BROMLEY 1 DARTFORD 0

FA Cup 3rd qualifying round

BROMLEY made hard work of seeing off their near neighbours Dartford at Hayes Lane on Saturday in this FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round tie.

Both sides created chances in the first 45 minutes in an entertaining first half.

The game opened brightly with Dartford almost scoring after just 30 seconds, but centre forward Brendon Cass failed to guide his shot on goal from an acute angle, although he did manage to lift the ball over the oncoming Andy Walker.

Bromley's first attempt on goal came after 10 minutes when Danny Hockton flashed a shot over the bar, and two minutes later Sam Wood fired a low volley just wide of the post.

On 15 minutes Barry Moore gave the ball away to Cass but his 25-yard effort was just wide of the post.

Three minutes later at the other end, Danny Hockton and Gareth Williams played a one-two and the latter then took the ball away from full back Steve Norman before laying it into the path of Moore, who wasted his chance by blasting high and wide of the goal from 10 yards out.

A quick throw-in to Williams on 27 minutes saw the striker bring out a brilliant save from goalkeeper Tony Kessell, as he went full length to tip Williams' fierce volley around the post.

Almost immediately it was Walker's turn to excel as he denied Cass with a diving save, after the visiting striker had wriggled free.

As half-time approached both sides should have opened the scoring.

On 44 minutes, Walker tipped a wickedly swerving 20-yard shot from Cass over the bar.

A minute later, Moore's free kick to Simon Glover wide on the left saw Francis Duku head straight at Kessell from Glover's cross.

In time added on, Wood chased a long ball into the corner and did well to keep it in play on the byeline, before laying the ball back to Hockton, who sliced his shot wide of a gaping goal from around the penalty spot.

The second half was a bit of an anticlimax as Bromley dominated throughout, without creating too many goal-scoring opportunities.

Two minutes after the restart, Gareth McCleary tricked his way past two defenders only to see his curling shot come back off the far post, and one minute later Wood, who was put in by Glover, shot over from a narrow angle.

The breakthrough came on 55 minutes.

Moore received a throw-in on the left and went on a run across the 18-yard box, tracked by Richard Avery.

As Moore entered the box, Steve Norman and Avery tangled with him and brought him down.

The linesman immediately signalled a penalty. Kessell saved Hockton's spot kick with his outstretched legs, but the ball fell kindly for Hockton to net the rebound.

Dartford responded with an isolated attack with a high ball into the area, which was nodded into the path of Cass by Jay May, but Cass's shot was held by Walker.

The same two players broke away but Walker read the situation well and was quickly off his line to smother at the feet of Cass.

Bromley continued to have the better of the exchanges all to no avail, but they might have added to their score in the last minute when Kessell turned around the post two efforts by substitute Ali Chaaban.

BROMLEY: Walker, Clark, Glover, Moore, Duku, Henriques, Adeniyi, McCleary (Bowry, 79 mins), Williams (Chaaban, 84 mins), Hockton, Wood.

SUBS NOT USED: Corneille, Judge, Gibbs.

DARTFORD: Kessell, Coyle, Norman, Flanagan, O'Brien, Guest, Avery (Moore, 81 mins), May, Cass, McClements, Green (Hayes, 70 mins).

SUBS NOT USED: Osbourne, Potter, Tedder.

ATT: 1,022