Andy Woodman lauds Bromley character in victory at Cheltenham

Manager Andy Woodman praised his Bromley side after they maintained their unbeaten start to the League Two season with a 2-1 victory at Cheltenham.

Despite Cheltenham having lost their opening three games, Woodman insisted the hosts were much stronger than their record suggests.

Bromley raced into a two-goal lead through Omar Sowunmi and Michael Cheek before substitute Josh Martin pulled one back for Cheltenham – their first League Two goal of the campaign – but it wasn’t enough to prevent a fourth straight defeat.

“We started really brightly and looked really good for the first 15 or 20 minutes, scoring the goal,” said Woodman. “But then we came away from it and started doing some bizarre stuff.

“Cheltenham were excellent, chasing every ball. They certainly didn’t look like a side who had lost their first few games.

“They made it hard for us. Their front men pinned our defenders, they delivered balls into the box and it wasn’t as easy as some might have expected. Credit to their manager (Michael Flynn) for how he set them up.

“They made it a tough night for us. We got the second goal from the penalty spot and then their guy scores a wonder goal which lifted the crowd and gave them momentum.

“Then it was about whether we had the minerals – and we did. We dug in, defended well, and made it a battle. This is a really good result for us.”

Bromley dominated the early stages and took a deserved lead in the 14th minute when Mitch Pinnock’s cross was turned in by Sowunmi from close range.

Marcus Ifill nearly made it 2-0 but Cheltenham improved before the break. Luke Young struck a post with a free-kick and Jordan Thomas forced a flying save from Bromley goalkeeper Grant Smith.

Cheltenham continued to press after the restart, with Jake Bickerstaff denied by Smith on the hour.

However, Bromley doubled their lead in the 71st minute when Sowunmi was fouled by Jacob Mazionis in the box and Cheek calmly converted the penalty.

Two minutes later, Cheltenham responded. Ryan Broom’s cross was only partially cleared and Martin, making his home debut, rifled in a fine strike from the edge of the area.

Cheltenham boss Michael Flynn was left frustrated by his side’s defending.

“I thought we were the better team apart from the first 15 minutes, when we looked shot to pieces, to be honest,” he said.

“We looked like we were waiting for something to happen. We kicked into gear after they scored but it shouldn’t take that.

“It’s frustrating because Bromley are a strong, well-organised team and I don’t want to take anything away from them but we’ve helped them again.”