Bromley picked up a much needed three points with a fantastic second half display that saw them power past Hartlepool at Hayes Lane on Saturday afternoon.
The game got off to a slow start with little incident right up until the fifteenth minute when Adam Mekki was brought down in the box for a penalty and Frankie Sutherland coolly slotted away the spot kick to put The Ravens in front.
Mekki was a live wire down the right and was soon involved again when he crossed for George Porter who headed just wide from ten yards out. Joe Quigley had a header saved by Scott Loach soon after from another Mekki ball, before Hartlepool had a lengthy spell of pressure, which saw Bromley struggle to get out of their own half for prolonged periods as they sat deeper and deeper.
Liam Noble headed over for Pools and Marcus Dinanga headed wide as they pressed, but The Ravens held on to their lead.
The second half saw Hartlepool start well again, but Bromley got going from their and they doubled their lead just after the hour when Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe found Mekki whose cross wasn’t cleared properly and Omar Bugeil pounced to smash the ball past Loach from six yards out.
Ogedi-Uzokwe’s introduction gave the home side some much needed pace and when Neil Smith switched to three centre backs and pushed Richard Brindley forward it added another dimension to the Bromley attack. Pools sub Luke James had a header saved, before the game was put beyond doubt on 76 minutes when Brindley played in Bugeil who was brought down by Peter Kloso.
The unfortunate Hartlepool right back was then sent off for a second bookable offence. Sutherland sent Loach the wrong way with his penalty to make it 3-0.
Brindley pushed forward again soon after only to be fouled for a free kick and then he went one better on 84 minutes when he put a low ball across the face of the goal for Porter to slide in and bundle the ball home for 4-0.
The Ravens finished the game on top against the ten men who must have wondered how they ended up losing the game by four having dominated the play for half an hour in the first half.
Bromley moved up to fourteenth in the National League with this win as they now prepare for their first round FA Cup tie with Peterbrough Utd at Hayes Lane next weekend.
Bromley: Gregory, Brindley, Holland, R Johnson, Wood, Sutherland, Raymond, Mekki (Goodman 74), Porter, Bugeil (De Silva 85), Quigley (Ogedi-Uzokwe 60).
Subs Not Used: Goddard, Rooney.
Hartlepool: Loach, Kloso, Kitching (Newton 45), Magnay, Noble, Donaldson, Muir (James 58), Featherstone, Anderson (Hawkes 68), McLaughlin, Dinaga.
Subs Not Used:
Goals: Sutherland 15 & 76 pens, Bugeil 62mins, Porter 84mins.
Ref: Leigh Doughty
HT 1-0 FT 4-0
Att, 1,516