Bromley brush aside Dover to maintain title bid

Bromley avenged their 3-0 Boxing Day defeat by Dover by beating them by the same margin at Hayes Lane to maintain their National League title challenge.

Goals from Frankie Raymond with a penalty, Josh Rees and Michael Cheek helped the home side to a crucial win that keeps them in third place behind Barrow and Yeovil, who also won their New Year’s Day games.

Dover made the brighter start and striker Inih Effiong had a glorious chance to open the scoring after finding himself in space but somehow managed to put his shot wide of the target from 10 yards out.

Effiong had two other opportunities, while centre-half Dave Winfield had a chance to put Bromley ahead after the ball bounced around in the area but his shot was deflected over the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken just before half-time when Joe Kizzi was man-handled at the back post and Raymond stepped up and coolly dispatched the penalty beyond Yusuf Mersin, despite the goalkeeper diving the right way.

Midfielder Rees doubled the lead early in the second half by scoring on the counter-attack and he almost grabbed a second as his long-range shot was saved by Mersin.

Bromley continued to dominate and Rees had two further chances to add to his tally before substitute Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s excellent arced ball over the top found the feet of Cheek, who got ahead of his man and went one on one with Merson, finishing clinically.

Deep into injury time, substitute Andre Coker almost added a fourth, but after cutting in and getting the better of Effiong, his well-struck, dipping shot was tipped over the bar by Mersin.