Blues in dreamland as Bromley are beaten in cup

(MET POLICE WIN 5-3 ON PENALTIES)

Make no mistake – the Blues deserved to win Tuesday night's hard-fought London Senior Cup quarter-final against Conference side Bromley, who fielded their full side.

The Met have earnt themselves a plum home tie in the semi-finals against the winners of Brimsdown Rovers v Hendon.

Blues manager Jim Cooper on the club’s website had told his players to take one game at a time.

Conference side Bromley were favourites but, as that great footballer Jimmy Greaves used to say: “Football is a funny old game.”

The home side opened the scoring with their first attack on 18 minutes.

A mistake by the Blues on the halfway line set Phil Ruggles clear and he drove wide of the approaching keeper Mo Maan into the far corner of the net.

The deserved equaliser came on 41 minutes through yet another mistake, but this time by the Bromley defence, and Nicky Humphrey of all players picked up the loose ball and drove it into the back of the net from 15 yards out.

The second half found Blues in attacking mode.. A couple of shots were cleared off the Bromley goal line by defenders.

On 75 minutes, Salifou Ibrahima was given a straight red card for delivering an elbow into the face of Rob Smith.

The Blues should have sealed the game in the remaining 15 minutes. Michael Cobden picked up the ball from a corner and on the six-yard line drove the ball goal wards.

Amazingly it was deflected off the goal line by a defender. Minutes later, Laurent Hamici shaved the wrong side of the post with 10-yard volley.

The game went into extra time, although you would never have guessed it with the Blues upping the pace and continuing to show great determination and commitment.

Either side could and should have scored. A great James Rose shot was brilliantly saved by Gareth Williams the Bromley keeper.

Bromley went on the attack and found themselves with two forwards free.

Somehow, Blues skipper Steve Sutherland made a great sliding tackle to sweep the ball away.

Maan never put a foot wrong and made two great saves. With just seconds remaining in extra time, Smith just missed the target with a 11-yard opportunist shot.

Into the penalty shoot out. The nerves were tingling but it did not show on the faces of the Blues players appointed to take the spotkicks.

Hamici struck the first one straight into the net giving the keeper no chance, Bromley replied by doing the same.

Then came Craig Wilkins and Bromley replied. utherland was never going to miss and alas neither did Bromley.

It was then the turn of Cobden to make it 4-3. Bromley’s fourth spotkick was on target but Maan dived the right way and in full stretch got his fingers to the ball to force it around the post.

All was quiet as up stepped a very composed Rose, whose spotkick nearly broke the back netting to make it 5-3 and win the tie.

You could have heard a pin drop as the usual very noisy Bromley supporters were speechless. It only lasted a few seconds as the handful of Blues supporters made themselves heard as the penny dropped.

It would be wrong of me to single out any individual Police player because the whole squad were magnificent and were still fully committed even well into extra time.

A deserved win and more important a home draw in the semis.

I must admit I have not even looked to see who is in the the other semi-final. As Cooper said: “The Blues must take one game at a time.”

ATTENDANCE 120