Bromley 2 Blues 0

Leiston’s best ever run in the FA Trophy ended at the First Round stage as Conference South Bromley showed a little too much guile to knock out the Suffolk side. Richard Wilkins men battled gamely throughout but had their best spells of the game prior to the opening and the final ten minutes of the contest. Bromley, currently sitting second in the Vanarama Conference South, scored a goal late in either half to break the Ryman Premier Division clubs hearts. Both sides came into the game in a rich vein of form and it was the visitors who started the better. Things may have turned out differently had Patrick Brothers cross-cum-shot in the ninth minute not have struck the inside of Seb Brown’s post and bounced to safety and ten minutes later Scott Mitchell’s curling, dipping effort from the edge of the box fell into the grateful arms of Seb Brown. The Kent side took their time but gradually grew into the game and Reece Prestedge volleyed wide from Damian Scannell and then Danny Waldren’s glancing header from Moses Ademola’s cross raced across the Leiston face of goal. Leiston responded when Tom Winter met Blake Saker’s right wing cross but his header just cleared the home bar. But then on 36 minutes Bromley opened the scoring against the run of play. Danny Waldren skipped across the box but his shot looked a comfortable save for Danny Gay but the Leiston stopper spilled his effort and former Chelmsford City striker Jamie Slabber mopped up the loose ball to prod home the opener. It was hard on Leiston who were certainly well in the tie and posing several problems for their higher ranked side and they were dealt another blow as Patrick Brothers limped off with a hamstring problem to be replaced by Josh Mayhew.

The second half saw Bromley dominate territorially and after Moses Ademola saw an effort strike the base of the post, Danny Gay atoned for his earlier error with telling saves to twice deny Louis Dennis and Damian Scannell. With Leiston pressing for a leveller Bromley all but sealed the win as Reece Prestedge’s ball over the top allowed Louis Dennis to spring the visitor’s offside trap with eight minutes remaining to confidently beat the advancing Danny Gay. There was still time for the visitors to press. First Stuart Boardley flashed an effort wide at the far post from Blake Saker’s deep cross and then Conor Hubble saw a goal bound effort blocked by Holland as the Blues quest for FA Trophy glory ended for another year.

FT - Bromley 2 Blues 0

Bromley line up – Brown, Udoji, Anderson, Prestedge, Swaine (Fuseni 69 mins), Holland, Scannell, Waldren, Slabber (Robertson 63 mins), Ademola (Birchall 63 mins), Dennis. Subs not used – Rodgers and Joseph-Dubois.

Blues line up – Gay, Saker, Boardley, Mitchell (Bullard 76 mins), Tann, Jefford, Winter (Parker 76 mins), Heath, Ottley-Gooch, Hubble, Brothers (Mayhew 37 mins). Subs not used – Merritt and Rossis.

Goals – Slabber (36 mins), Dennis (82 mins)

Yellow cards – Bullard (Leiston)

Man of the Match – Gareth Heath

Attendance - 413