophy.

Following three successive victories, they lost by the only goal of the game in what quite frankly was an awful performance. The Southern League Premier Division high-fliers were good value for their win as Bromley never got to grips with their strong tackles and quick passing game. The writing was on the wall as early as the fourth minute.

Justyn McKay sent a curling free-kick just wide of the post and crossbar junction and Mark Draycott fired wildly over the bar from eight yards a few moments later.

However, it might have been different if Bromley had been awarded a blatant penalty in the 20th minute. Ashley-Paul Robinson sent a good cross into the danger zone, where Warren McBean headed onto Nic McDonnell.

As McDonnell shot, a defender charged across to spectacularly dive and push the ball away with his left arm, before the striker had a second try from the rebound which was blocked on the line.

Had the match official or his assistant, who were both in good positions, given the spot kick then the home side would have been reduced to 10 men.

As it was, Swindon opened the scoring just three minutes later after a bad mistake by goalkeeper Gareth Williams. A long throw in by McKay was headed on by Alan Griffin, which Williams came to collect, but he missed it completely and the ball ran through to Nick Stanley who was on hand to convert with a firm low shot.

McBean should have levelled for Bromley on 30 minutes when, with only the goalkeeper to beat, he tamely shot straight at the custodian from six yards.

And on the stroke of half-time Jerome Sobers was denied by a goal line block by his counterpart Leigh Henry.

The second half went from bad to worse as Bromley were reduced to 10 men on 52 minutes. Mark Corneille, who had just returned from a suspension for two yellow cards in the recent St Albans fixture, was shown a straight red for an unnecessary two-footed tackle on Chris Taylor.

Williams saved from Stanley and then spilled a low shot straight into the path of Steve Cook, but the winger failed to take advantage, shooting straight back to the goalkeeper.

Ryan Hall had two long range shots for Bromley, but they were both wide of the target, and a third which goalkeeper Matt Bulman saved low down at the foot of the post. But it was Swindon who really should have made the game safe with seven minutes remaining. A poor clearance by Bromley’s 16-year old substitute Harry Harding went straight to Taylor, but this time Williams was equal to Taylor’s shot, pushing it around the post with a full length dive.

To cap a miserable afternoon for the Kent side, Sobers limped off two minutes from the end with what looked a nasty leg injury as Bromley bowed out of a fourth cup competition to lesser league opposition this season.

Bromley: Williams, Corneille, Dolby (Harding 71), Swaibu, Sobers (Layiwola 88), Gillman, Robinson, Manuella (Joseph 46), McBean, McDonnell, Hall. Subs not used: Davis, Stone. Att: 229.