Report: Bromley bow out of FA Cup with Eastleigh defeat

A sluggish first half performance was not helped by some poor decisions from the officials, together with Bromley spurning several goalscoring opportunities especially in the second half.

Eastleigh started brightly and Yemi Odubade dragged wide in the first minute, before he put the visitors head just two minutes later.

A deep cross to the far post was headed back across goal by Joe Partington to the unmarked Odubade, and his close range header gave Chris Kettings no chance.

The home side gradually recovered from the shock of conceding so early in the game, and Anthony Cook’s effort just dipped the wrong side of the crossbar; whilst Reece Prestedge’s shot was blocked by a defender, before Louis Dennis hooked the loose ball over the bar.

Anthony Cook is felled - a common theme in the afternoon

On the half hour mark, Ben Chorley made a charge down the left flank but his cross into the danger zone was crowded out and eventually cleared.

Jai Reason's shot at the other end had Kettings stretching and scampering across his goal.

Bromley were denied a certain penalty on 39 minutes when Cook broke into the area before being blatantly tripped by Reason, but neither the linesman – who was just ten yards away – nor the referee – who was even closer – saw anything wrong.

One minute later Cook was held back – also in the eighteen yard box – by Will Evans, as he latched onto Moses Emmanuel’s pass.

Reason should have put the visitors further ahead just before the interval, as he got clear on goal, but a poor effort from the Eastleigh striker was a routine save for Kettings.

The hosts began the second half on top, and Emmanuel’s shot on the turn through a crowd of players was just wide, before Dennis curled a delightful shot agonisingly wide of the far post.

As Bromley looked for the equaliser, Emmanuel unfortunately found the side netting with his effort, before Cook was again upended in the penalty area whilst chasing the ball into the corner.

Jack Holland turns a defender

However, Bromley did not need the help of the referee in the 62nd minute as they levelled the scoreline.

Dennis played a one-two with Cook to put him clear of his marker and, as he ran into the area past two defenders, he volleyed home from twelve yards high into the net.

Bromley might have had a second just three minutes later when Rob Swaine’s header, from Dennis’s corner, took a deflection at the last moment.

The home side were denied yet another blatant penalty in the 72nd minute when Emmanuel stretched to convert Jack Holland’s cross ball, and his standing leg was whipped away from him by a desperate defender on the goal line.

Kettings saved well from Odubade, before Eastleigh gained a bizarre second goal with twelve minutes remaining.

Mark Goldberg watches on as the Ravens are beaten at home 

With absolutely no danger, Reason’s hopeful lob into the area somehow found its way into the net as Chorley and goalkeeper, Kettings, left the ball for each other and the ball bounced past both of them and into the net without anyone else touching the ball.

Two minutes later Emmanuel had a glorious chance to level the scores when he only had the Eastleigh goalkeeper to beat, only to shoot wide of a beckoning goal.

Reason was denied by a smart diving save by Kettings tipping around the post his firmly hit cross shot, and in the last minute, Holland shot narrowly wide as the visitors too their place in the First Round Proper.

Bromley: Kettings, Udoji (Minshull, 81), Anderson, Swaine, Chorley, Holland, Prestedge (Goldberg, 81), Fuseini, Cook, Emmanuel, Dennis, SUBs (not used): Tumwa, Rodgers, Francis, Stanic-Stewart. Attendance: 1,110