COYS
League 2 Bromley visited struggling Cheltenham on Tuesday evening looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season, as Cheltenham were searching not only for their first point of the season, but also a first league goal. Bromley dominated early precedings, but Cheltenham responded well and controlled much of the game. A controversial penalty gave Bromley just enough of an advantage to see the game out, despite a desperate push from the Robins towards the end of the match.
Pre-match: Line-ups & form
Cheltenham
Cheltenham manager Michael Flynn made 2 changes to his starting XI following his team’s 5-0 drubbing away to MK Dons at the weekend. Forward Jake Bickerstaff, on loan from Wrexham, and midfielder Liam Kinsella came in for Ryan Broom and Scot Bennett, who was injured during the warm-up, granting the initially-dropped Arkell Jude-Boyd a place in the team. Flynn was looking for his team to finally get their season up and running after what has been a disastrous start, losing all three league games, conceding 8 goals and failing to find the net themselves a single time. Their 2-0 win in the Carabao Cup over fellow League 2 side Exeter City will offer a small consolation to what has otherwise been a very poor opening few weeks for the Robins.
How the Robins line-up this evening 🗞️#ctfc♦️ pic.twitter.com/W1HzNLvZeA
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) August 19, 2025
Bromley
Andy Woodman made three changes to the team that battled Fleetwood Town to a 2-2 draw. Young Deji Elerewe came in for 38 year old Byron Webster at the back, while Ben Krauhaus and Nicke Kabamba replaced Marcus Denanga and Corey Whitely in the attack. The Ravens have enjoyed a steady start to their second ever season in the EFL, drawing twice and winning once. They also enjoyed causing a major upset in the Carabao Cup, knocking out Championship side Ipswich Town, who just last year were in the Premier League, on penalties.
Woody makes 3️⃣ changes from Saturday as Deji Elerewe, Ben Krauhaus and Nicke Kabamba come into the starting 11.#WeAreBromley pic.twitter.com/ZrXaisIvWi
— Bromley FC (@bromleyfc) August 19, 2025
First half
The half began with a spell of dominance from the away side, as they made use of their size with a number of set-piece routines. The first real chance from this came around the 10 minute mark from a corner, as a strong header from newly-crowned PFA League 2 Player of the Season Michael Cheek forced a strong save from Cheltenham keeper Joe Day. Just a few minutes later, the Ravens would make their pressure count. A throw-in was played short and swung in by Mitch Pinnock, and the in-swinging cross bounced across the face of goal before being put in at the back post by a sliding Omar Sowunmi.
Following this, Cheltenham began to finally assert themselves in the game by winning duels and second balls. Their first chance came from a wide free kick, when Luke Young nearly caught Bromley keeper Grant Smith out by shooting, only denied by the post. A corner then allowed Mazionis a free header, forcing a brilliant low-down save by Smith. Cheltenham asserted themselves for most of the rest of the half, with Bromley’s only chances coming by winning the ball high up the pitch, such as when Cheek stole the ball from Darragh Power, but the Cheltenham defence recovered to clear the cut-back. Jordan Thomas controlled a switched ball beautifully to cut in from the left, hitting a curling shot that forced yet another save from Smith. Bromley found a bit more joy towards the end of the half, but neither team really generated anything concrete in the final exchanges before the referee blew up for half-time.
Chances since going behind but it's the visitors who lead at the interval ⏸️#ctfc♦️ pic.twitter.com/aoZo6Go2Cf
— Cheltenham Town (@CTFCofficial) August 19, 2025
Second half
The half began with a chance for Cheltenham from a corner, put well over at the back post by Thomas. Just after this, Michael Cheek latched onto a lay-off from Kabamba and forced a block by Mazionis. Fairly quickly, the half resumed the pattern of most of the first, with Cheltenham dominating duels and pinning Bromley in as they searched for an equaliser. Despite this, Bromley came close from a counter, as Marcus Ifill smashed the cross-bar from a shot after collecting a cross on the edge of the box.
Bromley were the first to make changes in an attempt to reassert themselves in the game, as Krauhaus, Charles and Kabamba made way for Thompson, Dinanga and Arthurs. The changes did not affect the flow of thre game, as Bickerstaff controlled a ball at the near post, and when it bounced attempted a bicycle kick, saved wide by Smith. A cross from Miller off the left then nearly looped over the keeper to go straight in, but Smith touched it over the bar. Cheltenham then made substitutions, replacing Bickerstaff and Kinsella with Josh Martin and Ryan Broom. The Robins continued to dominate, but set-pieces would again come good for Bromley, albeit in controversial circumstances.
The Ravens were awarded a penalty for a tussle in the box during a corner, despite no players seemingly appealing. Regardless, Michael Cheek expertly dispatched the penalty to double the lead on the 71st minute. This prompted another change for the Robins as Lee Angol replaced Power, changing to a four in defence. Cheltenham will feel especially hard done by the dubious penalty decision, as just minutes after the restart substitute Martin would cannon in a half-volley for their first league goal of the season. Grant Smith went down injured just after this, despite nothing touching him, as Bromley looked to kill Cheltenham’s momentum with gamesmanship. This worked very effectively, as Cheltenham began to rush and their execution became sloppy, allowing Bromley to draw easy fouls and limit their creation. Byron Webster came on for the booked Ifill with ten minutes of normal time to go, as Andy Woodman looked to see out the game. Despite 8 minutes of added time, that is exactly what Bromley were able to do.
The unbeaten start to 2025/26 continues 👏#WeAreBromley pic.twitter.com/beu0NoSyy0
— Bromley FC (@bromleyfc) August 19, 2025
Man of the match
In a game where the winning team was largely under the cosh, having to soak up pressure for over 75 minutes, it only seems right to give man of the match to a defender. And given Bromley’s opener was scored by Omar Sowunmi, who was also a rock at the back throughout the game, it seems fair to give him the award. An honourable mention to Cheltenham’s Jordan Thomas, who came close on a number of occasions cutting in off the left, and generally caused the most problems for Bromley as Cheltenham pushed for their equaliser.
Final thoughts
Bromley will be very content with how they saw out the game, especially with how they coped after conceding the goal for 2-1. There was a lot of gamesmanship from the Ravens, but that is ultimately a skill and they showed it in spades tonight. For Cheltenham, the loss sees them still without a point four games into the season and rock bottom. They can still take solace in their performance, which after going behind was very strong, and were it not for the questionable penalty decision they might be walking away from the night with a very different feeling. They did manage to find the back of the net for the first time in the league this season, which will be another sign of promise. Bromley travel to Notts County this weekend hoping to continue their strong start to the season, while Cheltenham will host newly-promoted Barnet.
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