Bromley 4-1 Dorchester

The hosts were on top for much of the first half, with Jay May shooting straight at visiting keeper Alan Walker-Harris after just three minutes.

Dorchester then had a rare early chance as Ashley Nicholls fired wide after a left-wing cross had been cleared to him on the edge of the area.

Lillywhites keeper Joe Welch managed to get across and smother Nick Crittenden’s well placed shot at the foot of the post before the home side opened the scoring on 18 minutes.

Brendan Kiernan was put clear down the left and crossed to Nicholls, whose curling effort was punched by Walker-Harris straight to Joe Anderson just outside the area.

The full-back gratefully accepted the gift and promptly volleyed home into an unguarded net.

Pierre Joseph-Dubois and May both went close to increasing the hosts’ lead before Anderson was yellow carded for tripping Jamie Gleeson. From the resultant free-kick, Neil Martin had Welch scrambling across his goal as the ball went just the wrong side of the post.

Bromley doubled their lead on 10 minutes before the break when Danny Waldren’s long free-kick was palmed away by Walker-Harris under pressure from Rob Swaine.

Bradley Goldberg’s follow up shot was blocked, only for the ball to fall kindly to Swaine, who turned and fired home from close range.

The advantage might have been increased three minutes later after Joseph-Dubois had squeezed Anderson’s throw in through a defender’s legs, but Walker-Harris was quickly off his line to deny the Bromley striker’s effort.

Dorchester’s play in the opening period of the second half was much improved but did not cause too much trouble for the Bromley rearguard.

Jake Rowley, Josh Wakefield and Gleeson all had half chances to reduce the deficit, while at the other end Joseph-Dubois took one touch too many following good work by Kiernan and May and the keeper was able to save.

The visitors fell further behind on 58 minutes as Welch’s long clearance was headed on by May into the path of Goldberg, who lobbed the advancing keeper from 12 yards.

Crittenden had a chance to pull one back on 65 minutes, but his shot was always swerving right and rising before going wide.

However, the winger did capitalise three minutes later when Jack Holland was adjudged by the assistant referee to have handled in making a clearances, allowing Crittenden to smash the resultant penalty past Welch.

But Bromley restored their three-goal advantage on 75 minutes as substitute Elliott Buchanan picked up possession 25 yards from goal and his first-time volley curled around a diving Walker-Harris.

Both sides had a chance to add to the scoreline in the final minute. Firstly Mark Jermyn blasted a shot over the top after the ball fell straight to him from a clearance, while at the other end Nic McDonnell was denied by a wicked deflection off a defender to roll agonisingly wide of the post.

The Lillywhites entertain Chelmsford City at Hayes Lane tonight (7.45pm).

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Bromley: Welch, Pooley, Anderson, Waldren (Smith 62), Swaine, Holland, Joseph-Dubois, Nicholls (Buchanan 62), May (McDonnell 80), Goldberg, Kiernan. Subs not used: Parmenter, O’Connor. Att: 430