Bromley 0-0 Southend United

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

It’s been a while, but let me re-up my favourite phrase: You can't lose if you don’t concede. 

Prior to the Christmas/New Year double header against Southend United, most fans would have killed for one win from the two games. As it happens, it was more productive than that, as Bromley remained unbeaten over the holidays and grabbed four points and two clean sheets.

The Ravens are now unbeaten in five games and continue to sit on the cusp of the playoffs, outside on goal difference only. As a start to 2023, this will most certainly do.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s goalless draw at home to Southend United.

Have a read and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The Line-up vs Southend United

The Good

Clean sheets. Clean sheets. Clean sheets.

If Bromley are to become harder to beat in the second half of the season, it starts with clean sheets. 

Andy Woodman has made it clear in recent weeks that he wasn’t happy with the way his side had been defending and they’ve set about rectifying that during the festive period.

More impressively, this has been achieved with 18-year-old Kellen Fisher at right-back and 21-year-old Besart Topalloj at left-back. 

Bromley fans have to be careful what they wish for. Given the club’s resources, or lack thereof, if clean sheets are high on the agenda, then allowing the team to be a bit more agricultural in their play is likely to be the result. 

There won't be too many teams that shut out Southend in both fixtures, so Bromley are to be commended for doing so. And, frankly, I’ve always been of the opinion that it doesn’t matter how you get your points. The end justifies the means. 

In the middle of the defence, Byron Webster and Callum Reynolds once again had strong games as a two-man centre-back pairing. And, ahead of them, Ethan Coleman and Jude Arthurs really upped their performance in the second 45.

On another positive note, it was fantastic to see Reice Charles-Cook don the goalie gloves again after a lengthy injury layoff. I thought he was good on his return.

However, I have to once again give a special mention to Kellen Fisher. In the first 45 minutes, Southend’s wily winger, former Bromley man Jack Bridge, took Kellen to school. But the young right-back learned on the job and in the second 45 he was fantastic. 

I spoke about how good he was at Roots Hall, but in many regards this was the better performance as he had to come back from a difficult first half to show his maturity and class.

Lastly, something that will possibly have gone unnoticed, was that this game witnessed Bromley’s third 3000+ attendance of the season. And we’ve still got Wrexham and Notts County to come. Say what you like about the quality of the football, attendances are up.

The Bad

For all of their defensive solidity, Bromley were shot-shy across the 90 minutes.

Jude Arthurs probably had the chance of the game when his header was brilliantly tipped away by Stoke City loanee Blondy Nna Noukeu, but that was as good as it got.

The enforced substitution of Adam Marriott, replaced by Michael Cheek in the first 25 minutes, didn’t help. From that point on, there wasn’t really an attacking option on the bench for Woodman to turn to.

Regardless, it wasn’t a vintage performance going forward. Louis Dennis, Corey Whitely, and Harry Forster struggled to affect the game, which left Bromley’s lone striker feeding off scraps.

Woodman wanted to reward the players that played well in the Boxing Day fixture and I make him right to do that, but the sub-par attacking performance was a reminder that squad depth, and picking the right XI, will be key in the remainder of the season.

I spoke with Andy post match to get his reflections on the game - have a listen to the recording below before you move on

The Ugly

The transfer window has opened and Andy Woodman has implied that he’s looking at some possible additions to the squad.

However, with the departures of Chris Bush and Mason Bloomfield, the concern is that we don’t have the strength in depth to challenge consistently.

As it stands, to have any chance of staying in the playoff hunt, Bromley would have to remain injury free for the remainder of the season. An unlikely scenario. This is before we talk about some players finding some genuine form in 2023. 

Budget restrictions mean that Bromley’s transfer targets will really need to buy into the club and the project, as players of any real quality will also be on the radar of clubs with deeper pockets. 

Of course, one can but dream! So, with our deficiencies in mind, I would encourage Woodman to look at the following positions in order of priority:

• Right winger/inside forward.

• A pacey striker that can run in behind.

• A utility defensive player that can play in the middle and on the right.

In all honesty, Woodman getting Bromley to 8th after 23 games with the current squad feels like an overachievement. And, as talented as some of our youngsters are, it doesn’t feel sustainable to rely on them for the next 23 games. If we’re realistic about the playoffs, high-quality additions are a must.

The hope is that adding numbers to the squad, and ultimately the right bodies, breeds a culture of competition and by default a rise in overall standards.

Match ratings

Reice Charles-Cook (8)

Kellen Fisher (7)

Byron Webster (8)

Callum Reynolds (8)

Besart Topalloj (7)

Ethan Coleman (7)

Jude Arthurs (7)

Harry Forster (6)

Louis Dennis (6)

Corey Whitely (5)

Adam Marriott (5)

Subs:

Michael Cheek for Adam Marriott 23 (6)

Ben Krauhaus for Harry Forster 77 (6)

---

Thanks for taking the time to read the match synopsis above.

All articles are edited by Peter Etherington you can link to him here

If you havent as yet make sure you read the other articles in the archive.

If you’d like to show an appreciation for the work that goes into this newsletter you can buy me a coffee through the link below.

You can also find Machel St Patrick Hewitt on Twitter - here

Most importantly of all subscribe to the newsletter to ensure you get these updates direct to your inbox.