An Anthony Cook double secured Bromley’s first win of 2015 and re-ignited their promotion challenge in the Vanarama Conference South.

Having lost their opening two league games of 2015 it was imperative for form and confidence that Bromley returned from Basingstoke without a defeat and courtesy of Cook’s two goals it was mission accomplished.

With the fresh acquisition of goalkeeper Alan Julian from Sutton United and the return of hometown favourite Bradley Goldberg upfront tallied with the return of captain Rob Swaine and suspended Jack Holland Bromley looked a side brimming with fresh impetus and set out from the off determined to prove a point.

The opening ten minutes witnessed Bromley taking the game to their hosts with bright interplay between the wingers Moses Ademola and Anthony Cook and the front two of Ben May and Bradley Goldberg. However the Basingstoke rearguard held firm and the home side slowly but surely worked their way into the game. Indeed the first clear cut opportunity fell to Basingstoke on 14 minutes when Liam Enver-Marum received a neatly weighted through ball but Julian stood up to the task saving Marum’s low shot well.

Basingstoke were not, however, to be denied in their next attack. Chris Flood took advantage of Bromley’s failure to clear their lines, winning the loose ball then threading a ball through for the advancing Shaun McAuley who finished powerfully past by the exposed Julian to put Basingstoke one goal up.

However, Bromley’s reply was immediate courtesy of dead ball expertise from Anthony Cook. Lining up the free kick 25 yards out, Cook curled the ball around the wall into the bottom left hand corner to send the travelling Bromley contingent into raptures. A minute later Goldberg nearly marked his return to the club with a goal, some slack defensive play from the Basingstoke defence led to Goldberg pouncing on a loose ball at an angle in the 6 yard box but his fierce drive flashed across the goal.

The remainder of the half played out to limited goalmouth action but nevertheless was a game high on endeavour between two evenly matched teams.

The second half witnessed no let down in quality or tempo as both sides set their stall out to claim the three points. It was Bromley who looked the most threatening in the opening twenty minutes of the half. Stuart Moore had to be at his best to tip over a May header following an Ademola cross but will probably look back with disappointment at his error of judgement in letting in the winner from Cook.

A firm challenge from Swaine on Enver-Marum led to Cook breaking from within his own half and with nothing on he let fly from thirty yards out, whilst the shot had bend, dip and swerve on it Moore seemingly misjudged the flight and could only watch as the shot bounced over his outstretched arms into the corner of the net.

Cook really should have had his hat-trick in the 63^rd minute when he found himself free in the penalty area only for him to snatch at the opportunity and shank the shot wide.

Bromley were to nearly pay for that miss in the 70^th minute, a McAuley drive from distance took a huge deflection off Jack Holland but with the ball spinning towards the goal Julian was able to shift his balance to tip the ball one-handed round the post.

Bromley could and perhaps should have put the game to bed in the 77^th minute, Twice from consecutive corners Ben May had the opportunity to score the third. From the first, May’s toe-poke was cleared off the line and from the resulting corner, May’s header went narrowly over the bar.

Three minutes from time Julian again had to be at his best to deny a Callum McNaughton attempted clearance. As McNaughton stretched to divert a cross into the Bromley area his deflection headed goalwards only for Julian to produce a fantastic one-handed reaction stop.

Late drama, however, was to come deep in the seventh minute of injury time. Firstly Julian had to tip away a Tom Bird free kick, but from the resulting corner Enver-Marum headed into the Bromley goal only to be denied by an offside flag that prevented Basingstoke taking a share of the points.

 

Basingstoke Town: Moore, Smart, Bird, Rice (Williams 72), Dickie, Ray, Harper, McAuley, Enver-Marum, Flood (Macklin 64), Soares

Subs:  Jenkinson, Cox, Case

 

Bromley: Julian, Udoji, Anderson, Fuseini (Waldren 84), Swaine (McNaughton 82), Holland, Ademola, Prestledge, May, Goldberg (Slabber 90), Cook

Subs:  Rodgers, Birchall,