Tonbridge 0 Bromley 1

Match 51/16/1358 - Tuesday, 8th November 2016 - Kent Senior Cup 2R

Tonbridge (0) 0
Bromley (1) 1 Sho-Silva 41
Attendance: 190

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £0.50
Mileage: 38/3,975

Match Report

They don't come around very often, but just occasionally there is a game where valid reasons can be made that it is a good one to lose and this was one of them. Nobody was going to shout it from the rooftops, everybody tries to make positive noises, but with injuries, suspensions and a two-game a week schedule until well into the New Year, this competition was expendable.

It was a shame that the opponents, Bromley, came from the National League and, following a blank weekend, turned up with a very strong side. If the visitors had come from Ryman South, for instance, our young side proved on the night that they would be good enough to progress another round.

So, whilst Bromley fielded eight players with National League experience, Tonbridge started with four players from either the Reserves or Youth team and ended with seven such like on the pitch.

The Tonbridge supporters leaving Longmead after the match would, at least should, have been encouraged by the performance of this young team, whilst admitting that if Bromley had been a touch sharper in front of goal then the margin of defeat might have been a lot heavier.

The first chance of the evening fell to the hosts after seven minutes when a cross from Tommy Whitnell found the head of the returning Nathan Elder, but the striker steered his header into the welcoming arms of Alan Julian.

Anthony Di Bernardo was called into action after 13 minutes with an excellent save, low right, from Tobi Sho-Silva.

Damian Scannell brought an equally fine save from Julian after 18 minutes with the keeper pushing the shot, that took a deflection, away from the top corner.

Bromley asserted their control of the game in the second quarter, but shot after shot missed the target, until they finally took the lead with four minutes remaining of the half. The right back, Daniel Johnson, on the overlap fired in a shot from the edge of the box that was parried by Di Bernardo into the path of Sho-Silva who tucked it in from eight yards.

Tonbridge's young striker, Tashi-Jay Kwayie was involved three times in the opening eight minutes of the second half. First, a good run and cross from Jack Parter, begged a touch from Kwayie but he was narrowly short of making it; then a fine run and cross saw Elder's header go wide before a run and shot that narrowly went wide right.

The home side got younger and younger as Callum Adonis-Taylor, Richard Frimpong and Corey Watts were introduced.

Bromley saw the game out on the front foot, but a mixture of decent defending from the hosts and poor finishing left the scoreline unaltered.