Eastleigh 1-4 Bromley

EASTLEIGH v BROMLEY



SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER 2007

Blue Square South

Eastleigh’s fantastic run of late today came to a shattering end following a dismal display at the hands of a well-organised, hard-working Bromley side.

October was a month, which saw Ian Baird win the manager of the month accolade for the Blue Square South. Three wins and a draw in the league, including the 3-0 demolition of a previously unbeaten Lewes, not to mention the club’s best ever cup run in history in a congested month of football.

This was then built on with the comprehensive 4-2 away win over Hayes & Yeading United last weekend as we know, but few could expect the outcome and the performance we witnessed this afternoon.

The visitors came into this game having suffered three defeats in their past four games but put this right behind them with a convincing win against an unusually lacklustre Spitfires side.

Adam Everitt was finally able to make his home league debut having been cup tied and suspended previously, meanwhile Anthony Riviere was handed his first start since the Welling defeat back in September owing to an Andy Harris injury. This, the only change from the winning eleven in our last outing.

It started well enough with Eastleigh playing the better football in the opening exchanges.
Bromley were made to endure heavy pressure with Adam Everitt proving to be a real threat from set pieces both with his left foot deliveries and his lethal long throw-ins. Both Andy Forbes and Karim El-Salahi forced corners early on, thus allowing the sustained period of pressure from the hosts.

Another dangerous throw on from Everitt fell kindly this time for Matt Hann, whose side-footed effort was blocked and then cleared.

Following yet more free kicks into the box, Eastleigh had a penalty shout on 16 minutes when Damian Scannell appeared to be wrestled to the ground by the Bromley captain Francis Duku. Referee, Stephen Phipps was well placed but bewilderingly penalised Scannell.

It was not quite 20 minutes into the half when Bromley first made an attack on goal. Garath McCleary was allowed too much time and space to get to the byline before crossing to the back post where Nic McDonnell met the ball with a header straight at Pullen.

The Lilywhites pushed forward strongly again moments later with a combination of James Pullen and David Hughes keeping the visitors at bay. A free kick from Simon Osborn saw the Eastleigh goalkeeper Pullen, alert to the danger producing a diving header near the corner flag. Hughes managed to clear the ball partly but only as far as Osborn who put the ball into the area this time, only for Pullen to claim in the air.

On the half-hour Duku collided with Forbes unfairly going up for a header to concede a free kick just 25 yards from goal. Both Chris Piper and Adam Everitt stood over the ball but it was the right foot of Piper whose excellent strike produced an equally stunning save from Andy Walker. The ball was heading for the top left hand corner and had to be tipped over the top to deny the former Fisher Athletic man.

From the resulting corner, Brown went for the overhead kick, which didn’t quite come off but Byles kept possession playing the ball to the edge of the area to tee up Matt Hann whose curling effort was comfortable for the goalkeeper.

David Hughes picked up the first yellow card of the afternoon for a mistimed tackle on the lively McCleary and this is when the afternoon was about to take a turn for the worse for Eastleigh.

Osborn’s centre was flicked on neatly by McDonnell for TUTU HENRIQUES who towered above his marker at the back post planting a downward header past Pullen.

Directly after the goal, Eastleigh worked a neat opening from a throw in on the right hand side with Damian Scannell linking up with Piper and Hughes whose floated ball into the box was met by a glancing header from Brown.

Bromley turned defence into attack with a swift counter attack. McCleary took the ball some 40 yards before evading a desperate lunge from Everitt, seemingly with ease, skipping past Pullen and having his left footed shot cleared off the goal line by Piper only for SAM WOOD to slam home the rebound.

This quickfire double took the stuffing right out of Eastleigh who suddenly looked despondent and in real trouble at two goals down.

The pace and danger of McCleary was evident once more as he drew the tackle from a frustrated Jamie Brown, who upended the winger to earn himself a yellow card.

There were a couple of half chances before the break with Piper’s miscued volley going hopelessly wide and into injury time Everitt’s ball into the box saw Forbes underneath it but unable to get a shot away.

HALF TIME: Eastleigh 0-2 Bromley

Into the second half, either side could have scored within a minute of each other. First Sam Wood played the ball in behind the Eastleigh defence for McDonnell. The flag stayed down, however Karim El-Salahi got back to make a good recovering challenge.

At the opposite end, Damian Scannell sliced a half volley inches wide of goal from Hughes’ cross with Walker at full stretch.

Eastleigh seemed a little brighter momentarily, Anthony Riviere making a good run down the right cutting in and having a shot charged down before Scannell weaved past both Wood and Jerome Sobers in the next move, eventually losing the ball to Peter Adeniyi.

It was clear at this point that if the Spitfires had got the next goal there might a glimmer of hope though the longer the game went on, unfortunately it just didn’t look likely.

Paul Sales replaced Riviere in the 58th minute but the substitute was soon to be replaced, just under ten minutes later having pulled his groin.

On the hour mark, Bromley looked to trouble Pullen with McDonnell’s excellent knock over the top being brought down by Gareth Williams who went for the lob but didn’t get hold of it in the way he would have liked, leaving the Eastleigh stopper with a simple catch.

A miserable afternoon at the Silverlake Stadium saw another sour moment as the 659 crowd watched Bromley help themselves to a comfortable three goal cushion.

Bromley’s leading goalscorer NIC McDONNELL was allowed to continue his run unopposed and consequently unchallenged. Cutting in from the left-hand side the centre forward went for goal with a curling effort from range. It looked as though Pullen might have kept the ball out under his own cross bar having done well to get across to it but despite his best efforts the shot nestled in the top corner as the visitors stretched their lead yet further.

The nightmare continued for Ian Baird’s men as they conceded, hopelessly, a fourth goal shortly after. GARETH WILLIAMS out of nothing hit a special strike from 30 yards to lob Pullen and put the game beyond any doubt.

Despite the drubbing, the fans behind the goal for Eastleigh were a real credit singing from start to finish and on this positive DAMIAN SCANNELL found the back of the net from Chris Piper’s threaded assist, as he squeezed an excellent finish through the legs of the goalkeeper.

It was nothing but a consolation goal ten minutes from time, on an otherwise extremely miserable afternoon for Eastleigh.

Williams hit a great drive in the closing stages that Pullen could only palm away.

A bad day at the office certainly, now is the time to regroup for the next match and to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.

FULL TIME: Eastleigh 1-4 Bromley

JAMIE MONTIGUE