Bromley opened the season on Saturday with a convincing 3-1 victory over Havant & Waterlooville at Westleigh Park.

With five newcomers making Lillywhites debuts, one returning player after three seasons away, together with three more newcomers named on the bench, the Hayes Lane side had an unfamiliar look about them.

Bromley opened the scoring in the sixth minute when one of the debutants Moses Ademola finished off a good movement involving himself, Joe Anderson and Pierre Joseph-Dubois with a delightful half volley into the top corner.

Former Bromley player Shamir Mullings held off two challenges before shooting tamely wide and then Scott Donnelly screwed his effort wide from a good position for the hosts.

Bromley doubled their advantage on 18 minutes.

A quickly taken throw in by Anderson found Fuseini in space and his half volley from fully 30 yards left Havant keeper Ryan Young helpless.

Opposite number Seb Brown pulled off an excellent save after the home side had broken quickly from a Bromley corner, pushing a Perry Ryan effort onto his post before gathering the rebound.

The visitors nearly had a third on 28 minutes a flowing movement involving Fuseini, Joseph-Dubois and Reece Prestedge ended with Harry Grant’s shot skimming the bar.

Bromley nearly made the perfect start to the second half, as Grant’s shot was spilled by Young but a Havant defender got back in the nick of time to clear off the line.

An injury to Rob Swaine seemed to have an adverse effect on Bromley as for long periods they were pegged back in their own half.

JJ Hooper saw a powerful shot deflected by Swaine’s replacement Danny Waldren for a corner, from which Mullings’s glancing header was cleared off the line by Fuseini.

Brown denied Ryan with a brilliant reflex save, flipping the ball over the bar with his right arm.

Eight minutes later Donnelly hit the bar with a free-kick from the edge of the area.

The visitors weathered the storm and Grant saw his volley palmed over the bar by Young from an excellent cross by Ugo Udoji before they went three goals ahead after 70 minutes. 

Joseph-Dubois capitalised on a defender’s mistake to crash home a left-footed shot out of the reach of Young.

Grant had the ball in the net again one minute later following a five-man passing build up, but a dubious offside flag cut short the celebrations.

Havant reduced the arrears with 12 minutes remaining.

To everyone’s surprise the referee pointed to the spot as Bailey-Dennis was adjudged to have pushed Josh Huggins over in the area, Donnelly stepping up to send Brown the wrong way.

Bailey-Dennis nearly redeemed himself with a header from Grant’s corner but Young just managed to palm the ball over.

At the other end Waldren’s timely block on Mullings denied the striker a goal on his debut, while Bradley Bubb stabbed an effort into the ground which made the save for Brown easy.

Adam Birchall’s free-kick was punched away by Young before the keeper just managed to hold onto the Bromley substitute’s shot underneath the bar following a good run and cross by Grant.

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Bromley: Brown, Udoji, Anderson, Fuseini, Swaine (Waldren 51), Bailey-Dennis, Joseph-Dubois, Prestedge, Higgins (Slabber 61), Ademola (Birchall 69), Grant. Subs not used: Dennis, Scannell. Att: 524.