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!