League Two leaders, Bromley extended their unbeaten run to 14 matches with a 1-1 draw against Cheltenham at the Copperjax Stadium.
Mitch Pinnock fired Bromley into a fourth-minute lead with his first goal for the club through a left-footed strike into the top-left corner.
Isaac Hutchinson however snatched a point for Cheltenham with his 25th-minute finish from Jordan Thomas’ cross on a swift counter-attack.
Bromley remained top of the table on 64 points but their title lead is now down to three points after Cambridge were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Colchester, which allowed Swindon to leapfrog the Us into second with a comeback 2-1 victory at Barnet.
Cheltenham meanwhile remained 18th by virtue of goals scored after Shrewsbury moved level with them on 32 points and a goal difference of -22, having beaten Notts County 1-0 at home to dent the Magpies’ promotion ambitions.
On a 13-match unbeaten run and yet to lose at home prior to kick-off, Bromley made an excellent start as Pinnock broke forward with a left-footed strike to put the Ravens into a fourth-minute lead after he pounced on a headed deflection into his path after he initially lobbed the ball in-between various players.
Bromley nearly extended their lead just two minutes later but Ben Thompson’s header from Michael Cheek’s cross was saved by Joe Day.
Steve Cotterill’s Cheltenham subsequently tried to fight back as Hutchinson and Jake Bickerstaff fired wide, whilst Grant Smith saved George Miller’s 16th-minute header as they seized control of the game and left Bromley struggling to gather a foothold in the game.
Cheltenham eventually capitalised upon Bromley’s defensive inconsistency from a 25th-minute attack as Thomas fought his way past three players on Bromley’s left on a quick breakaway, and found Hutchinson to sweep in their equaliser to restore parity.
Bromley soon afterwards nearly restored their lead in the 32nd minute on an attack up the left, which fell for Pinnock to cross into the box but Ben Krauhaus headed the delivery wide of the right corner.
Neither team found a second goal before half time as Luke Young and Bickerstaff fired wide for Cheltenham, whilst Thompson blazed a 44th-minute shot over the bar for the league leaders.
The end-to-end drama of the closing phase of the first half continued into the second half as Young and Thompson fired wide for their respective teams.
Cheek then curled a 64th-minute shot over the bar as Bromley upped their intensity after Nicke Kabamba and Brooklyn Ilunga were introduced onto the pitch.
Cheltenham subsequently tried to cheat their way to a 70th-minute penalty as Hutchinson broke forward on a quick counter-attack, yet he opted to simulate a foul under pressure from Marcus Ifill but referee – Elliott Swallow refused to fall for his behaviour.
Cotterill’s Robins were spurred on by Hutchinson’s dirty move as they upped their own intensity as Thomas and Sam Sherring put chances wide.
Bromley subsequently raised their intensity to another level as Ilunga and Jude Arthurs fired wide, whilst several crosses and corner-kicks were resiliently cleared by Cheltenham, as both teams eventually grinded out a point.
The result extended Bromley’s unbeaten run to 14 matches as they remained at the summit of League Two, and are now undefeated in their last 19 league matches on their home turf.
What’s Next?
Bromley continue their bid for automatic promotion with a trip to relegation-battling Harrogate on Saturday 24 February at 3pm GMT.
Cheltenham meanwhile will look to put a dent into the promotion aspirations of one of Bromley’s rivals, as they host Salford City at the same time on 24 February at Whaddon Road.
Teams
Bromley: Grant Smith, Marcus Ifill, Zech Medley, Jesse Debrah, Idris Odutayo, Ashley Charles (Arthurs 46′), Ben Krauhaus (Ilunga 60′), Ben Thompson (Kabamba 60′), Will Hondermarck, Mitch Pinnock, Michael Cheek
Substitutes: Damola Ajayi, Jude Arthurs, Brooklyn Ilunga, Nicke Kabamba, Sam Long, Lakyle Samuel, Omar Sowunmi
Cheltenham: Joe Day, Sam Sherring, James Wilson, Robbie Cundy, Jonathan Tomkinson, Ben Stevenson, Jordan Thomas (Broom 83′), Luke Young, Jake Bickerstaff, Isaac Hutchinson, George Miller (Davison 64′)
Substitutes: Harry Ashfield, Ryan Broom, Josh Davison, Cole Deeming, Mamadou Diallo, Josh Martin, George Nurse
Referee – Elliott Swallow
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