Portsmouth youngster Haji Mnoga gets small break from his non-league nightmare with first appearance for Bromley since September

The 19-year-old had been a notable absentee from the Ravens’ past five National League match-day squads, as his temporary non-league stay appeared to have hit the buffers.

But the defender made a surprise appearance for Neil Smith’s side on Saturday when he was called upon from the substitutes’ bench for the final four minutes against the Shaymen.

In an evenly contested fixture, Bromley’s leading marksman Michael Cheek missed a second-half penalty as the tie finished goalless.

But that won’t have been much of a concern for Mnoga, who gained his first action for the club since September 25, when he came on for the final seven minutes of Bromley’s 1-0 win at Dover.

Joining the London side in August after committing his long-term future to the Blues, the academy graduate was expected to gain valuable game time at first-team level to aid his development.

However, the teenager has failed to live up to expectations by playing only a combined 120 minutes so far this term, leaving Danny Cowley to reassess his future at Hayes Lane, with the defender’s loan there due to expire in January.

Prior to Saturday’s minutes, his last appearance was for parent club Pompey in their 2-0 defeat to Sutton United in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Once again Mnoga failed to play the full 90 minutes in the humbling as he was taken off at half-time due to a slight injury complaint.

But he will have another chance to impress Cowley next week when the Blues face Crystal Palace under-21s in a defining EFL Trophy fixture at Fratton Park.

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