BROMLEY 2 DORCHESTER TOWN 1

BEN Watson’s first-half strike put him into double figures for league goals this season but the Magpies had a second 45 minutes to forget in Kent.

The injury to keeper Benjamin Büchel compounded Dorchester’s misery as the on-loan shot-stopper was carried off in between Pierre Joseph-Dubois and substitute Elliott Buchanan finding the net for the hosts.

The fact the second Bromley goal came so close to the end made it all the more galling for Phil Simkin and his players who thought they had done enough for a point until Buchanan struck late on.

The one ray of light for the Magpies is that after five wins in their last six prior to Saturday the defeat did not have any serious repercussions on their position in Blue Square Bet South.

A trip to Eastbourne Borough awaits the Magpies tomorrow when they will hope to have club captain Mark Jermyn back after he did not take to the field against Bromley – the defender was recovering from a nose operation after breaking it in the win at Truro City.

Harry Bell came in for Jermyn at Bromley in the only change to the starting line-up following the 6-1 thrashing of Billericay Town while Kieffer Moore made up the bench though he still wasn’t fit enough to play.

And it took just seven minutes for the visitors to lay to rest the ghosts of their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Ravens in early January.

Büchel played a supporting role with a long clearance which fell to Watson who fought off a couple of defenders before slotting past Joe Welch in the home side’s goal from 15 yards to make it 1-0 and set the Magpies on their way to a possible sixth win in seven.

It should have been 2-0 moments later and this time Watson turned provider but his cross was headed agonisingly wide by Charlie Clough when it looked easier to score than miss.

The first real sniff Bromley had came on 12 minutes when Mike Jones went down in the box but the appeals for a penalty were waved away.

Welch almost gifted Dorchester a second when his miskick fell to Sam Malsom some 30 yards out and with the goal wide open the midfielder skied his effort wide of the unguarded net.

The hosts had a strong finish to the half in the last 15 minutes and, luckily for the Magpies, Büchel was at the top of his game as he preserved his side’s lead going into the break.

Bromley had their chances though with Louie Theophanous seeing his shot deflected wide for a corner then a cross by captain Ali Fuseini hit stand-in Magpies’ skipper Nathan Walker on the knee before landing safely in Büchel’s arms.

The Liechtenstein international was only getting warmed up and the second half was four minutes old when he produced a superb double save, the second from Theophanous being the pick of the two.

Having looked like they had weathered the storm, the visitors were undone by a set-piece.

A Fuseini free- kick from deep was met by the head of Frenchman Joseph-Dubois and he levelled the scores on 55 minutes.

Fuseini was rightly booked for a bad challenge on Arran Pugh soon after then Malsom hit a half-volley over when well-placed.

But just after the hour mark came the injury to Büchel as he saved from Ishmael Welsh and Jones’ follow up was headed off the line.

The keeper received a lengthy spell of treatment before being replaced by Jason Matthews.

Simkin used up his three substitutions with 20 minutes left by bringing on Lewis Morgan and Nick Crittenden for Malsom and Jamie Gleeson and their introduction seemed to have paid off as the game entered the closing stages.

However, good work from former Terra Joseph-Dubois set up Bromley substitute Buchanan and he fired home from inside the area and although Crittenden curled a late free kick just over there was to be no comeback for the visitors.

Bromley: Welch, Ming, Patterson, Fuseini, Orome, Holland, Joseph-Dubois (Rhule 86), Waldren, Theophanous, Jones (Jones 77), Welsh (Buchanan 65). Subs not used: Howard, Daly.

Magpies: Büchel (Matthews 65), Bell, Smeeton, Pugh, N Walker, Gleeson (Critt-enden 69), Malsom (Morgan 69), Nicholls, Watson, Clough, Martin. Subs not used: S Walker, Moore.