Bromley 0-1 Bradford City

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Sometimes in football, a team can lose a match and come out of it with plaudits all the same.

This was the case when Bromley went toe-to-toe with promotion-chasing Bradford City on Tuesday night, only to succumb to a late winner from Bobby Pointon.

As ever, join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the 0-1 home defeat against Bradford City.

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

The team vs Bradford City

The Good

I want to start with the opposition, which is something I rarely do in The Good section.

I thought Bradford were one of the best sides Bromley have faced this season. The scoreline only read 1-0 and the winning goal came just seven minutes from time, but Bromley had to work exceptionally hard to stay in the game at all.

Graham Alexander said at full-time that he thought his side were good value but moved the ball a tad too slow in the first half, allowing Bromley to get back into shape. In the second half, however, he felt they played at a tempo that Bromley found hard to deal with. Where do you stand on that?

What I would say is that I thought Antoni Sarcevic could easily have been onside for his disallowed goal in the first half, and Grant Smith had to produce a fine double save, the second one in particular, to keep his side in the game.

Oddly, it felt like Bradford’s goal came when they least deserved it.

Special mention to Brad Halliday and goalscorer Bobby Pointon, who I thought were exceptional on the night. Both continually exploited spaces to good effect. And when Bradford turned to the bench, they had game-changing talent that Bromley just couldn’t match.

Jamie Walker provided the critical half-turn and pass to give Pointon just enough space for him to fire low beyond Smith. A fine move and finish indeed.

That now makes it one defeat in thirteen games for the Bantams, and only one goal conceded in nine. Credit where credit is due, that’s an outstanding record.

As for Bromley, they more than held their own defensively. And while Bradford predictably had the lion’s share of possession, they were restricted to shots from long range in most cases.

Perhaps what puts the result and performance in perspective is that if Bromley had come out of it with a 0-0 draw, most observers would have said fair enough, despite Bradford being the better side all told.

That’s why Andy Woodman was so keen to praise his charges at full-time. It’s no cliché to say that there is a huge discrepancy between the size and resources of both clubs, yet such is the brilliance of the job being done at Hayes Lane that many see Bromley as more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the best.

Regardless of the paucity of genuine chances created, Bromley worked themselves into the ground and maintained an excellent shape off the ball throughout. And they almost found a way to take a share of the spoils at the death when Omar Sowunmi’s header forced a smart stop from the Bantam’s keeper.

Grant Smith won Man of the Match for his assured display between the sticks and in recognition of his outstanding double save. It led Andy Woodman, in his post-match interview, to reaffirm how good a keeper Smith is.

Here’s a question for fans from the old school: Pound for pound, who has been Bromley’s best keeper through the years? Bromley have been blessed with some special ones, but is Grant the best?

A word also for Carl Jenkinson, who continues to impress me. It was another game where I thought his know-how and experience was invaluable. I am not sure how long his contract runs, but I hope he’s locked in for next season as well.

With Callum Reynolds gone and Byron Webster surely in his last season as first-choice, will Jenkinson take on the role of the experienced head at the back?

The Bad

So, what of the handball decision? At the time, I said it was a double dribble, and so many people in the ground and on the pitch saw the offence clearly.

The question is: Was it actually a penalty?

I think Tayo Adaramola was a lucky man, BUT the rules say the following:

If the ball is either kicked or headed by a player and the ball then goes on to their own arm, it is not handball unless the ball then goes directly into the opponent’s goal or the player scores immediately afterwards.

Watch the footage back. With the rules in mind, can we really argue it was a penalty? At full speed, it looks like Adaramola flicks the ball onto his own hand. You could argue his hand is in an unnatural position, but that’s immaterial given the rule.

That aside, the other noticeable element of the game was Bromley’s lack of direct running options. More specifically, without the ball-carrying pace of Danny Imray, Bromley didn’t really have an outlet beyond long balls to Michael Cheek.

With Bradford owning possession, Bromley found it difficult to counter-attack effectively because this kind of game requires a player like Imray to stretch the backline and drag the team up the pitch.

Corey Whitely and Cameron Congreve looked game for a bit of running, but how many times do you remember them driving with the ball and really giving Bradford something to think about?

The good news is that Bromley can get by without Imray in most cases, but top-top games require Imray as he is a genuine X-factor player.

The Ugly

I’m nit-picking here, but did the choice of substitutes and the change of shape help or hinder Bromley?

Omar Sowunmi came on for Cameron Congreve in the 64^th minute, at which point the Ravens switched to a 5-3-1-1 or 3-5-1-1 formation.

The move suggested Congreve was tiring and Bromley sensed a need to be more defensively robust by going with three at the back. It also allowed Whitely to move centrally.

Brooklyn Ilunga then replaced Adam Mayor in the 71^st minute, which was a like-for-like switch, and suggested Andy wanted to add fresh legs and energy.

In the 79^th minute, Louis Dennis replaced Corey Whitely, who had run himself into the ground. This added fresh legs and, potentially, fresh ideas. At the same time, Marcus Ifill came on to replace Ashely Charles. This was the bravest move of all.

I got the sentiment with Marcus coming on for his debut, as he looked like he could be quick and direct through the middle, but I had to wonder if it would strip the defensive solidity from Bromley’s core.

Ultimately, I think it was a case of stick or twist and a gamble either way. Stick and you likely don’t create much and run the risk of players running on fumes and making an error. Twist and you force Bradford to think about something different defensively, but potentially cede your own solidity.

It’s hard to be too critical as I think Andy was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The only other options on the bench were Kamarl Grant, Nicke Kabamba, and Sam Long. Arguably, with players tiring, there was no other change he could have made in the middle of the park.

What would you have done?

Have your say in the comments section below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (8)

Carl Jenkinson (8)

Deji Elerewe (7)

Byron Webster (8)

Adam Mayor (7)

Ashley Charles (7)

Jude Arthurs (7)

Corey Whitely (7)

Ben Thompson (7)

Cameron Congreve (7)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Brooklyn Ilunga for Adam Mayor 71’ (6)

Omar Sowunmi for Cameron Congreve 64’ (6)

Marcus Ifill for Ashley Charles 79’ (6)

Louis Dennis for Corey Whitely 79’ (6)

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