TWO goals in the final seven minutes ensured a battling Bromley side returned home from Boreham Wood with an unexpected victory on Tuesday evening.

The hosts, who until recently were play-off contenders, opened strongly with Lewis Toomey being denied by Joe Welch in the fourth minute before Bromley’s keeper brilliantly tipped over Michael Thalassitis’s 25 yard drive two minutes later.

Elliott Buchanan had Bromley’s first chance, but his eighth minute goal-bound shot deflected off a defender.

After Charlie O’Loughlin had headed over for the home side, Buchanan played a one-two with Marlon Patterson to force a fine save out of James Russell.

Boreham Wood’s keeper kept his side in the game on 28 minutes when he just got his fingertips to Pierre Joseph-Dubois’ shot following a delicate touch by Jack Holland.

The hosts should have opened the scoring five minutes later as a left wing cross was headed into the path of Toomey, who shot wide from eight yards with only Welch to beat.

Bromley were unlucky not to open the scoring on 39 minutes when a flowing movement ended with Joseph-Dubois side footing just wide from Carlos Talbot’s cross.

And as half-time loomed, another Talbot cross was blocked and Buchanan’s shot from the loose ball flashed just wide.

Sandwiched in between these two efforts, Boreham Wood were denied by the quick thinking of Welch, who was quickly out at the feet of Charlie Moone as he fastened onto Cliff Akurang’s through ball.

The second half continued in similar fashion to the first with Welch blocking well Moone’s close range volley and O’Loughlin’s low shot from the edge of the area fizzing just the wrong side of the upright.

Ishmael Welsh’s tantalising cross was palmed away by Russell at the other end before the home side opened the scoring in the 71st minute.

Hesitant defending allowed Akurang to dink the ball over a defender’s head and Moone was on hand to squeeze it past the advancing Welch.

Bromley really should have levelled on 75 minutes as Sanchez Ming’s shot from five yards was blocked by a defender, the loose ball rebounding to him only for Russell to deflect his second shot with his legs.

Welch tipped away from Akurang after the veteran had turned his marker, while Moone’s shot wide when well placed.

Bromley levelled the scores with seven minutes remaining. Substitute Louie Theophanous turned a home defender to set up Joseph-Dubois, whose low shot was turned around by Russell.

From the resultant corner, the danger was cleared only as far as Theophanous, who promptly rifled a low shot into the bottom corner from just inside the area.

The visitors stunned the majority of the meagre 159 crowd on 90 minutes with the winning goal, which came as a result of another corner from Buchanan’s deflected effort.

This time the ball was cleared to Danny Waldren, whose first-time 25 yard low volley was diverted into the net by the outstretched leg of Joseph-Dubois to end a run of eight consecutive league defeats.

It was just reward for the 40 or so Bromley fans who have travelled week after week to watch their team, especially after the dire performance at Maidenhead last Saturday.

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Bromley: Welch, Ming, Patterson, Waldren, Swaibu, Orome (O’Connor 59), Talbot (Theophanous 59), Buchanan, Joseph-Dubois, Holland, Welsh (Jones 72). Subs not used: Rhule, Noble. Att: 159.