| Bromley 1 v 1 Ipswich Town Carabao Cup Tuesday, 12th August 2025 Kick-off 20:00 |  |
Bromley 1-1 Ipswich Town (5-4 on Pens) - Match Report Tuesday, 12th Aug 2025 22:16 George Hirst and Ali Al-Hamadi both missed penalties as the Blues were beaten 5-4 in a shootout by Bromley following a 1-1 draw at Hayes Lane in round one of the Carabao Cup. Deji Elerewe gave the home side the lead just before half-time, however, sub Ben Johnson levelled for the Blues eight minutes after the restart but unconvincing Town were unable to find a winner and the League Two side claimed their first ever win in the competition on penalties. The Blues made eight changes from the team which drew 1-1 at Birmingham on Friday with Ashley Young making his full Blues debut and Cedric Kipre and Fin Barbrook their debuts for the club, while Omari Hutchinson, Chuba Akpom, Jens Cajuste and Nathan Broadhead were among those absent from the squad. Christian Walton was in goal with Young at right-back and Leif Davis one of the three to survive from Friday’s opener at Birmingham at left-back. Kipre was on the left of the centre of defence alongside one-time Ravens loanee Luke Woolfenden, behind a young central midfield pairing of Cameron Humphreys and Barbrook, making his competitive bow having impressed during pre-season. Conor Chaplin skippered as the number 10 with Jack Clarke and Chieo Ogbene keeping their places either side of him. Ali Al-Hamadi, another ex-Bromley loanee, was the number nine. Among the subs, alongside rested senior players, was young Irish forward Leon Ayinde as well as two keepers, Alex Palmer and David Button. Recent signings Cajuste and Akpom weren’t involved, while Hutchinson, a target of Brentford and Nottingham Forest but who has had a throat infection, and Broadhead, the subject of interest from Wrexham, were also not in the squad, along with summer signing Azor Matusiwa, who made his debut at St Andrew’s. Bromley made seven changes from the team which beat Barnet 2-0 at Hayes Lane at the weekend with striker Michael Cheek, last season’s League Two Golden Boot winner, dropping to the bench. Ex-academy defender Omar Sowunmi started. The home side should have scored in the second minute. From the second of two corners, the ball was looped back into the box from the right by Marcus Ifill and Elerewe headed over when he should have scored. From the goal-kick, Town also should have taken the lead, Davis cutting back from the left of the box and Ogbene completely missing his kick at the back post and the ball scuffing well wide. On 12, Ogbene battled his way around the outside of Elerewe on the right inside the area but the ball was stabbed away from the Irish international before he could find a teammate. Moments later, there was a minute’s applause from both sets of supporters for Don White, a fan of both clubs and a TWTD poster, who died recently. Four minutes afterwards, Chaplin played in Al-Hamadi with the linesman’s flag surprisingly staying down but Sowunmi, who played alongside the Iraq striker at Bromley in his previous spell at the club, got a toe in to dispossess him. Town, who had been scruffy for the most part, almost went in front again on 26, Chaplin playing a clever cross-field pass forward for Al-Hamadi in front of Sowumni. The striker rode the ex-Blues youngster’s challenge and took the ball into the area but was forced wide by keeper Sam Long. Stroking home right-footed still seemed possible, however, Al-Hamadi laid back to Clarke, whose shot was blocked by Sowumni. Soon after the half hour, Davis lost possession on the left but Ifill overhit a pass through for Nicke Kabamba when a decent ball would have seen the former Barnet man in one-on-one with Walton. In the 33rd minute, Davis crossed deep from the right following a corner and Young volleyed over from a tight angle at the far post. Two minutes later, Clarke brought the ball across the edge of the area but scraped his low shot through to Long. Soon after, Chaplin looped a scuffed effort over with his back to goal from the 18-yard line, then on 37 Davis similarly mishit well wide from the edge. Town put together their best move of the half two minutes from the scheduled end, Clarke playing in Davis on the left and the full-back cut back to Chaplin on the edge of the area but the skipper shot just over. Bromley were next to threaten, Ben Krauhaus’s shot deflecting over from the edge of the box. And from the resultant corner, the Ravens went in front. Walton came for Ifill’s deep ball from the left but failed to get there and Sowunmi nodded back for Elerewe, who made amends for his earlier miss by heading into the roof of the net to give the home side the lead. The half-time whistle went soon afterwards to applause and cheers from the Hayes Lane crowd, delighted to see their side in the lead at the break. Town had been lacklustre for the most part with the ball given away too easily too often, nevertheless, they had created one or two openings with Ogbene and Al-Hamadi spurning decent opportunities and Chaplin going close just before the Bromley goal, the home side also having had their early chance. Having held their half-time teamtalk between the two Town buses in the car park due to a plumbing issue in their dressing room, the Blues made one change at the break, Johnson taking over from Davis at left-back. Bromley made two switches of personnel swapping Kabamba and Ben Thompson for star striker Cheek and one-time Norwich trainee Will Hondermarck. Town began the second half positively with the game being played largely in the Bromley half. And in the 53rd minute they levelled. Kipre played himself out of trouble inside his own box by finding Chaplin midway inside the Town half on the right, the skipper chesting into the path of Young. The former Manchester United man fed Ogbene, who burst forward leaving two defenders behind him before playing inside to Chaplin in the area. The former Portsmouth man set himself, then hit a shot which looked destined for the roof of the net until Long somehow pushed it onto the bar. However, Johnson was following up to hit the rebound low into the net, his second goal for the club and the first the Ravens have conceded this season. The home side weren’t too far away from re-establishing their lead in the 59th minute. Cheek was sent away behind the Blues’ backline to the right before finding Marcus Dinanga in space on the left of the box. It was a good opportunity but Walton was out quickly to close the angle and save sharply to his left. Town were next to threaten, Mitch Pinnock fouling Ogbene on the right and picking up the game’s first yellow card. Young lofted in the free-kick but it came to nothing. On 65, in the wake of a Town corner, a Humphreys cross from the right was cleared out to Johnson, who struck a powerful effort which Long helped on its way over the bar. From the resultant corner, Bromley broke quickly and Dinanga found himself with only Barbrook ahead of him breaking into the area but the youngster stuck to his task and slid in to divert the shot over, receiving slaps on the back from a number of his teammates. Ahead of the corner Dinanga was swapped for Soul Kader. Town made a triple change in the 70th minute, Jack Taylor, Sammie Szmodics and Hirst taking over from Barbrook, who can be pleased with his debut, Clarke and Ogbene with Al-Hamadi moving to the right. As the game moved into its final quarter of an hour, the Blues went close to a second. Chaplin fed the breaking Taylor to his left running into the area. The Irish international crossed low to Hirst, who had to set himself before shooting and Bromley skipper Jude Arthurs slid into send the Scotland international’s effort over the bar. Thursday Ravens switched Ben Krauhaus for Ashley Charles. In the 81st minute, Bromley broke through Cheek, who found Arthurs just outside the box but Kipre blocked his shot. From the corner, the ball flicked off a Town at the near post before going out for another corner on the other side from which Sowumni headed wide. The big centre-half will feel he ought to have done better. Chaplin looped a header wide from the edge on 87, then a minute later Szmodics was found breaking into the left of the box and hit a first-time effort across Long, which the keeper palmed away to his left for a corner. Town swapped Kipre for Jacob Greaves ahead of the flag-kick and the sub thought he should have won his side a penalty when the ball did come in. Greaves battled for the ball, then shot on the turn against a defender claiming it had hit a hand, but referee Michael Russell waved away the protests. The Blues were the side pushing for a winner as the game moved into five additional minutes. And four minutes in, they should have won it. Johnson crossed deep from the left to Al-Hamadi at the far post but the forward was unable to get a clean contact and bundled it wide. In the dying seconds, Cheek played in Ifill on the Bromley right the former Brighton trainee shooting over from a tight angle. That was the last action of a half which the Blues had controlled but not been able to put to bed, in part due to Long impressing in the Bromley goal but also due to poor finishing. The Ravens still remained a threat on the break, with the Blues continuing to give away possession too easily as they had in the first half, with Cheek having caused problems, carving out a number of opportunities. Bromley won the toss to to have penalties taken in front of their fans at the opposite end to the 497 Town supporters. Hirst, who scored from the spot for Town at Birmingham on Friday, slammed the first kick to Long’s left, the keeper blocking it, much to the delight of the home fans. Cheek buried Bromley’s first into the top corner to Walton’s right before Szmodics levelled with a low effort to the same side of the goal. Sub Charles stepped up next for Bromley and hit his shot to Walton’s left, the keeper getting across to parry it away to keep the score 1-1. Johnson was next, hitting his effort almost down the middle with Long diving to his right to make it 2-1 to the Blues. Home skipper Arthurs made it 2-2 with a low shot to Walton’s left with the keeper diving the other way. Young blasted his penalty into the top corner to Long’s right to make it 3-2, then Idris Odutayo similarly slammed his kick into the net, Walton going to his left as the ball flew to his right. Skipper-on-the-night Chaplin made it 4-3, finding the corner to Long’s right, then Pinnock did much the same to keep his side in it, making the score 4-4. Al-Hamadi was next but Long saved across to his left, giving Ifill the chance to win it for the Ravens, which he duly did, hitting it low into the right corner of Walton’s net to win a Carabao Cup tie for Bromley for the first time. It’s difficult to begrudge the Ravens their victory having made it a tough night for the Blues throughout. Hirst and Al-Hamadi both hit poor penalties and while Walton made one save, it wasn’t enough and the Blues exit the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle on penalties to League Two opposition for the second year running, AFC Wimbledon having beaten them last year in round two. The Blues are next in action when they host Southampton at Portman Road over Sunday lunchtime. Bromley: Long, Elerewe, Sowunmi, Krauhaus (Charles 76), Thompson (Hondermarck 46), Pinnock, Kabamba (Cheek 46), Arthurs (c), Ifill, Dinanga (Kader 66), Odutayo. Unused: Smith, German, Ilunga, Iwumene, Taylor. Town: Walton, Young, Woolfenden, Kipre (Greaves 88), Davis (Johnson 46), Barbrook (Taylor 70), Humphreys, Ogbene (Hirst 70), Chaplin (c), J Clarke (Szmodics 70), Al-Hamadi. Unused: Palmer, Button, O’Shea, Ayinde. Referee: Michael Russell (Portsmouth).
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