LATE ROWE BLOW WAS HIS ‘BEST GOAL EVER’

JAMES Rowe described his late free-kick winner as the “best goal of his career” as Aldershot Town turned the tables in a tumultuous encounter at the EBB Stadium.

It represented a degree of redemption for both Rowe and his surprisingly struggling team, as they came from behind to deny Bromley a first away win of the season.

Rowe floated his brilliant 22-yard free-kick into the top corner to cap another stylishly influential performance from the oftmaligned midfielder, and manager Gary Waddock was delighted with his side’s mentality.

“An absolutely massive three points and a massive win,” admitted Waddock. “You have to overcome challenges on a daily, weekly basis and we reminded the team about those at half-time. You have to put your body on the line if you want to win matches and we did that in the second-half.”

The game’s first quarter saw the Shots deservedly ahead, but – virtually at the flick of a switch – it became a half of two halves as the Ravens roared back.

Visiting keeper David Gregory spilled Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong’s early drive around the same post off which Scott Rendell’s 11th-minute header rebounded. But Rendell then set about reversing the adage of goals changing games, as his far-post header, from Lewis Kinsella’s teasing cross, proved a turning point – in Bromley’s favour.

The inadvertent catalyst had been the introduction of Tobi Adebayo-Rowling at right-back following Roger Johnson’s eighthminute leg injury. Soon, Jordan Higgs’ header was cleared off the line by George Fowler, and George Porter’s low shot was deflected wide by the prone Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe. The former Colchester United striker then tapped in the rebound from pointblank range as AdebayoRowling’s teasing cross bounced down off the crossbar. And in stoppage time, Porter’s long-throw was flicked on by Jake Goodman and hit the unsuspecting Fowler on its way into the net , the Shots’ shellshocked. Dan Holman curled the first goal of his second spell at the Shots on 65 minutes, a brilliant equaliser into the top corner after a slip from MarcAnthony Okoye, but Goodman perhaps should have restored Bromley’s lead within ten minutes. Spinning in acres of space on the edge of the six-yard box, he wastefully blazed a volley over the crossbar, and Rowe soon made the Ravens rue their luck with a sublime finish. “With 20 minutes to go, we looked in control,” lamented Bromley boss Neil Smith. “I don’t think we deserved to lose. “We matched Aldershot, and at times we were better than them, but we go away empty handed.”