It was always going to be a tough ask for Bromley to travel to Torquay United and come away with a positive result. Notwithstanding Torquay’s professional status and their tag as a league two club in all but name, they were also placed handily inside the top ten of the Conference Premier with a fully fit squad to choose from whilst Bromley were badly hampered by injuries to Pierre Joseph-Dubois, Rob Swaine and Jamie Slabber.

Most Bromley fans held out little or no hope for their side and the opening ten minute salvo from their hosts set the tone for a long day ahead. Three times inside the first ten minutes the effervescent Toby Ajala continually exploited space between the Bromley midfield and defence to create opportunities for his teammates. As early as the fourth minute Ajala released Jordan Chappell inside Joe Anderson only for Chappell to produce neither a shot nor cross as his tame daisy cutter drifted wide of the Bromley goal. Ajala was at it again three minutes later when his through ball released Ryan Bowman but his cross shot was well saved by Seb Brown. Having seen his teammates fluff their lines, Ajala attempted to break the deadlock himself. Cutting in from the left wing and beating two Bromley players in the process Ajala chose to pass rather than shoot when well set but Brown was alert to intercept the danger.

With Bromley looking all at the sea and lucky not to concede, tactical tweaks followed from the sidelines and subsequently for the next twenty minutes the Ravens held their own and nullified the Torquay threat going forward. In this passage of play Bromley managed to muster their only opportunity of the half courtesy of a long range drive from Adam Birchall that swerved in the air and caused Jordan Seabright in the Torquay goal to have to parry the ball to safety.

However within minutes Torquay were ahead with a stroke of good fortune, Ben Harding drove at the Bromley defence from midfield and from 20 yards hit a speculative effort that took a huge deflection of Jack Holland to wrong foot Brown in the Bromley goal. On the balance of play Torquay deserved the lead but the manner in which it came was cruel to the Ravens. Worse was to follow five minutes later when a break down the left wing from Courtney Cameron and a dangerous cross led to confusion in the Bromley penalty area, first Brown saved from a Ryan Bowman close range effort but in an attempt to clear lines Ugo Udoji could only hammer the ball against Ajala which led to the rebound squirming back into the Bromley goal past the despairing dive of the wrong footed Brown.

It could have been worse shortly before halftime when Cameron profited from a knock down in the Bromley penalty area only for him to shoot wildly over when it looked easier to score.

Two nil down at half time, to all intents and purposes the game looked dead and buried for Bromley. With limited options on the bench, it would require a herculean effort for the game to witness a turn around. Within ten minutes of the restart Torquay extinguished all hopes of any such thoughts with a third goal. Again excellent work by the winger Cameron down the left wing led to a brilliant cross and a simple headed finish by Bowman to put Torquay three up.

With the game now decided, Bromley promptly came out of their shell and played their best football of the game. The ravens were unlucky not to pull one back on the sixty minute mark, good link up play between Udoji, Ali Fuseini, Reece Prestedge and Joe Anderson created an opening for Birchall but he narrowly failed to reach Anderson’s cross across the penalty area. Five minutes later good work down the wing from Birchall created an opportunity for Jordan Robertson but his first time effort was well saved by Seabright however with the goal gaping Moses Ademola failed to turn in the rebound instead placing his shot straight at Seabright. Bromley created another opening when Fuseini played in Louis Dennis but his low effort was saved once again by Seabright.

Bromley were punished for their profligacy eight minutes from time, excellent one touch football between Durrell Berry, Chappell and substitute Ashley Yeoman led to the latter driving in from 20 yards low past Brown for Torquay’s fourth.

Moses Ademola fashioned one last effort for the ravens when his 18 yard volley was tipped over the bar by Seabright and from the resulting corner Robertson had a goal bound effort blocked.

Alas as the final whistle blew, Bromley were left to reflect on a heavy defeat that may have owed the opening two goals to good fortune but on the balance of play it was a scoreline reflective of the gulf in quality between a top ten Conference Premier side and a top two Conference South side.

 

Torquay United: Jordan Seabright, Durrell Berry, Tom Cruise, Aaron Downes, Krystian Pearce, Ben Harding, Jordan Chapell, Luke Young, Ryan Bowman (Ashley Yeoman 63), Toby Ajala (Louis Briscoe 69), Courtney Cameron (Angus MacDonald 81).

Subs: Martin Rice, Duane Ofori-Acheampong

Goals: Ben Harding 28, Toby Ajala 33, Ryan Bowman 56, Ashley Yeoman 82

Bromley: Seb Brown, Ugo Udoji, Joe Anderson (Eden Dewar-Douglas 80), Reece Prestedge, Danny Waldren, Jack Holland, Moses Ademola, Ali Fuseini, Jordan Robertson, Adam Birchall (Damian Scannell 69), Louis Dennis.

Subs: Paul Rodgers, Paul Agu

Attendance: 1,507 (114 away)