Bromley 1-1 Chippenham Town (4-2 penalties)

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Machel Hewitt

Jan 15, 2024

Dare Bromley dream again?

It has hardly been a vintage cup run. In fact, it’s been downright laborious. But the facts speak for themselves.

Bromley are in the 5^th round of the FA Trophy and are just three games from another trip to Wembley.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s penalty shoot-out victory over Chippenham Town.

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

The team vs Chippenham Town

The Good

Bromley got through the tie. Should the performance have been better? Most certainly. But when all is said and done, they found a way to get to the next round.

Sometimes, good teams win ugly.

Having put in such a lacklustre performance over the 90 minutes, the easiest thing to do would have been to lose the penalty shoot-out. But, in truth, Bromley never looked like missing a penalty, and for that they should be commended.

The weird thing is, it wasn’t as if the players put in absolute stinkers. On the whole, performances were on the positive side of passable. The Ravens managed the game quite well, too. But their play lacked the intensity required to make the game safe, which left the door open for Chippenham Town to chase their cupset.

Individually, there was another goal from Ben Krauhaus, no doubt adding a few thousand pounds to his exit fee. Young Chelsea loanee Teddy Sharman-Lowe, meanwhile, gave a solid performance in goal. His penalty save in the shoot-out handed Bromley the initiative, and it was an initiative they never looked like relinquishing.

After the game, when most Bromley fans had left the ground, I noticed a relatively intense post-match friendly going on between those on the bench and those not in the match-day squad (some of whom are due to return to full fitness soon).

During this game, I saw enough of Levi Amantchi to know that he will be a big problem on his introduction to the first team. Watch this space.

The Bad

I don’t think either Corey Whitely or Ben Krauhaus had a stellar game, but Krauhaus still scored the opening goal.

Importantly, when Whitely went off at half-time and Krauhaus followed in the 59^th minute, Bromley’s midfield looked weaker as a result.

I’ve written before that I worry about our reliance on Whitely and Krauhaus. The lack of like-for-like replacements for them is pretty glaring. Andy Woodman intimated in his From Bromley with Love post-match interview that some new faces may still be coming into the club. If that is the case, a creative midfielder is a must.

Tate Campbell came on for Ben Krauhaus in the second half, giving fans a glimpse of the long-forgotten Birmingham loanee. I have no doubt that Tate is a good player, but after such a long period out injured, he understandably seemed a little rusty.

Even when he’s up to full speed, unless I’m mistaken, his best position looks to be the deeper-lying Lewis Leigh/Sam Woods role. Perhaps he’s more flexible than I’m giving him credit for and can contribute as a #8, but the jury is out.

James Vennings has had an injury-ravaged season and has been unable to get regular game time. As a result, one has to wonder if a fully fit Vennings can be a difference-maker in this Bromley side.

He has some detractors, but Vennings does play on the half-turn and looks to get play moving forward (see his cameo against Blackpool as an example). He’s not a direct runner, but in the absence of a Whitely/Krauhaus option, is he Bromley’s next best bet?

The Ugly

Andy Woodman told me at full-time that he’s looking to win the FA Trophy. When he said that after the Slough Town win, I honestly assumed he was just saying what he has to say for the cameras.

On Saturday against Chippenham, Andy put out as close to a full-strength side as he reasonably could and reaffirmed post-match that winning the Trophy is a target.

A few miles up the road, meanwhile, National League leaders Chesterfield played an U21 side against Welling United and got dumped out of the cup. I’m certain the Spireites aren’t shedding any tears.

Far be it for me to say that Bromley are above winning the FA Trophy, but I have to question whether we can compete at the top level on two fronts.

Only six National League clubs remain in the final sixteen. If any of those six genuinely fancy a run at the cup final, the draw is very much open for it.

What would you want as a Bromley fan? Dare we dream of a third Wembley final?

Of course, given our league form, we may even get to Wembley in a play-off final. If that were to happen, might the FA Trophy prove a hindrance?

Bloody hell! I’m contemplating not prioritising a Trophy run at the expense of a play-off final.

What a heady time to be a Bromley fan!

Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Teddy Sharman-Lowe (8)

Josh Passley (7)

Alex Kirk (7)

Byron Webster (7)

Besart Topalloj (8)

Myles Weston (6)

Jude Arthurs (6)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Corey Whitely (6)

Olufela Olomola (6)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Cole Kpekawa for Myles Weston 77’ (7)

Tate Campbell for Ben Krauhaus 59’ (6)

Louis Dennis for Corey Whitely 46’ (6)

From Bromley with love

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