Bromley 5-0 FC Halifax Town

Second-half goals from Adam Mekki, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, Chris Bush, Josh Rees and Joe Kizzi condemned Halifax to an utterly miserable defeat after a desperately poor second-half showing.

To add to Town's misery, Jerome Binnom-Williams, their only recognised left-back, was sent-off.

Ahead of the clocks going back, Town probably wished they could turn back time and start this game all over again.

After a forgettable first-half, Bromley were much better, and Town were much worse.

And after the hosts took the lead, Halifax never looked like getting anything from the match, collapsing like a deck of cards.

The midfield diamond was put back on the shelf for another day, with Liam McAlinden and Jamie Allen, who replaced Dayle Southwell in Town's only change from the FA Cup defeat to Harrogate, deployed high and wide in a 4-2-3-1.

Neither team started the game particularly well during a cagey opening.

Both sides clearly respected the other's capabilities and were loathe to take too many risks; we'll show you our promotion credentials if you show us yours.

Halifax were well aware that they had the wind behind them in the first-half, and took the opportunity to shoot whenever possible, with Niall Maher and Charlie Cooper, playing in the number 10 role, both not far off from 40-yards-plus.

It hadn't been brilliant, but it was perfectly acceptable from Town, who had their fair share of controlled possession, and certainly weren't cowed or inhibited given their mixed form and the quality of their hosts.

The contest was scrappy, the weather not helping either side but especially Bromley, who played against it in the fist-half; every clearance by keeper Ryan Huddart went straight out of play, and every high ball was caught in the air and redirected.

Both teams were playing within themselves, very rarely getting on the ball in the opposition's penalty area.

There just wasn't enough quality; the middle third was contested with aggression, but both goalkeepers were spectators, both attacks blunt.

The only shot on target in the opening half was a tame effort by Cooper from Allen's cut-back.

Hackett-Fairchild came closest a few minutes before the break with a dipping left-footed strike from near the right corner of the box that pinged off the crossbar. A rare moment of quality in a disappointing first 45.

It was the type of contest where the first goal looked crucial, and given the lack of goal threat from either team up until then, it didn't look good for Town when Bromley scored it.

A loose pass by Maher near halfway allowed Mekki to burst forward before his shot was turned behind.

That corner led to another, and when the ball fell to Mekki on the edge of the box, this time he lashed it into the bottom right corner.

If 1-0 looked a challenge for Town, then 2-0 was a mountain to climb.

From another Bromley corner, immediately after Halifax had wasted their first of the afternoon, Hackett-Fairchild headed in at the far post.

If 2-0 was a mountain to climb, 3-0 was game over.

Bromley's goals got worse from a Town point of view, with Bush left unmarked to nod in a free-kick from the right in line with the near post. Too easy.

Johnson kept out Josh Coulson's shot from 25 yards before The Shaymen's afternoon went from bad to worse as Binnom-Williams was shown a second yellow card for a sliding tackle near halfway.

It then went from worse to could-hardly-get-any-worse when a cross from the left was directed into Rees' path by Josh Staunton's attempted clearance, leaving the Bromley man with the simplest of tap-ins.

Kizzi then rounded-off what had become an embarrassing afternoon for The Shaymen when he bundled the ball in at the far post from a corner.

Bromley: Huddart, Kizzi, Holland, Bush, Wood, Klass, Rees (Henry 84), Hackett, Mekki (Edmonds-Green 71), Coulson, Cheek (Clifton 75). Subs not used: Najia, Dunne.

Scorers: Mekki (52), Hackett (59), Bush (65), Rees (73), Kizzi (90)

Shots on target: 8

Shots off target: 6

Corners: 5

Halifax: Johnson, Duckworth, Clarke, Staunton, Binnom-Williams, Nolan, Cooper, Maher (Southwell 69), McAlinden (J King 69), Allen (Hanson 76), Sho-Silva. Subs not used: Appleyard, Earing.

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 5

Corners: 1

Referee: Savvas Yianni

Town man of the match: Michael Duckworth