BROMLEY’S league season finished on Saturday at Hayes Lane with their second successive home 4-0 reverse, this time against third-placed Dover Athletic.
The defeat was the Lillywhites’ ninth in their last 10 Conference South fixtures.
Bromley started brightly and forced two early corners, which caused consternation to the Dover rearguard.
But the visitors opened the scoring on 12 minutes with their first attack of any consequence.
Moses Ademola broke down the left, slipped a pass to Daryl McMahon, whose cross to the far post was headed home from four yards by the unmarked Harry Ottaway.
The home side might have equalised two minutes later when Elliott Buchanan’s firm volley was blocked by Ian Simpemba following a long throw in by Carlos Talbot.
Bromley were having most of the possession but lacked the penetration in the vital areas of the pitch, while Dover were disappointing in their play and created few first half chances.
Buchanan fired in a long range effort, which Dover keeper Mitchell Walker did just enough around the post following good approach play by Louie Theophanous.
Ben May should have doubled the visitors’ lead as half-time approached, but the centre forward hit his shot over the bar.
The second half started much the same as the first, with Buchanan’s deflected effort dropping just the wrong side of the bar.
Danny Waldren’s 49th minute free-kick was touched on by Theophanous to Jack Holland, who could only fire over from seven yards.
This was as good as it got for Bromley as Dover upped their game and soon increased their lead.
Ademola caught Joe Welch off his line to send a diagonal 30-yard shot beyond the reach of the Bromley keeper on 56 minutes.
It was 3-0 six minutes later. Aaron Rhule conceded an unnecessary free-kick, which McMahon rolled into the net past an unsighted Welch.
Buchanan went close for Bromley moments later, as his free-kick came back to him off the defensive wall before his low shot was comfortably held by Walker.
Tom Wynter’s cross was tipped onto and over the bar by Welch.
From the corner, Simpemba’s header was again tipped away by the keeper and eventually cleared to safety.
Dover’s fourth goal, which they had been threatening, came with 11 minutes remaining when substitute Billy Bricknell tapped home after Welch had spilled the ball from Tyrone Sterling’s shot.
Callum Willock shot wide for the visitors in the closing stages, but the last effort fell to Bromley’s Holland, whose header hit the side-netting following Aaron Rhule’s cross from Max Noble’s short corner.
And so ends another season in which Bromley finished in 15th after being perilously close to relegation for the second successive season.
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Bromley: Welch, Talbot, Rhule, Waldren, Swaibu, Orome, Joseph-Dubois (Noble 38), Buchanan, Theophanous (O’Connor 60), Holland, Welsh (Jones 46). Subs not used: Mahal, Spencer. Att: 811.
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