CHARLTON Athletic knocked Bromley out of the EFL Trophy at the group stage after winning 1-0 at The Valley on Tuesday night.
Miles Leaburn scored the only goal of the game from Greg Docherty’s assist 20 minutes from time in front of an attendance of 2,916.
There was some drama on a relatively low-key night when Addicks boss Nathan Jones was red-carded after referee Ben Atkinson decided he had touched the ball on the pitch just before half-time.
Jones’s side topped Group C of the southern section with three wins from three games to comfortably go through to the round of 32.
Bromley needed to win to overtake Cambridge United in second place. Chelsea under-21s finished third as the top two went through.
Charlton assistant boss Curtis Fleming thought the red card was harsh.
He said: “I was a bit shocked, just like everyone else in the stadium. It happened with Mikel Arteta and he got a yellow card from it. The referee said at half-time as we were coming back out that he had to give him a red. He was in his technical area, it is a tight one.
“We think it was very harsh, to be honest I think the gaffer hasn’t been treated too well this season [by officials]. We go to most grounds, and he is quite animated, like a lot of coaches, as soon as he steps out that half an inch, they are on him.
“It’s crazy to say but the gaffer has to dust himself down and go again, it is something that we will look at and send a report in about.”
Fleming added: “We wanted to get a win. After a defeat, the next game is the most important, you shouldn’t be thinking about anything other than that. We would have like more goals probably, I thought at times we got quite comfortable in the game, we didn’t create as many as we would have wanted.”
Yet another academy player made his debut, as nineteen-year-old midfielder Kai Enslin made his debut and played the full game.
“It’s a wonderful club, what a conveyor belt it is as well,” Fleming said. “He has waited a while. Others have jumped up and got their debuts, but he has waited. I remember watching the 21s doing a bleep test in pre-season and he ran everyone into the ground. He’s very humble and talented. He has trained hard every day and came on the pitch tonight giving himself the best chance. No one is happier for him than us, I was buzzing to tell him [he was playing], that is why we play football. He will remember this day.
“I thought he grabbed his opportunity tonight. We talk about the shop window, looking for a chance in the squad, after tonight you would say he has probably kicked the door down. We’ll have to see what happens.”
Andy Woodman’s Ravens are back in League Two action on Saturday when Carlisle United are the visitors to Hayes Lane. Bromley are nineteenth, four points above Carlisle in 23rd.
