Bromley boss Andy Woodman called for the EFL to look at the emergency loan that cost his side promotion in front of their fans.
The Ravens were held to a goalless draw at home to Cambridge United on Thursday, knowing a victory would have sent them up.
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Bromley, who are looking to reach League One for the first time in the club’s history, extended their unbeaten run at Hayes Lane this season to 18 matches.
However, the hosts failed to find the goal they needed against Cambridge, which would have guaranteed a top-three finish.
And Woodman questioned how the visitors were able to sign ‘keeper Jack Walton on loan from Preston North End a day before the match.
Cambridge, who sit third in League Two with promotion aspirations of their own, were missing No.1 Jake Eastwood through suspension.
The U’s regular first-choice shotstopper was serving a one-match ban after his red card in the 4-0 win over Notts County on Saturday.
Back-up goalkeeper Ben Hughes came off the bench to play the remainder of the match in his first senior appearance in the EFL.
Cambridge boss Neil Harris admitted it would have been ‘a huge gamble’ to play the 22-year-old away at the League Two leaders days later, and instead signed Walton on an emergency loan from Preston.
The latter then showed his Championship pedigree to preserve a clean sheet on his U’s debut despite Bromley boasting an xG of 1.23.
The Ravens should have found themselves behind early on, with Ben Knight missing a one-on-one before Shayne Lavery hit the bar.
Bromley came out the stronger of the two teams in the second-half, and Walton made a vital double save to rescue his loan team.
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During the post-match interview with Bromley boss Woodman, eSPORTY’s Ian Abrahams claimed the hosts looked nervous.
“Well, you’re not lying because you asked your opinion,” the 54-year-old responded. “But I thought they had a couple of moments early doors, and I’d agree with you, they should have put those away, but after that I thought we were fantastic.
“I think we did look a bit nervous in fairness to you, Moose, and we did look a little bit like probably showing them a bit too much respect after their 4-0 result.
“But I thought the second half, I thought there was only one team going to win, and that was us. And, you know, we just couldn’t get past the lone championship goalkeeper that they got in.”
Bromley boss Woodman, whose son Freddie ironically left Preston to join Liverpool last summer, was perplexed by the emergency loan rules, considering Cambridge back-up Hughes was available to play.
“That’s the rules, but I think the EFL should look at that,” he added to eSPORTY. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m bitter.
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“They’ve got a young goalkeeper who made his debut Saturday or played Saturday, done really well, and he wants to carve out his career.
“And I’ve had a son that’s gone through this process, so that’s why I’m really saying it from that standpoint.
“And they can go and get a keeper, that’s better than their first team keeper on loan just for one game.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me, that rule. If he’s injured, I get it, but he’s not. And that’s not me sort of saying about Neil [Harris] or Cambridge or being personal, it’s just a rule that I don’t think is right.”
League Two promotion race
Bromley can now be promoted to League One before a ball is kicked, if Notts County drop points to Barnet on Saturday.
Should that fail to happen, the fourth-tier leaders can then secure the job themselves with a win away at Salford City next Thursday.
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Rules are the rules
Cambridge, meanwhile, sit third, six points behind Bromley but with a game in hand, and play at home against Grimsby Town on Tuesday.
On the debt the club may owe to loan signing Walton, boss Harris told eSPORTY: “Firstly, thank you to Preston, thank you to Paul Heckingbottom, who sorted it out for me.
“Yeah, I thought he was excellent. Do you know what, Moose? He’s made a really good save in the second half.
“He’s not had loads to do other than that, other than sort of punch a few and take a few.
“To me, the biggest compliment I can give him, the character to want to come and play in the magnitude of a game like that, yes, people might say, ‘Oh, it’s League Two, it’s not a World Cup final’, but for two teams, two football clubs that are hell-bent on trying to get promoted against the odds a little bit, then it’s a huge game tonight.
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“And for him to have the characteristic and the desire, and let’s be honest, the balls, to come and play in a game like that, fair play to him. I can’t praise him highly enough.”
On whether the signing constituted an ’emergency’, Harris added: “Rules are the rules. I don’t make the rules up.
“I don’t make the rule up why our centre forward [Lavery] goes down scratching his ear, and the ref makes him go off the pitch for 30 seconds, and they nearly score. So I don’t make the rules up.
“The rule is if your goalkeeper, when you lose a goalkeeper and no one else in your squad has played five league appearances, then you bring an emergency loan in.
“So we didn’t bend rules, we just went with what the rules are, and he played his part hugely.”
