Bromley 0-2 York City

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Mar 26, 2024

The maxim that there are no easy games at this stage of the season rang true as relegation-threatened York City dominated a lethargic Bromley to boost their chances of National League survival.

For Bromley, it put an end to five consecutive clean sheets. Was this the wake-up call they needed ahead of their final six league games?

Time will tell.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 2-0 defeat at home to York City.

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

The team vs York City

The Good

The last time I stated that there was nothing good to reflect on post-match was after the Eastleigh defeat live on BT Sport.

Bromley were lacklustre that day and were devoid of any real creative spark or energy.

While the York defeat was very similar, it was slightly more honourable because a) York played very well, b) some Bromley players were up for the scrap, and c) Bromley actually created chances.

Rory Watson in the York goal had to pull off at least one excellent save and two good ones to keep Bromley at bay, so it wasn’t as if they were completely crap. But they were second-best across the piece and devoid of quality in clutch moments.

Not to steal a phrase from Andy Woodman, although I’m doing precisely that, Bromley are allowed to lose football matches. What matters is how they recover from the defeats.

To put it in perspective, at no point this season have Bromley lost more than two games on the bounce. That's why you never see me panicking on this substack newsletter.

If any side has the mental fortitude to bounce back, it’s this one.

The only time a defeat will really matter is if it comes in the post-season. At that point, there will be no right of reply. But let’s cross that bridge if we come to it.

Perspective, people. Perspective.

The Bad

How often do Bromley get out-hustled and out-worked?

Saturday was one of those rare games where Bromley didn’t do the basics. By that I mean they seemingly never broke a sweat.

At the bare minimum, we expect to see a Bromley side huff and puff and keep going until the final whistle. I’m not sure we can say that here.

At full time, I asked Andy Woodman if the exertion of playing with ten men for the majority of Wednesday’s game was a factor in this defeat. To his credit, he refused to use that as an excuse.

However, I do briefly want to explore that context.

Dennis, Topalloj, Passley, and Thomas didn’t play on Wednesday, so should have had fresh legs. The remaining players, with the exception of Ashley Charles and early substitute Kamarl Grant, seemed low on everything from energy to inspiration. I believe this may well have contributed to the lax performance we witnessed.

Still, as Andy says, there is a ‘no excuses’ culture at the club. We move.

Of more concern to me was the injury to Deji Elerewe. Having ‘re-debuted’ on Wednesday for an excellent 77 minutes at Wealdstone, Deji pulled up just 11 minutes into the York game.

My bet was that a fit-again Elerewe would be the missing link in Bromley’s promotion charge. But if this issue was serious enough to end his game, there’s every chance it will put him out of action for a while. Let’s hope Hus Torgut can work some miracles.

For me, the most disappointing performances came from (take your pick) Josh Passley, Besart Topalloj, Louis Dennis, and Corey Whitely. I have never seen those four play so badly.

The wing-backs failed to provide any real width or danger in the final third, so it was no surprise that Bromley looked so one-paced and cumbersome going forward.

Louis and Corey meanwhile looked a yard off the pace. When you consider how crucial they are from a creative standpoint, their subpar performances only added to the lack of threat and direction.

I have a bias where Louis Dennis is concerned as he’s the most technically gifted player I have seen in my 28 years watching Bromley. For that reason, I will always give him a longer rope when it comes to correcting poor form.

We have seven league and cup games left this season (possibly ten if we make it to the National League and FA Trophy finals). Louis will have a crucial impact in the run-in.

Mark my words.

The Ugly

By now, we know that Andy Woodman keeps his cards close to his chest where squad availability is concerned. He believes there is no point in handing unnecessary advantages to his opponents, and he’s probably right. Far be it from me to suggest he should change track.

That said, because the club does not openly discuss the availability of its players, it leaves supporters in the dark.

The knock-on effect is that fans call for players to play who are possibly not fit enough to be selected. This generates unnecessary speculation about who is or isn’t being picked and what the manager should or shouldn’t do about it.

I don’t have an answer to this conundrum as Andy won't change his mantra. But fans won’t change their stance either. Maybe that’s just the ebb and flow of following a football club.

In a recent G/B/U, I raised a polite enquiry about the quality of our set pieces, or lack thereof. In response, it seems that a narrative has taken hold.

Bromley had ten corners on Saturday. I counted two that were threatening. The free-kicks all amounted to nothing as well. This is currently our weakest fine margin.

Am I right? Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Lewis Thomas (7)

Josh Passley (5)

Deji Elerewe (7)

Byron Webster (6)

Callum Reynolds (6)

Besart Topalloj (5)

Ashley Charles (7)

Ben Krauhaus (6)

Corey Whitely (5)

Louis Dennis (5)

Michael Cheek (6)

Subs:

Kido Taylor-Hart for Louis Dennis 58’ (6.5)

Karmarl Grant for Deji Elerewe 11’ (7)

Olufela Olomola for Callum Reynolds 58’ (5)

From Bromley with love

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