F.A. Carlsberg Trophy – First Round Replay
Boreham Wood 0 Bromley 2
by John Mead
This was only Wood’s second defeat at home all Season, the first coming at the hands of League One side Brentford. Whilst they remain unbeaten at Meadow Park in the League, their involvement in Cup competitions is now over for another Season.
It was an atrocious night weather wise with persistent rain throughout the first half adding to the already saturated surface, yet both sides to their credit never gave up the their passing game on a fantastically prepared surface.
The visitors were well worth their win, defending resolutely all evening and they certainly seemed to have adapted better to the elements.
Wood did settle the quicker with Greg Morgan testing Joe Welch from distance who spilled the shot for a corner. Mauro Vilhete kept the Bromley defence busy playing a one two with Morgan to win one of many early corners. Graeme Montgomery fired a fine effort just over the bar with Wood camped out in the Bromley half. Montgomery then turned provider with his cross picking out Charlie O’Loughlin who could not quite get the ball out from under his feet when well positioned, allowing Welch to save.
The pair soon combined again when Montgomery planted a fine free kick onto the head of O’Loughlin who saw his header desperately hacked off the line by Marlon Patterson.
Wood’s offensive play was frustrated by a well marshalled Bromley back line who used the offside trap to tremendous effect. The game began to drift a little in the favour of the visitors and they achieved the breakthrough after forty minutes. The surface allowed the ball to spring forward catching out Ben Nunn who went head to head with the run of Joe Pigott. Nunn made contact with the Charlton Athletic Loan forward, who earned his side a penalty, which Danny Waldren dispatched, beating James Russell even though he dived the right way.
Inih Effiong, who was ineffectual on the night, picked up a booking for his dialogue with Referee Mr. Busby.
Morgan tested Welch as did Ben Jefford early on in the second half with a free kick taken from a tight angle out on the right. The rain subsided as did Wood’s hold on the game when Effiong picked up a second yellow card for a needless lunge in front of the dug out. It capped a thoroughly disappointing evening for the forward, who was replacing the injured Cliff Akurang.
Vilhete embarked upon a fine run yet took on one too many with Moses Swaibu in no mood to let the plucky little forward make his mark on the game. Substitute Mario Noto’s shot then cannoned off Chez Isaac allowing Bromley to counter attack with men over. Elliott Buchanan set up Ali Fuseini for a shot which was well saved by Russell, only for Fuseini to follow up with a shot that was cleared off the line by Noto.
Bromley slowly took control with Swaibu again stopping a Vilhete run, before Fuseini headed over after Nunn made an important intervention to put off the Bromley Captain.
Lillywhite’s Substitute Michael Malcolm then took on the Wood defence before supplying Pigott who had the task of dancing round Russell before ending Wood’s participation in the competition with twelve minutes remaining.
O’Loughlin had a chance cleared off the line by Pierre Joseph-Dubois, Noto saw his curling free kick saved by Welch leaving Ian Allinson to rue the chances missed in the first tie.
“We should have been out of sight Saturday yet all credit to Bromley they did their homework and it paid off. I felt it was a soft penalty with two players going for the same ball and James Russell looked well positioned to make the save, but we shot ourselves in the foot with the sending off. At 0 – 1 down we were well in contention, but to go a man down needlessly whilst chasing the game in a Cup tie is always a recipe for disaster. We need to pick ourselves up and focus on two extremely important home games in the League, where nothing less than six points is unacceptable.”
Team: Russell, Nunn, Jefford, Vilhete, O’Loughlin, Reynolds, Morgan (Sub – Noto 67 mins.), Isaac, Effiong, Riza, Montgomery (Sub – Hutton 85 mins.).
Subs (Not used): Stirling-Parker, Beckles, Baker-Owers.
Bookings: Nunn, Effiong (sent off 57 mins.) Noto.
Goals: Bromley: Waldren 40 pen., Pigott 78.
Man of the Match: Callum Reynolds.
