Tough at the Top

As we come into March Bromley are still top of the league which is quite some feat considering the size of our squad a relatively low budget compared to some teams in this league. Eastleigh are hot on our heals though six points behind with two games in hand they have a bigger squad, seemingly infinite budget and the bonus of being full time, meaning two or three fixtures a week is less of a problem to them.

Mark Goldberg’s sides have always suffered a dip in form once the pitches have got heavier and after the monsoon style winter we’ve had it’s no wonder results have taken a bit of a dip now we are playing again. It’s hard to move the ball round the way we like to when the mud is over your ankles! We probably don’t have the players to adapt to a different style of play and that’s if MG would even consider doing so.         

Play off chasing bitter rivals Sutton Utd come to Hayes Lane on Tuesday and we look set to face them with only one recognised centre back with Jack Holland on England C duty and Rob Swaine injured. We then head up Essex to face a resurgent Chelmsford City on Saturday a notoriously unhappy hunting ground for us without Swaine who will be suspended after his red card against Boreham Wood. If we can come away from these two tough fixtures with four points then we’ll have done very well, with two games a week for the rest of the month they’ll be no let up in the hard work ahead to achieve the highest league finish possible.     

As far as the race for the title goes this could be a make or break week, but whatever the outcome it’s important for Bromley fans to remember just how well we have done to be here in the first place.          

Happy New Year!

As the New Year begins we still find ourselves top of the table with an impressive 53points from 22games. Eastleigh lurk behind though with three games in hand at the time of writing, if they win all of them that would bring then within two points of us setting up the game nicely between the two of us at Hayes Lane on 28 January.

The 3-1 win at Ebbsfleet Utd on New Years Day was probably the best of the season so far, away from home in dreadful conditions we recorded our first win over top five opposition playing some great football. It was great to see Jake Reid notch his first goal for Bromley and immediately look far more confident and in his element. With Albert Jarrett also making a return after 15months out injured as a late sub it was a very positive start to 2014 for us.

Rumours are that we have signed young striker Alfie May from Chatham Town, it remains to be seen if the ‘one in one out’ policy the club has implemented so far this season will apply to this recent acquisition. Bradley Goldberg has been linked with a return to Dagenham & Redbridge his parent club after scoring 17 goals so far for The Ravens this season, but they have said they would like to fulfil their promise of loaning him to us for the season, so we will have to keep our fingers crossed.

With other clubs also chasing promotion bringing in quality players to boost their squads, the second half of the season will be a stern test for out small squad and budget. Remaining injury and suspension free will be the key to whether we can build on the remarkable first half of 2013/14.

Saturday sees us host Eastbourne Borough followed by the re-scheduled game with Concord Rangers on Tuesday night, if we maintain the unbeaten home form so far in the league this season then we’ll be set up nicely for a busy second half of the month.                       

Ravens Flying

As the busy Christmas period approaches Bromley are flying, four points clear at the top of the table having recorded their ninth home league win in a row on Saturday beating Farnborough 3-0. To further add to the buzz around The Lane, Ryan Hall has returned for a month after being released by Leeds Utd at the end of November. Hall with play for nothing until he can sign for another Football League club in January as a thank you for the faith the club showed in him when picking him up after his release from Crystal Palace as a youngster. Ryan played for just under half an hour on Saturday showing some nice touches and adding to the celebratory atmosphere around the place.

With fifteen points up for grabs before the New Year the next fortnight could shape our season.

The tightness of the budget constraints were shown by the loaning of Shamir Mullings to Thamesmead Town for the rest of the season effectively ending his time at Bromley. After a good pre-season Shamir was unlucky to not get a starting place in the side, but he then had an unsuccessful loan spell at Cray Wands before returning for one sub appearance prior to his current departure to Bayliss Avenue.               

With the London and Kent senior Cups still to play for and the league up for grabs it's gonna be an interesting start to 2014 at Hayes Lane. 

Top Again!

As we head towards the end of November remarkably Bromley once again find themselves at the top of the table and unbeaten at home in the league. Saturday saw us bounce back from a heavy FA Trophy defeat at Ebbsfleet with a solid 2-0 win over Havant & Waterlooville thanks to two goals early in the second half. Ashley Nicholls capping a man of the match display with the second goal having put in an assist for the first, coolly taken by PJD. We were rarely troubled by a decent Havant side, which speaks volumes for the way Mark Goldberg & Co. have us playing at the moment.

As well as the Conference South campaign going well we also find ourselves in the Semi Finals of the Kent Senior Cup after Hythe Town pulled out of last Monday’s scheduled game that afternoon due to an injury crisis at the Kent Coast Club. I don’t think I ever remember this happening before!       

Due to our early FA Trophy exit we have another blank Saturday this week, but next up at Hayes Lane on Tuesday 3 December are London Bari from the Essex Senior League as we begin the defence of the London Senior Cup. Bari who groundshare with Clapton FC have been in senior football for the last three season having previously competed in the Asian Leagues. This is the first meeting between the two sides and should be a decent game before we get back to league action against Farnborough the following weekend.   

 The early exits from both FA competitions may well restrict what the club can spend on strengthening the team as the season goes on, but right now we have a group of players who look united and playing very well. The home performances deserve to command  more than the 425 who came to the game on Saturday.

Shamir Mullings has returned to the club after a month at Cray Wands with Steve Smith the latest Bromley man to lend a hand at our tenants. Smith who has rarely put a foot wrong when selected will hopefully benefit from regular football and still get a chance to establish himself at Bromley.    

Great Response

After the disappointment of the FA Cup defeat and it’s financial ramifications plus the following defeat at Sutton, the players have come back with the perfect response with nine points from three games and plenty of quality goals too. We currently sit top of the table clear by a point from Eastleigh, although Stortford could over take us if they win their games in hand, it’s still a great position to be in at this time of year.

The win at Maidenhead was all about attrition while the victory over Dorchester showed a ruthless side against strugglers we’ve lacked in previous seasons. The 5-0 trouncing of Chelmsford was the most satisfying given the history between the two clubs and their attitude in previous campaigns. It shows what can happen to a team when the money runs out, their home gates have halved in a few months and there was a startling lack of belief among the players despite the best efforts of their impressive travelling support.

After a week off due to FA Cup fixtures, next up we travel to Ebbsfleet Utd in the FA Trophy, probably the toughest draw we could have got at this stage of the competition, The Fleet are a very strong well funded side and I’d take a replay right now. Although some might say we could do without the distraction of cups at the moment, we could do with some prize money to boost the coffers for the season.                  

The following Monday we host Hythe Town in the Kent Senior Cup, a repeat of the 19992 final, what side we put out in that one will probably de dictated by the result on Saturday.  

Cutting the Cloth

After the inglorious FA Cup exit to Heybridge Swifts the inevitable budget cuts kicked in this week. Lewis Carey & Jacob Erskine were released while Warren McBean left for Canvey Island.  MG told the press he would have to trim things down following the defeat and so it has proved to be.
For those who are left Saturdays game at Sutton will be a massive test, win or draw and they will have gone some way to proving their worth to the owners who will someway have to find the funds to keep the team together without the cup income, lose and I think one or two more will be left go.
The game sees second play third in a local derby that always has a little extra spice. Add the fact that former Bromley captain  Ali Fuseini now ply’s his trade there, it should be interesting!
I came in for some criticism from some long term fans for my comments on facebook about the cup exit, but I stick by them. The approach of the players to both cup games was far from right and after getting away with it against Burgess Hill we came unstuck two weeks later.
While those who work behind the scenes looked totally shell shocked by the loss and the implications of the lack of income from a cup run it didn’t seem to have enough impact on the ones who could most effect the result. Although it does now of course as two of the starting line up are no longer with the club.      
Let's hope that the guys still with us seize the opportunity to keep us up in the frame and get one over an old foe.          

Keep The Eyes on The Prize.

After just about doing enough to get through in the FA Cup beating Burgess Hill 1-0, we then put out an mixture of first team and academy players in the Kent Senior Cup against Cray Wands and edged our tenants out 3-2 with an injury time winner from 17 year old Tom O’Connor. This was the managerial debut of Cray’s new men in charge Keith Bird & Micky Paye who previously ran Bromley’s Reserve side. Among the eight debutants in the Wands side were the familiar faces of Carlos Talbot & Helge Orome, both of whom played for Bromley in the final of the London Senior Cup last season.

Mark Goldberg took a risk not fielding any of the regular back four and filling the bench with teenagers against a highly motivated team looking to impress their new managers, but it all worked out in the end with some of the Academy players putting in solid performances and Jacob Erskine getting off the mark in his latest spell with the club following his release from Whitehawk. With Warren McBean out of the country and Jay May injured Erskine has the chance to push Shamir Mullings for the target man spot next to Bradley Goldberg.

On Saturday we travel to Boreham Wood who are always a tough prospect and we’ll have to raise our game again to get anything out of this and keep up near the top of the table. Let’s hope the lethargy we showed against Burgess Hill was a one off. The FA Cup draw has been kind to us again with a home tie V Heybridge Swifts of Ryman Division One North, but if we are complacent again the season could have a very different complexion in a few weeks.         

There is a strong character and team ethic at the club right now and it needs to come to the fore for the good times to keep rolling.