Bromley 1-1 FC Halifax Town

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

How do you look at this one? No wins in seven league games? Or a point that represents a building block?

A quick glance at the National League form table reveals that, in their last seven games, Bromley have played five of the top seven in-form teams. FC Halifax Town were the latest form-table-toppers to challenge the Ravens.

Given how bad Bromley’s form has been of late, not losing was critical. This wasn’t a pretty performance, but Bromley achieved that goal.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s draw with the Shaymen.

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

The Line-up vs FC Halifax Town

The Good

Michael Cheek now has four goals for the season. More importantly, he has two in his last three. The hallmark of Michael Cheek at or near his best is getting Bromley points when they need his goals the most.

If Michael’s return to form is the only positive to take then it’s the best one we could ask for. We all know what a difference he can make. If Bromley can get him and Marriott firing at the same time then the season becomes far less complicated.

Off the pitch, I want to give the Bromley marketing team some credit. I saw some naysaying about the third kit and its David Bowie theme, but I feel this was an example of a topic where people moan for the sake of moaning.

In my honest opinion, the club got the marketing spot on. Not only did it pay off with a bumper crowd of 2.5k (of which Halifax contributed 66), but judging by first-day sales, the new merch was lapped up by our fans.

I have long accepted that the modern Bromley fanbase is a different beast from the one I grew up with. Understandably, the club is tailoring their marketing to charm this new and evolving crowd. If that means I can't relate to it, so be it. Bromley aren’t an ex-EFL club with a big budget to fall back on. The club’s growth relies on what the club does off the pitch just as much as on it. 

With the David Bowie-themed kit, they did that and then some. I understand if it’s not your cup of tea, but please overstand that you’re more than likely in the minority.

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 Bad

It wasn’t the most inspiring of games, to say the least, and FC Halifax Town certainly played their part in that. I think there’s an expectation among some of Bromley’s fanbase that the Ravens should impose their will on every game in order to win, but football isn’t that simple.

Halifax came to be compact and to try and nick something with quick transitions. Meanwhile, Bromley were playing with the handbrake on, particularly in the first half, because they were afraid to lose. 

Safety-first football often leads to a stalemate, and the match stats speak for themselves: There were only three shots on target in total and both teams scored. High efficiency some might say!

On a serious note though, it was a drab game. Bromley only pushed higher up the pitch in the second half, which coincided with them playing better football. However, they did so without creating much in the way of clear-cut opportunities.

Harry Forster got the sponsor’s Man of the Match, and defensively I thought he was excellent, but I continue to believe that our wingbacks will need to be more incisive going forward if we’re to be more creative. 

I don’t know if that translates to getting the ball into the area earlier, better delivery, better movement off the ball, or better decision-making. Maybe it’s a combination of all four? One way or another, it has to improve on both wings.

Should Corey Whitely be moved back there?

The Ugly

Speaking of Corey Whitely, I think the last two games have been his least effective in a Bromley shirt. 

As I mentioned in the review of the Woking game, given his position on the pitch, a lot of the creative impetus has to come from him. 

When Corey is having an average game, or worse, others need to step up and compensate. We haven’t seen that in the last two games and, consequently, it has raised questions about the side’s best setup. 

Would there be more to gain from moving Corey back to LWB and letting Louis play in the hole? We know the threat Corey Whitely can provide in that role, but Louis Dennis is Louis Dennis!

That said, even though he was below his best, Corey’s key flick provided the assist for Michael Cheek’s goal. But are assists enough on their own? 

Whether statistics are your thing or not, here’s one you should take note of: Whitley, Forster, Bingham, and Vennings have zero league goals this season. Zero! No wonder Bromley have only scored six goals in their last seven games.

This is a conundrum, but if Bromley can solve it, I think it will go a long way to addressing their current issues. 

Clearly, though, we need much more from some players in the final third.

Match ratings

Tom Smith (7)

Harry Forster (7)

Omar Sowunmi (7)

Byron Webster (7)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Reece Hannam (7)

James Vennings (6)

Billy Bingham (7)

Corey Whitely (6)

Michael Cheek (7)

George Alexander (6)

Subs:

Charles Clayden (on 74 for Reece Hannam) 5

Adam Marriott (on 67 for James Vennings) 6

For those who are interested, I have also included the interview with FC Halifax Town manager Chris Millington - always worth seeing how the opposition viewed a match as well

---

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

Please note all photographs in this article are by Martin Greig - please follow him on Twitter 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.