Bromley stand on the verge of history if they can complete an FA Cup giant-killing in their 1st round replay with Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night live on BT Sport.
One has to go back 74 years to find the last time Bromley made the FA Cup 2nd Round when their highly successful amateur side lost narrowly to Watford.
Ravens manager Neil Smith is well aware of the significance of the replay and took some time after Bromley’s 3-3 draw with Harrogate on Saturday to talk with KSN about the tie.
“The game, to be honest, isn’t about me, it’s for the club, the supporters and the players. To bring a club the size of Bristol Rovers, just outside the League One play-off places, back to a full house on Tuesday night is just rewards for the supporters who have really got behind us all season”.
Having held Rovers to a draw at the Memorial stadium in a game of high drama that saw Bromley play with 10 men for the final 25 minutes, Smith was eager to stress that the foundation for that performance had been built on going into the game with no fear.
“I told the lads before the game, enjoy it. You’re playing against League One players, put yourself up against them, how far away do you really think you are from them? In possession I thought we never panicked, we looked comfortable and that gave the players the belief they could get a result”.
Rovers manager Graham Coughlan was brutally honest after the game acknowledging that his players were sub-par and never really showed up. Few would expect his side to be as poor a second time round and Smith is aware of that himself.
“I’m going to need the same belief from my players on Tuesday that they showed in the first game and a little bit more. The ball has to bounce our way and we will need a little bit of luck and provided it all comes together we can get a result on Tuesday night”
The draw for the Second Round has already been made and both Bromley and Bristol Rovers know that the winner will face League Two Plymouth Argyle at home on Sunday 1st December.
Smith admits a home draw is exactly what the club wanted as a potential carrot.
“It was a great draw as it’s a home draw and a great financial boost for the club. The draw is a massive incentive for the team knowing another league club would await with a great following. We would love to be able to beat Rovers and test ourselves once again”.
The game is all-ticket and Bromley have advised that they expect the game to sell out having sold 3000 tickets by Sunday. Tickets can be purchased here – http://www.bromleyfc.tv/site/over-2000-tickets-sold-for-bristol-rovers-replay/ and the game will also be live on BT Sport 1 with a 7:45pm kick off.