Bromley started the new year with a whimper as they failed to deal with the windy conditions and a well organised Concord Rangers outfit.

Despite defeating their opponents 4-1 in the away fixture on Boxing Day, it was Concord rather than Bromley that played like the side on an unbeaten run and subsequently always looked the more threatening side over the course of the ninety minutes.

The first opportunity of the game, however, did fall to Bromley. Neat work from Louis Dennis released Jamie Slabber who dallied over the opportunity leading to his effort being well blocked by Josh Vickers in the Concord goal. Concord’s reply was immediate, following a quick counter attack, Steve Cawley played a wonderful defence splitting pass that enabled Lewis Taffe to bear down on the Bromley goal only for a smart Seb Brown save to deny him the opening goal.

Taffe was not to be denied three minutes later, in the nineteenth minute, as he profited from a Sam Collins cross to dispatch a diving header past Brown to give Concord the lead. Bromley’s response to the goal was quick, Danny Waldren broke up play in the middle of the park and fed Louis Dennis who broke past the Concord defence only to be impeded illegally by Vickers. Despite Concord protestations over the penalty decision, Dennis stepped up and levelled the scores with a firmly struck effort.

The remainder of the half was low on quality as neither side could put together a passage of enterprising play instead resorting to long balls with little to no end product. Bromley’s best opening in this period of play came courtesy of a breakaway led by Damien Scannell however his cut back across the six yard box was fluffed by Slabber and Waldren as they got in each other’s way. In first half injury time Taffe forced a save from Brown with another header but both sides went in level at the break.

The second half witnessed a desperately poor performance from the ravens as they failed to test Vickers once over the duration of the 45 minutes. Within ten minutes of the restart Concord scored what was to prove the decisive goal, a cross into the box was flapped at by Brown and Cawley nipped in front of him to head into an unguarded net.

Seizing the initiative Concord promptly dictated the remainder of the match as Bromley repeatedly failed to show any subtly to their play, too often going long to an unflustered Concord defence. In the 62nd minute Concord should have had a third when Faffe just failed to connect at the back post to a great Gary Ogilve cross.

As the game ticked into the last ten minutes, Callum McNaughton contrived to nearly turn an innocuous Concord cross into his own net but sharp reflexes from Brown kept the game alive. Brown again came to Bromley’s rescue with an injury time penalty save. Lewis Taffe exploited more loose Bromley play and as he strode into the penalty area, he was brought down from behind by Jack Holland.

Holland received his marching orders but Brown was up to the task as he saved Ogilve’s penalty low to his right. That was to be Bromley’s sole highlight of the second half as they slumped to a tame defeat.

Bromley: Brown, Udoji, Anderson (Fuseini 82), Prestedge (Birchall 69), Mcnaughton, Holland, Scannell, Waldren ©, Slabber (Robertson 45), Ademola, Dennis

Subs (not used): Rodgers, Agu,

Concord Rangers: Vickers, King, Ogilvie,Woodyard, Lampe, Fry, Cawley (Gardner 89), White, Taffe, Collins, Stokes ©

Subs (not used): Evandro, Walker, Miles, Kouassi

​Attendance: 1029​