Bromley’s character in battling back to beat MK Dons delights boss Andy Woodman

Andy Woodman hailed the character of his Bromley charges as they overturned a half-time deficit to defeat high flying MK Dons 2-1 in Sky Bet League Two.

Milton Keynes raced into an early lead through Rushian Hepburn-Murphy but Bromley were able to turn the game on its head in the final 20 minutes with goals from Deji Elerewe and Omar Sowunmi.

Bromley manager Andy Woodman, serving a three-match touchline ban, said “We’ve worked so hard this week on the training ground, getting ready for this test.

“I set my sides up to be positive and get the balls into the box and continually ask questions of the opposition. I felt we did that today and got our just rewards.

He added “I have a target that I work to every season and right now we are bang on exactly where I wanted us to be, points-wise, by this stage of the season.

“We don’t study the league table, we study our internal targets, and if we keep apace with what I am setting we will be where we want to be come the season’s end.

“Today’s performance will hopefully have given my lads the confidence, if they needed it, to know we are one of the top sides in this division.”

The visitors took the lead inside the opening five minutes, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing crossing for Hepburn-Murphy to flick the ball past Grant Smith.

In the final few minutes of the half Michael Cheek saw his header cleared off the line, while Will Collar just failed to turn in Jon Mellish’s cross at the other end.

With little by way of clear-cut opportunities for either side in the second half, it was Bromley who eventually created a meaningful chance and with it the equalising goal 17 minutes from time.

Substitute Brooklyn Ilunga did well to keep the ball alive and Elerewe bundled the winger’s cross home.

One became two nine minutes from time, Sowunmi heading in Corey Whitely’s cross for the decider.

MK Dons manager Paul Warne said, “We prepared the lads all week to defend throw ins, second and third phases and for large parts we defended it really well.

“It’s disappointing because our keepers didn’t have to make a save but you could almost feel it coming.

“Bromley had a passage of play where it was free-kick, corner, free-kick and you could just sense something was eventually going to happen.”

He added, “The most disappointing thing wasn’t the goals conceded, it was the fact we didn’t get the second goal, we didn’t play with enough personality to get the second goal.

“When we got ourselves in good situations we didn’t make the most of them, if we got a second goal it would have been comfortable.

“But we allowed Bromley to keep asking questions and eventually they made that count.”