Andy Woodman expects a third email of apology after late controversy as Bromley and Gillingham drew 2-2 on Saturday evening.
Bromley were two up after 12 minutes, with goals from Nicke Kabamba (7′) and Michael Cheek (12′) before Josh Andrews pulled one back with a header early in the second half.
Max Clark levelled from a stoppage-time penalty after a foul on Garath McCleary. But boy was the decision a real talking point.
Here is another look at Max Clark’s 98th minute equaliser for Gillingham ⚽️⏰ pic.twitter.com/p3Ae0EXLXB
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 6, 2025
Bromley boss Andy Woodman, per News Shopper: “Robbed, absolutely robbed.
“I think it is a horrific decision, looking at my phone after and the amount of proper people in football that have text me after tells me everything.
“I’ve gone to see the ref, I like him and he’s a really nice guy but he will be looking at that and sending me an email on Monday to say sorry.
“That would be the third email we have got which has cost us three points.
“I’m gutted because we should be sitting at the top of the table.”
“I’ve had three emails from three different referees saying they have got that decision wrong and each time it is has cost us two points.”
“I’m going to be disappointed and fuming but it’s an easy decision to give that.
“When you work that hard and it gets snatched from you. it’s very hard to not be emotional.’
“I think we blew them away in the first half.
“I thought. the whole first half was brilliant but it’s not enough to be blowing teams away and not managing to get four or five goals.”
“I think we were good for at least four to five and credit to Gillingham, they dug in and brought on a team of giants which we did not deal with particularly well today.’
“They got their reward with a little bit of help.”
🗣️ “It’s never a penalty”
🗣️ “If that was my player, I’d want him to do the same”Andy Woodman reacts to the penalty that was given against his side 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/SIOib9d7ng
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 6, 2025
Hear from the Gaffer after today’s draw 🗣️#WeAreBromley pic.twitter.com/Rv192BNrw1
— Bromley FC (@bromleyfc) September 6, 2025
Woodman said to Sky Sports: “I’m not one to sort of have sour grapes and that but looking at my phone and the messages I’ve got in there about that penalty, it’s never a penalty.
“I mean I think you guys have all said that to me and I’ve just gone and seen the referee and I like the referee he’s a good guy and he said if I’ve got it wrong I’ve got it wrong and I said well you have and it’s cost us being sitting on top of the table.
“Credit to Gillingham, now you know to come out through the kitchen sinkers but I thought we was the masters of our own downfall a little bit really.
“We started slashing the ball, we started looking nervy, we wasn’t attacking things, we started dropping deep second half.
“And you know, that’s my disappointment, alongside that we should have, and I mean this with respect, we should have had four or five goals there today quite comfortably.
“And that’s what we’ve got to be, we’ve got to be bit more ruthless as a group of players.
“And that’s where we’re at, you know. Would we be sitting at top of the table at beginning of season? I think no one would have said that, so we should be too disappointed.”
Interviewer: “What did the referee say to you about how he’d seen the penalty incident?”
Woodman: “No, he’s been as good as gold. Like I said, I don’t want to criticise the referee. I’ve got a lot of time for Durkin.
“Look, they’re allowed to get things wrong and players are clever. And if that was my player, I’d want him to do the same, you know? So I understand it.
“It doesn’t make me feel a lot better, you know, have to do something you can do about it. You know, if he’s the wrong side and he’s got conned, then that’s life, you know? But he denies it.”
Garath McCleary said to Sky Sports: “Yes, my first minutes of season, so it was a bit longer than I expected.
“But, yeah, I got a nudge on the back. I could have gone down earlier, but I saw the keeper coming out and he made a rash decision, to be fair.
“And I think my knee connected with his head, so happy to get the pen. And yeah, to a salvage point”.
Interviewer: “Do you think the keeper fouled you? Who initiated the contact there?”
Garath: “He came out, he fouled me, I went down, penalty. So, yeah, 100 % it’s a pen.”
“I saw the keeper coming out and he made a rash decision” 👀
Gareth McCleary has no doubts that a penalty was the correct decision for Gillingham’s equaliser ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/8UjZ0GTFO4
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 6, 2025
“There’s absolutely no way on earth this is a pen” 😬
Aaron McLean believes that Bromley were unlucky to have a penalty awarded against them for Gillingham’s equaliser 💔 pic.twitter.com/xDKpyGqFjf
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 6, 2025
Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth said: “The first 20 minutes we were a little but unrecognisable. We got sucked into a battle with Bromley and if you battle with Bromley you are going to be in trouble; they are good battlers, they are real physical specimens.
“They know how they play, they know what they want to do and they really put it on us – crosses into the box and crazy decisions from us, we didn’t win enough headers, we weren’t as solid as I have seen us, but that is 20 minutes gone.
“For the rest of the game I thought we got the ball down well, I thought we played some real good stuff at times.
“At the end we had players on the pitch like Aaron Rowe, Garath McCleary, Jonny Smith and Jonny Williams – these are players who need to play and not big battlers. I would have put all my centre-halves up front if I wanted that.
“At half-time I thought it was really important to tell the boys messages that we could take another touch, we can get it down and have a bit of guile about us and it was brilliant to see them coming back into the game.
“Josh Andrews in the first half was unlucky; it was a great save from the keeper. They had one headed off the line, we could have lost, but the courage to get back in the game they were unbelievable to show that, absolutely superb. The spirit and togetherness…the fans were absolutely superb and never stopped singing. At 2-0 down they are getting behind us, I thought that was brilliant, they are knowledgeable fans and they could see we were up against it but once we settled a bit we were the better team.
“Garath McCleary said it was way more minutes than you promised me, I am not ready for that yet! But I am glad I did because he got the penalty. The referee has to make the decision.
“Jonny Smith had a couple of good chance, as did Sam Vokes. To get back in it was super special and I am sure the fans are going home happy.
“It speaks volumes about what we have got, and the boys I have referred to have played in the Premier League and the Championship, they have all come in saying we love this spirit. They are all in it together, and that’s what I’ve got here and it’s really special; they brought in straight away. We are a really top team and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do next week. That was a battle.
“We needed to get the ball down and play a bit more and not be scared of the battle we ended up in, fair play to Bromley who sucked us into a bit of a war today and they will win that nine out of ten times because that is what they are a good at. We had to find a way of bringing the Football back in, switch the play down the wings and at the end we looked like a quick side, that was really important, I love my pacey players. We looked like we could break at any time.
“Two nil down at half-time at Bromley you write a lot of clubs off, but not Gillingham. Don’t write us off.”
“If you come to battle with Bromley, nine out of ten times you’ll lose” 😤
Gareth Ainsworth credits Bromley’s spirit, but admits that his side needed to play with ‘more guile and flair’ 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/VAgQIcRvdZ
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 6, 2025
Here’s how fans reacted as Andy Woodman expects a third email of apology after late controversy…
@PhotogSmd: Absolutely disgusting way of conning a shite ref into giving a penalty, in fact Bromley should have had a free kick!! @SkyBetLeagueTwo sort your refs out!
@danielgregoryy: refs need more accountability than they currently have
@DailyWres: It’s insane, saw it at the time – it’s an unfortunate but obvious foul on the keeper not a pen. Bromley very hard done by.
@jackdboswell: Durkin has fucked up again 😂😂
@JacobWSmith10: Need to start kicking off about these refs. It’s a shambles week in week out.
@Ayykae_mfc: Never in a million years is that a penalty, EFL refs yet again ruining games.
@swisstonydunn: Not a penalty in a million years… Questions to answer from the official as to what he saw that no one else did… ⚽️
@MikeyRenwick: That’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen. How’s he given that and not their handball in the box? 🤣 officiating in the UK is genuinely horrendous
@Will_lambourne: that’s a horrendous decision
@smitherman69: It’s a shame, but not surprising, that players can’t be honest. Ever.
@toptargets: At least have the balls to be honest and own it if you cheat.
@AlexBromleyfc: It’s so bad it’s laughable. I was at the other end and could still see it wasn’t. Great advert as a game for league 2 though
@blades_sufc_1: Its actually an horrendous foul on the keeper! His actions were dangerous and could have significantly endangered the keeper
@PhotogSmd: Never a pen, in fact Bromley should have had a free kick, that knee to the face is disgusting!!
Durkin sent our keeper off Wednesday for this. He’s useless pic.twitter.com/O80DJl7rAL
— Simon (@aldershot4ever) September 7, 2025
