Bromley manager, Andy Woodman has slammed his players for a “safe” performance in a controversial FA Cup exit to Bristol Rovers.
Fabrizio Cavegn and Joel Cotterill fired Bristol Rovers ahead with quick-fire goals before Jemiah Umolu’s 83rd-minute header reduced the visitors’ lead.
Bromley thought that they had restored parity and forced extra time through Omar Sowunmi’s 92nd-minute header, only for referee, Isaac Searle to controversially disallow the goal due to Michael Cheek allegedly having been offside which ultimately sent Woodman’s Ravens out of the cup.
Woodman consequently was “really disappointed” at the performance as he slammed a “safe” first-half performance bereft of the club’s identity in his post-match interview, whilst he added that the conceded goals weren’t deserving of Bristol Rovers.
“Yeah, really disappointed. Really disappointed. Um I felt we were playing safe and just no real tempo first half. Um, I felt we needed to up the tempo. We’ve got to realise what we are, what sort of team we are.
“We are a high energy team that presses from the front. I felt we were not doing that. Not creating enough pressure around their goal. Um, we just lacked quality I felt. Um, you know and that that was disappointing for me today. And then the two goals, just poor goals.
“Ah, you know, I’ve got to say they’re poor goals. I haven’t looked at them closely in detail, but my mind tells me they were both poor goals. They weren’t really worked goals by Bristol Rovers. That said, they’re in our net. So, um you know that probably sounds a bit weird to say that.”
Woodman added that he believed that Sowunmi’s disallowed goal killed their late momentum as he slammed Searle for his decision, with Cheek having interfered in the build-up to the goal.
“Um, and then we get back into the game. We have a little ten-minute spell where we’re looking a bit more like ourselves, putting the ball in a dangerous area, attacking things, and then, you know, we get a goal disallowed, which I can’t hold in. I just can’t.
“An offside for a player that’s two yards past the front post, nowhere near interfering with play, goalkeeper, anyone, and the guy heads it in at the back post.
“Not going to lean on that just that decision because it was a bit more than that, but you know, it does kill you a little bit when you throw the kitchen sink at the end of the match, try to get back into it, and you get back in it and you get it snatched away from you. It’s disappointing.”
Bromley’s second-half effort though left Woodman bemused at their inability to kill the match off which was ultimately punished with two goals in the space of five minutes.
“I always felt second half, we looked a bit better second half. Um, create a bit more pressure around their goal. But you know, if you don’t put those away, you’re going to be susceptible to a counter-attack or a little moment and uh they took that moment and they punished us and they punished us twice.
“So, you know it’s an uphill battle 2-0. One that we took on and I felt we should have at least gone into extra time 2-2 for sure.”
Crystal Palace loanee, Umolu scored his first goal in his fourth appearance which left Woodman hopeful that the header will allow him to kick on and make more of a mark in the squad.
“Yeah, good for him. I’m glad for him because he’s been patient, he’s waited, he’s worked hard and he’s come on and he scored a goal for us. So hopefully that sort of kickstarts him a little bit. That’s a positive.
“Um, you know, it’s just a disappointing thing because this FA Cup means everything to me and I’m really struggling to sort of look at any other positives really.”
Ben Thompson was substituted just five minutes after he came on due to injury which left Woodman concerned but he ultimately rued his team’s inability “… to get this consistency going at the moment and it’s frustrating me a little bit. It’s really is.”
Bromley now will turn their attention back to League Two where they lie 11th but five points off the summit as they head to Colchester on 8 November, which Woodman believes won’t be easy after the Us also exited the cup in a 3-2 loss to MK Dons.
Woodman feels that the trip “won’t be an easy game”, so is anticipating a “spicy” contest but iterated that his team must focus now on turning their FA Cup exit into a positive and challenge for promotion with no distractions.
“Make sure we’re ready to start getting our mind on this league campaign and make sure that if there’s positive at the FA Cup, and I don’t think this is a positive, that we haven’t got no distractions of this like Newcastle last year, which I’m quite sad to say.
“So we’ve got to concentrate on the league. We’ve got to make sure we get something out of this league campaign.”
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