Bromley 0-0 Port Vale
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
One defeat in twelve games. Eight games unbeaten. I think it is now safe to say that Bromley have arrived in League Two.
0-0s are often drab affairs, but this encounter with promotion-chasing Port Vale was anything but.
Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 0-0 home draw with Port Vale.
Have a read and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
The team vs Port Vale
The Good
I think it is fair to say that Port Vale got away with one (their disallowed goal notwithstanding).
But for Connor Ripley’s outstanding performance in the Port Vale goal, and some wasteful finishing, Bromley would not have been flattered by a three-goal victory.
The Ravens have played both of the top two in recent weeks and were the better team across both matches.
Andy Woodman stated after the win over Gillingham that they had been working on the training ground to get players into more threatening positions in the final third. The contest with Port Vale offers further evidence that the tweaks are working.
Danny Imray was his usual effervescent self, marauding down the right wing in near-unstoppable fashion, but more notable to me was how often Idris Odutayo, Cameron Congreve, and Corey Whitely were able to get into attacking positions to help Michael Cheek. Even centre-back Kamarl Grant was seen dovetailing with Cheeky in attack.
It has taken Bromley a while to find the necessary balance, but as we approach the end of the year, it looks like the scales are levelling.
In the back line, Callum Reynolds kept his spot in the middle of the defence and has seamlessly taken over the role of the defensive organiser while Byron Webster sits out.
It got me thinking about how experience has strengthened Bromley’s spine this season.
The main protagonists are Grant Smith (31), Byron Webster (37), Callum Reynolds (35), Corey Whitely (33), and Michael Cheek (33).
The fact that these five have been critical this season proves that age really is just a number. They clearly know and trust their own game, but most importantly, their experience helps them to read the game very well.
The young legs around them offset their advancing age to a degree, but it will be fascinating to see how Andy Woodman boosts his squad in January or over the summer.
As things stand, I don’t see how you pick any Bromley side without at least four of those five starting. Succession planning will be going on in the background, but putting those plans into action doesn’t feel like a priority at the moment. Bromley’s fine wine is ageing well.
I’ve mentioned goalkeeper Connor Ripley, who I felt was Port Vale’s standout player, but it is worth acknowledging that Vale were much better in the second half thanks to the introduction of Rico Richards at half-time.
What I liked about Rico’s play was his ability to drop into the space between the Bromley midfield and defence. This meant he was often free to collect the ball on counter-attacking transitions and run at the Bromley backline with pace and purpose.
The internet tells me that Rico is currently on loan at Port Vale from Aston Villa. That makes sense, as his technical ability and direct dribbling spoke to someone who has received a football diet from loftier heights.
I will be watching his progress closely from here.
The Bad
Moments after Cameron Congreve showed excellent ball control to glide through the Port Vale defence and shoot narrowly wide, the assistant referee’s board went up to sub him out for Olufela Olomola.
I didn’t like the timing of the sub and felt it was pre-determined.
Around five minutes beforehand, Congreve ran onto a through ball and forced a great save from Ripley to deny him.
Was it worth giving the team another five minutes to see if they could ride the momentum?
None of this is to say that Fela didn’t do well when he came on; I thought he linked the play well and found himself in some promising situations. He probably should have even scored at one point. But I just didn’t think it was the right time to make that sub.
What say you?
The Ugly
There is only one thing to talk about and it is the horrendous decision to not give a goal when a Port Vale effort clearly crossed the line.
Make no mistake, if that had happened to Bromley at the other end, people would be contorting with rage.
Not only did the ball go over the line, there is a debate that Idris ‘kept it out’ with his hand. The ball even had time to bounce beyond the line and back out again.
A catalogue of errors indeed.
The question though isn’t anything to do with VAR or goal-line technology at the lower levels. It boils down to whether you believe the assistant referee and referee should have got it right, regardless.
Port Vale manager Darren Moore was magnanimous at full-time. He gave the assistant referee the benefit of the doubt, believing it would have been very hard for the man in black to see it in real time given Idris was also on the goal line.
But where do you stand on it? Was the mistake as inexcusable as everyone made it out to be?
And if it was, what is your affordable solution to fix errors like that at our level of football?
Get involved in the comments section below.
Match ratings
Grant Smith (8)
Danny Imray (8)
Omar Sowunmi (7)
Callum Reynolds (7)
Kamarl Grant (7)
Idris Odutayo (8)
Jude Arthurs (7)
Ben Thompson (7)
Corey Whitely (7)
Cameron Congreve (7)
Michael Cheek (7)
Subs:
Olufela Olomola for Cameron Congreve 69’ (7)
Thanks for taking the time to read the match synopsis above.
Please note all match photographs in this article are by Martin Greig - please follow him on Twitter here
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Firstly, I had 4 ‘ newbies ‘ with me for the game. All of whom left highly impressed with what Bromley have to offer on and off the pitch.
In terms of the game, it was the most entertaining of goalless draws. Bromley started strongly and had the best of the first half. At the time I thought there was more to come from Port Vale and so there was. Any team that can successfully play into the pockets between midfield and defence will cause problems and they proceeded to do that.
As for the ‘ goal ‘, from my seat in the JF stand I thought it was in and was astonished that the officials missed it.
One thing highly noticeable from Bromley’s performance was the degree of confidence that the team are playing with. The players look like they now feel at home at this level.
Looking to the future, the income generated from the Newcastle game, together with the new investment, will hopefully fund some succession planning for the core of players that are into their 30’s. Although it’s hard to contemplate life without Cheeky in particular !
This was a superb Brom performance and yet another 3 points go begging. We all know we got away with one but who cares, we have had our share of bad luck, home and away! Had we have been 2 up at half time, we would probably have sat back second half abd conceded anyway. One the day, all things considered, a draw was fair.