Tough Times

Well it’s fair to say that Bromley FC are in a bit of a crisis right now, six consecutive defeats, two points of the relegation places, players arguing amongst themselves, injuries & suspension depleting the squad, manager attacking the fans in the press and scheduling our only remaining cup game for 24hours after a league match giving us three games in four days!

The FA Trophy exit at 1-3 home to Didcot, a team two divisions below us, was the final straw for many fans who up until that point had kept their views to a few close friends on the terraces. The problems with the squad are obvious for all to see, they are too young, frequently played out of position, so low on confidence they are afraid to do anything with the ball and lacking any kind of leadership on or off the field. We face Eastbourne Borough at home tomorrow in the league and only a blind optimist can see anything other than loss number seven coming up.

Exactly what has gone wrong since the Dartford FA Cup win is hard to say, but we certainly miss a proven goal scorer like the departed Warren McBean or the injured Gareth Williams to partner the amazing work rate and endeavour of Hakeem Araba up front. In defence we need Liam Harwood returned as starting centre back to be partnered by either Gillman or Dolan and in midfield we need Salifou Ibrahima to partner Danny Waldren.

If the axe is to be swung as indicated by MG in the local press then I hope he brings in experienced replacements as the experiment with loanee kids from league clubs has proved to be a failure so far.    

Comedown

As the buzz off the FA Cup wears off we now find ourselves on quite a come down. After a great day and honourable 3-0 defeat at Orient we then lost 3-2 to a decent Charlton side in the Kent Senior Cup in front of just under 400 at

Hayes Lane

. Then came an awful defeat at Chelmsford City, after Tutu was sent off for a very harsh hand ball decision on 20mins it was always going to be a defeat, but this was an absolute shocker. It was only the heroics of Keeper Tommy Forecast that kept it down to 6-1. Now we find ourselves 5pts off the relegation zone and facing a massive game at home to Hampton on Tuesday night with the injuries and suspensions mounting up and no sign of new blood. Warren McBean & Leon McKenzie were shown the door after Orient, Gareth Williams is out injured for a month, Aaron Rhule and Tutu Henriques are facing bans, yet MG sees no need to bring in new players and believes that two teenagers and a 20 year old is a strong enough forward line to go into a game against Chelmsford with. Tuesday night will show exactly where we are and if the spectre of relegation is just casting a shadow or actually knocking at our door.         

Cup Fever!

It’s been a while since I last posted, but what better time to resume than with Bromley in the first round of the FA Cup and facing a trip to League One Leyton Orient. It’s fair to say we’ve got there the hard way with wins over fellow BSS sides Welling & Dartford, both of whom are above us in the league and the away win at Margate coming back from 2-0 down with 21mins left. All wins have been achieved with single goal margins and we have so far been awarded and scored four penalties! Three from Danny Waldren and one from Hakeem Araba. The win at Dartford in the last round, our first ever at Princes Park, was tribute to the hard work and team ethic of the current squad Mark Goldberg has built. This is the third time we have reached this stage of the cup under Goldberg and that’s some achievement in six seasons. Let’s hope when we make the trip over the river to East London MG has a full squad to pick from with no injuries or suspensions unlike on previous occasions.

In the league we face a trip to Boreham Wood on Saturday who will be up to avenge the 4-0 trashing we dealt them at Hayes Lane in August, with us only 8pts off the drop zone it’s important we pick up at least a point before we focus on the upcoming cup games in the FA Cup, Kent Senior Cup & FA Trophy this November.                  

Going Steady.

Almost a month into the new season and we find ourselves in mid-table after a more than reasonable start to the campaign. Recent results saw a very impressive first half demolition of Sutton and then a very harsh defeat at Dartford which turned on a soft penalty 9mins from time. Last Saturday we recorded a solid 2-0 win at Eastleigh who are full time professional this year training every day. Mark Goldberg has said he is looking to make a few additions and it seems that Danny Hockton has gone to Croydon Athletic top free up the budget for this. Despite Hockton’s undoubted goal scoring ability he just didn’t show the effort required for a team which is relying on hard work and commitment to stay up this season and after two fairly disappointing seasons with Maidstone the step back up to Conference South was too much for him.

Newly promoted Salisbury come to

Hayes Lane

on Saturday, the first time I’ve ever seen us play them and possibly their first trip to the London Borough of Bromley?                 

Back to Reality.

So after winning the opening two games we got a severe reality check the following Saturday as Maidenhead came to

Hayes Lane

battled, defended well and took the points home. Then to prove it wasn’t just a blip we travelled to Eastbourne and got royally thumped 5-0 by a much better side, who were superior in every department. The gulf is class was alarming and gave us a glimpse of what could be in store this season against the bigger sides, we were unable to compete in midfield and didn’t look like we even belonged in the same division. On Saturday we host old rivals Sutton who having been promoted have also started very strongly this season, it’s gonna take something pretty special on Bromley’s behalf for us to register anything from this one and then things don’t get any easier when we travel to Dartford on Bank Holiday Monday. It’s probably a good time to remind myself we are actually 5pts ahead of the points total I thought we’d have at this stage of our toughest season so far in Conference South…            

Great Start

Two games into the league season and things look good right now, a solid team performance at Hampton saw us win 2-1 with the aid of a favourable Ref and then we really turned on the style at home to Boreham Wood on Tuesday running out 4-0 winners, playing some lovely football. The most encouraging thing I have seen so far is the clear team spirit that exists throughout the squad and the commitment shown by all. Orlando Smith was the star on Tuesday, but the whole side contributed to a fine display and in Hakeem Araba MG may have signed a striker who looks like he could rival Wade Falana in the folk hero stakes among the HLU’s.

Trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground I still view this start as 6pts towards safety rather than anything more lofty, when the hard times undoubtedly come hopefully the spirit will remain and keep us up, but for now I’ll enjoy the start and hope it continued against Maidenhead Utd on Saturday who always prove to be tough opposition at Hayes Lane, quickly followed by a trip to newly relegated Eastbourne Borough next Tuesday.       

Pre-Season So Far

Four warm up games in, three defeats and it looks like the club were being very honest about this season being about just staying up! There have been plenty of players in and out so far and I'm sure there will be many more before MG settles on his 16 for the trip to Hampton on 13th August. New faces like striker Hakeem Araba from Dagenham and Reading loanee keeper Dean Santangelo look promising, it's also great to see Tutu Henriques as captain, but for many the returing players like Gareth Williams & Danny Hockton still have some convincing to do if they are to contribute to the battle for survival in 2011/12.     

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

With pre-season training beginning again this week, it’s time to reawaken the blog and catch up with life at Hayes Lane. After a few weeks of the close season Hayden Bird decided to resign as manager of the first team and it also seems that coach Barry Moore is no longer with the club either. After a couple of weeks delay it was announced that Mark Goldberg would be coming back as manager with Murray Jones and Neil Smith assisting him. Away from the playing side Ashley Reading has joined the club as Chairman to team up with owner Jerry Dolke in running the club and they are looking at long term investments to improve the club rather than blowing big money on players this season.

So the new era brings new goals for BFC, no more talk of play offs or the like, but instead it’s about staying up and doing well in the three cup competitions we enter. It’s nice to have a healthy dose of realism ahead of the new campaign, rather than the ridiculous hype without substance we especially had in the second half of 2010/11.

MG has said he will look at 30-40 players and try and get a strong squad of 16 or so with lads from the academy also making the step up to the first team squad.    

Whether the quest for survival will ignite the interest of the fickle Bromley football public will remain to be seen, but with a few high profile friendlies set up hopefully we’ll get some punters in through the gates and make a good impression.   

Season Review 2010/11

Bromley FC – Season 2010/11 Review

Season 2010/11 was another one of those that can be filed under ‘eventful’. Starting with seven league wins in a row and going on an unbeaten run until mid October we then failed to win a match for two months in the New Year, changed manager in January, lurched into financial crisis and generally imploded into a sea of discontent in the spring.

Summer 2010 had seen Mark Goldberg assemble a good quality squad for the new campaign bringing in well respected Keeper Craig Holloway, solid defender and captain John Scarborough, full back David Graves, exciting winger Tony Finn, tempting cult hero striker Nic McDonnell out of retirement along with bringing Paul Vines back to the club from Tooting. Warren McBean re-signed after several trials at league clubs giving us three impressive options up front.    

There was a cautiously optimistic buzz around Hayes Lane as the season began, despite losing Holloway to injury teenager Jamie Butler deputised before Wes Foderingham came in on loan from Palace and they both proved to be a more than adequate replacements. Butler starred in the first game of the season saving a late penalty to hand us a 2-1win over Dorchester. We quickly followed this up with a 4-1 win at Boreham Wood in torrential rain and kept it going with wins at home to Havant & Welling and away at Hampton, Bishop’s Stortford & Maidenhead. We certainly rode our luck in those first seven league games, but there was no mistaking the team spirit and fight that the squad showed, soaking up plenty of pressure and snatching late goals, Hayden Bird had overseen a rigorous pre-season training regime, which was really paying off with the player’s fitness levels. The winning run ended with a 1-1 at home to St Albans where we paid the price for missed chances.

We began the FA Cup campaign just edging past Stortford in a replay thanks to a late Tony Finn goal, but it was the next game in the old competition that started the decline away at Chelmsford. In the week leading up to the game we signed Marlon Patterson from The Clarets, Hayden Bird calling him the best player in the league in his position and it’s fair to say they were unhappy about his departure and refusal to play in the previous round. He made his Bromley debut at his previous employers and certainly felt their displeasure! Leading 2-1 we had a very late controversial penalty awarded against us and the tie went to a replay. The following Tuesday we suffered our first defeat of the season losing 3-0 in the replay being torn apart by the Essex side for the whole game. With confidence and team spirit battered we then lost 4-1 at Basingstoke as the cracks began to show in every department. Nic McDonnell walked out of the club again after failing to hold down a starting spot up front.

The next two months were consistently inconsistent, in amongst several draws we recorded a fantastic 2-0 win at Braintree, Wes Foderingham’s last of his loan deal, before a crushing 4-0 FA Trophy loss at Ebbsfleet. December came and so did the snow, this really was a winter of discontent, John Scarborough was released and Paul Vines loaned out to Maidstone in a swap deal with Danny Hockton amid rumours of budget cuts and in fighting in the squad Mark Goldberg spoke to the press about problems in the camp and in between numerous postponements we lost 7-0 at Weston Super Mare. New signing Howard Newton quickly about turned to Staines and told the NLP ‘Bromley FC was a bad place to be right now.’ Word!

With Bromley not having played a home game in nearly two months the club announced that players would not be paid over the Christmas period and asked the fans for help. They quickly rallied into action raising £2,500 and with a hastily re-arranged home game with Maidenhead sorted out the crisis was averted, sadly though we lost the game and so 2010 came to an end with Bromley still second in the table, but far from convincing. Harry Harding came back to the club on work experience from Reading to give the midfield a bit more life.

January started with a solid 1-1 at Dover followed by a hugely entertaining 4-3 win at home to Bishop’s Stortford with new boy Leon McKenzie netting a hat-trick, but it was then followed up with a poor 1-1 at St Albans and a humiliating 3-0 home defeat by Chelmsford who once again outclassed us. Trailing 3-0 at half time Mark Goldberg argued with his management team and was over ruled on tactics. This blew up again on the Saturday at home to Basingstoke and resulted with the manager walking out of the club 15mins before the kick off, inevitably we lost 1-0.

Hayden Bird stepped up from his assistant’s role to manager for the rest of the season and oversaw a 0-0 at Lewes in his first game in charge. The usual up turn in performances that comes with a managerial change followed with a stunning 2-1 win at Ebbsfleet and a narrow 3-2 at home to Weston. We were briefly second in the table with a minus goal difference! Bird held a manager’s forum that night stating that we would play attractive passing football and aimed to make the play off’s setting a target of 75pts, sadly it wasn’t to be. Home defeats to Dover & Staines followed, Marlon Patterson was released, Warren McBean transfer listed, Paul Vines eventually transferred to Kingstonian and a number of new faces from Hayden’s old clubs added including Liam Harwood who came back and impressed, midfielder Jamie England, Striker Charlie Ide who was guaranteed to give us goals according to the manager, but failed to score in 15 starts and imposing centre back Jerry Nnmani on loan from Palace.   

A 0-0 at Dorchester saw slight improvement, but then three more defeats followed before we gained another point at home to Boreham Wood who had a very solid Wes Foderingham in goal. Bird spoke of inherited problems in the squad and emphasised this wasn’t ‘his team’ to the press. League defeats at Woking and at home to Hampton sandwiched an unconvincing 2-0 win over Ebbsfleet’s Academy side in the Kent Senior Cup, but at least it was a win.

Jerry Dolke called the squad in for an emergency meeting and let them know what was expected from them, Warren McBean & Tony Finn were openly touted to other clubs, but there were no takers. Finally a league win came 1-0 at home to relegation threatened Thurrock, with Leon McKenzie scoring against his old club and we also notched an impressive point 2-2 at Farnborough. League champions elect Braintree came to Hayes Lane next winning 3-0 and more depressingly McKenzie was sent off meaning he would miss the last few weeks of the season.

Three consecutive wins followed, we reached the final of the Kent Senior Cup defeating our tenants Cray Wands 3-2 then we won 2-0 at Staines and 4-1 at home to Dartford. Things seemed to be back on the up, but sadly the momentum was halted with 2-0 defeats at Chelmsford and home to Eastleigh, finishing the league season in eleventh. The finale for 2010/11 would be the Kent Senior Cup Final at Dartford on May Day, the side was missing Jerrome Sobers (injured) & Leon McKenzie (suspended) along with Tony Finn who had been sacked for misconduct on the Saturday night, we failed to ever really get going losing 4-1 to the home side thanks to a 15minute battering just after half time. Fittingly Warren McBean scored our goal and probably his last for Bromley FC finishing top scorer for the third season in a row despite a terrible drought from November to April.

And so that was 2010/11, on teh face of it a mid-table finish and a cup final should be seen as success, but we should really have done better given the start we had and the positivity that it generated. From October onwards though it always looked very fragile and by the time Spring came we just looked like a ghost of the team that had started the campaign. This could be a busy summer for the men in charge to rebuild again for 2011/12 and reignite the interest of the fans after crowds fell away from 900 to less than 500 in a few months.

Col.                             

An Awful End to an Odd Season.

So it wasn't to be, after losing to Eastleigh we then capitualted in the second half against Dartford losing 4-1 in front of over 2,000. The second 45mins showed up the current team for all their faults, poor defensively with a dodgy Keeper, too slow in midfield and blunt up front. It was a pathetic showing for a cup final.
We missed Jerrome Sobers & Leon Mckenzie for sure, the lack of depth or options for Hayden Bird was rudely exposed. I was pleased for Warren McBean that he scored on his final game for the club, I expect to see him doing the same thing at Princes Park quite a bit next season.
Hayden Bird now has a summer to rebuild the squad and start with 'his team' next July. There will be no more excuses or blaming the previous manager from here on...     

Cup Final Fever!

Since the last post on here we've beaten Staines 2-0 and Dartford 4-1, before falling 2-0 at Chelmsford with a very patched up side. There is still a real buzz about the club going into the Kent Senior Cup Final at Dartford on May Day. Early meets are planned and The Ravens fans will be aiming to make themsleves seen & heard.
The bad news is that striker Leon Mcklenzie will be suspended and Keeper Craig Holloway is an injury doubt, we'll just have to hope that the players Hayden Bird does have available to him will give 100% and do the club proud on the big day.
With a big crowd expected at Princes Park let's hope we get a ref who isn't easily swayed by a bit of pressure from the  home fans, which we certainly suffered from at the game there back in September when Sobers was ordered off for nothing.   
Eastleigh come to HL on Saturday, with neither side able t reach the play offs I personally wouldn't be fussed if we played the Academy side for this one and kept the players fresh for Monday...      

Cup Final!

After a 3-0 defeat at home to the league leaders we managed to pick ourselves up for the KSC semi final and defeat our tenants 3-2 in a well contested match. I took little pleasure from the result, this is what we should do to a team from a division below, but instead it was a sense of relief that we didn’t bottle it again. Now we face Dartford at Princes Park on May Day in what should be a very good game in front of a decent crowd, breathing life back into the old competition and hopefully bringing what has been an eventful season to a successful end. Before that we have four final BSS games starting with a trip to Staines on Saturday and then the dress rehearsal for the final on Good Friday at Hayes Lane. Then we get to play our part in the play off hunt by travelling to perennial chokers Chelmsford (oh how I’d love to beat them) and then hosting Eastleigh on the final day with a welcome chance to see Peter Adeniyi on our pitch again.

The mood around BFC has certainly been lifted in recent weeks, which is a relief, now hopefully we can take a bit of momentum on into the cup final and into preparation for next season.      

Another Good Performance.

A very respectable point at title chasers Farnborough kept the momentum going and now we face the leaders Barintree at Hayes Lane on Saturday. Great to see Leon McKenzie on the scoresheet again and the 3-5-2 formation bedding in nicely. Then comes the away game at HL against Cray Wands in the KSC semi final with the winners taking on Dartford in the final, which I beleive will be on teh Bank Holiday May 2nd.
This is a massive game for me personally as my Dad is a Wands season ticket holder and I am still suffering from the 6-1 hammering they served us in the semi three years ago. If we are not completely on our game and up for it then we could be facing a repeat on the humiliation.      

Another win!

Things looked desperate on Saturday as we llost 2-1 at home to Hampton, although there were chances for us to get a point, then came Tuesday night and a well earned 1-0 win over Thurrock.
A team meeting was called on the Monday and whatever was said it did the trick. With the high earners either 'injured' or dropped the young hard working side who represented Bromley did the club proud and Leon McKenzie grabbed the vital goal against his old club on 70mins.
The next two games are against the second placed side away at Farnbororugh and then at home to leaders Braintree before the biggest game left this season when we play away to Cray at Hayes Lane in the semi final of the Kent Senior Cup. With a threadbare suqad and a much reduced budget this could be a tough month, but if the spirit of Tuesday night can be re-captured then at least we'll put in performances worth watching.   
     

A Win!

So after a spirited but futile display at Woking we finally recorded a win over Ebbsfleet’s kids in the Kent Senior Cup this Thursday, scoring twice and keeping a clean sheet. We now face Cray Wands away at Hayes Lane in the semi final, Hayden Bird must have mixed feelings over this cup progress as the potential for hysterical fall out if we lose to our tenants is very high, and that includes from me.

Saturday sees and early kick off as Hampton come to The Lane, we know we’ll be in for a tough early afternoon as they are big and direct, but hopefully the squad will be upbeat after their first win in nearly two months.

Bird has had no luck with injuries at all, there are currently five players crocked, one suspended and Ryan Dolby has decided to join Welling leaving us with a threadbare squad and Academy players filling the bench. Add that to the lack lustre attitude of certain high earners, along with the budget cuts and it hasn’t helped the new man in charge.    

A Goal and A Point!

1-1 with Boreham Wood at home. Well it was an improvement on recent performances at least, Tutu scored a lovely header and we showed some promising signs going forward in the second half, but defensive frailty once again saw us drop points.
The moaning on the forum has now got to the point that I dread going on there. Things aren't great on the pitch right now, but get some perspective please!
A tough trip to Woking coming up on Saturday then it's Ebbsfleet at home on Thurs in the ksc with Cray awaiting the winners. Won't they be hoping to rub salt in The Raven's open wounds...

When Will We Score Again?

Two more defeats and two more games without a goal, but reports back from the South Coast excursions were that the performances were much improved and in the case of Eastleigh we were very unlucky not to at least grab a point. Paul Vines returned to the club from his second loan spell and made the starting line up for Tuesday partnering Charlie Ide with Warren McBean on the bench and Leon McKenzie not involved at all.

The lack of goals will be the main concern for Hayden Bird going into the home game with an improving Boreham Wood, in the last six games we’ve only notched once via a late consolation penalty at Welling.

Sadly I am expecting Saturday’s crowd to be the lowest for a league game at Hayes Lane this season as the disgruntled vote with their feet.       

Well beaten by Welling Take 2.

With Thurrock at home rained off we had to wait for our next match until the following Wednesday when we travelled to Welling for the replay of the abandoned league game from the previous month. Welling had lead 2-1 with only three minutes left when the floodlights went out, this time they went one better beating us 3-1 with all the goals coming in the second half. Bromley played well for 45mins and could have gone into the break in front, but as soon as we conceded in the second period there was only one winner. The fragile confidence of the team and it’s very young defence was exposed with two set piece goals and a gift of a third as our players attended to an injured team mate Referee Forrester played on and The Wings cashed in with an open goal. Harry Harding tucked away a late penalty, but it really was nothing more than a consolation as we were well beaten.

Bromley are now ninth in the table, play off dreams snuffed out and only the Kent Senior Cup to play for. As Hayden Bird re-shapes the team into his own we can expect more painful defeats as he learns on the job and builds a side for next season. Possibly not the best time to announce a £2 hike in admission for 2011/12!  

I still can’t help feeling though that we could still have been challenging for promotion if the early success had been built on and the whole playing & management set up that started the season had stayed together. It’s two tough trips to Hampshire next with games at Havant & Eatsleigh before a home game with Boreham Wood.             

New Beginnings.

A much changed Bromley side came back from the game at Dorchester with a 0-0 draw and reports say they could have won it late on. With several new faces in the squad and some old ones missing it looks like another period of transition for the team as they go into the last two months of the season. The one issue that will concern Hayden Bird is the lack of goals from his side with only one scored in the last four games if you include the abandoned match at Welling and none in three if you don’t! There will be a few more changes and moves this week no doubt before The Ravens face relegation threatened Thurrock at

Hayes Lane

on Saturday and a win from that one will be needed to get some of the fans back on board, but I guess we just have to treat this as an extended pre-season prior to 2011/12. .       

Night of The Long Knives.

So after the worst display of the season so far losing 1-0 at home to Staines we slipped out of the play off spots this week for the first time this season and look very unlikely to return.
Following the departure of Marlon Paterson, Warren McBean has now been told he can go, with Paul Vines, Reis Boyle & Nickt Greene loaned out Hayden Bird is looking to build his own side.
Bird has openy crticised the players following recent performances and stated he will be making changes, also criticising Mark Goldberg along the way. There are many more changes expected soon.
It's hard to see how the players are fully to blame when the tactics were clearly wrong on Saturday, Tony Finn was played out of position and the formation changed three times in 90mins, but Bird will be judged on his results at the end of the season.
Tuesday's Kent Senior Cup game was called off, so it's Dorchester away on Saturday as the next  test for the manager and his team.       

Make or Break?

After a precious if slightly lucky win over Weston we lost the momentum with a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Dover the following Tuesday. We dominated possession and pressed well for the first half, but failed to create and fell victim to some decent finishing and poor defending in the second period. There was some nice football played by Hayden Bird’s men, but in the end it’s about how many you score now how long you have the ball.

After a Saturday off we travelled over to Welling, who are under a transfer embargo and were only able to name eleven players for the game with Player/Manager Jamie Day named as sub although he was actually attending the birth of hid son! The eleven players who were available did The Wings fans proud with a very committed strong performance and well deserved their 2-1 lead prior to the floodlights failing and the game being abandoned early on 87mins. The only plus point on the night for Bromley was a goal for Warren McBean, although it won’t actually count in his tally for the season, it will hopefully give him back the confidence he had lost in front of goal.

Welling’s players could have just gone through the motions with no chance of being subbed, but they had the pride and character to give their all while Bromley’s players looked short of both these attributes as well as confidence.

Whether the players are actually able to pull off Bird’s preferred style of play is very much up for debate right now. He has brought in striker Charlie Ide & Fulham youngster Cortney Harris toadd options in his squad.  

We face Staines next at Hayes Lane quickly followed by Ebbsfleet in the Kent Senior Cup, we need to win both games as two poor results would see the season over and done with as a competitive proposition

Great Win Gives Hope for the Season?

Only a few very optiomistic souls predicted that one, but the 2-1 win at in form Ebbsfleet kept Bromley just about in the play off picture. There are eight teams going for four places with Braintree running away with the league title right now and although they all have games in hand on us we kept in the picture with this great victory.
The team spirit and effort on display last Saturday were a tribute to the new management team, lets hope we can achieve some sort of revenge over Weston this week a Hayes Lane following our 7-0 humiliation there in December.
Hayden Bird has organised a meet the manager evening on Saturday afer the game, he may get an easier time from the fans if it's on the back of another much needed win!

Interesting Times at The Lane.

It's rarely dull at Bromley FC, at least off the field anyway, and this week it's certainly been eventful. Just before the Basingstoke game Mark Goldberg walked out and this time it looks to be for good amidst talk of on going conflicts and dressing room unrest. For now Hayden Bird & Barry Moore are in charge and they certainly have a job on their hands with a team low on confidence, in poor form, not scoring goals and facing a series of very tough game in the next month.
There are undoubtedly problems at BFC right now on and off the field, trying to sort these out before our season completely comes off the rails will be key to Hayden & Barry's success.  
With Harrison Dunk on trial at Crwaley Town Dean Lodge has joined from Kingstonian to give the team more attacking options and of course we wish him all the best.
Next up is Ebbsfleet Utd away on Saturday, probably the best team in the league, a point would be an amazing achievement.

Outclassed!

Tuesday night’s 3-0 defeat to Chelmsford was as one sided a game as you are likely to see, for an indication of how outclassed Bromley were Mark Goldberg opted to go for a 4-5-1 formation in the second half just to keep the score down to three!

The decision to put Harry Harding up against Dave Rainford in midfield was cruel on the teenager and gave us little chance of winning the midfield battle, which would have been tough for a far more experienced player let alone a rookie on work experience.

The gulf in class was alarming and a good indicator of how much we’ll have to improve if we ever really wanted to have a tilt at the title in the future. Even the play offs look unlikely with the current run of form, our league position only buoyed by the amazing seven game winning start to the season. The tale of the season so far is that when we lose we really lose, 4-0, 3-0, 4-0, 7-0, 2-0 & 3-0, two of those in cups. Not many teams are in the top five with a minus goal difference!

Since John Scarborough’s departure we have looked very weak in defence, without the out of favour Wes Daly the midfield is too lightweight and unfortunately aside from Leon McKenzie our strikers haven’t scored since early November, which all adds up to a bit of a problem.  

Saturday sees us entertain Basingstoke before a trip to Lewes on Wednesday, a minimum of four points is required to keep us in a good position, sadly somehow I can’t see it happening.       

Steady Start to 2011

After a creditable draw at Dover we defeated Bishop's Stortford at home 4-3, in a game we made far harder for ourselves than we needed against a side reduced to ten men for 30mins. Stortford came with a plan of kicking us off the pitch and even their manager was ordered off before half time for losing his rag over a throw on.
We then travelled up to Herts to face St Albans City who were in a good run of form and came back with a 1-1 draw, fustrated at a disallowed goal in the first half and a linesman who was way out of his depth, arriving less than 30misn before kick off due to traffic we coped ok with the direct style of The Saints for all but the first ten minutes when they scored.
Tuesday sees Chelmsford visit Hayes Lane, they tore us apart in the FA Cup Replay back in September, so we have a score to settle and hopefully Marlon Patterson who show us why they were so upset to lose him, although a draw would be a good result for us right now.
By the end of this month I expect that we'll have a more realistic league position, but hopefully still be with in a shout of the play offs.     

Happy New Year!

So once again Bromley supporters dug deep and got together to pull the club out of it's short term troubles. Unfortunately on Thursday the players came up short against Maidenhead losing 0-2 in a quickly arranged game that kept the woolf from the door, but they soon bounced back with a fine point at Dover on Saturday, which MG was disappointed wasn't three after the hoem sides late equaliser.
After one day off it's now Bishop's Stortford at home on Bank Holiday Monday, all three games with the Herts side so far this year have been close with one draw and two narrow wins for Bromley. Another win would keep us nicely in the play off picture as we try to stay unbeaten in 2011.
Just in case you need to get some perspective on the current position of the club, ten years ago we were struggling in Ryman League Divsion One under Dave Garland, losing at Bedford Town on New Years Day and didn't even own our own ground.