Bromley 1-1 MK Dons

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Another point on the road to safety. It might seem premature to be looking at things like that, but make no mistake, safety is Bromley’s first objective this season. 

MK Dons arrived with Crawley Town’s promotion-winning manager Scott Lindsey freshly installed in their dugout. Would they experience a new-manager bounce?

For Bromley, after a tricky run of results, it was about finding a way to not lose against one of the league’s big spenders. 

In truth, both teams got elements of what they wanted.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 1-1 draw at home to Milton Keynes Dons.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The team vs MK Dons

The Good

If you had to pick one attribute that summates Andy Woodman’s Bromley, you wouldn’t go far wrong with ‘graft’.

This was one of those results and performances where Bromley simply refused to be beaten. There was genuine quality thrown into the mix (see the move for Michael Cheek’s goal), but fundamentally it was about earning the right to play at the right time. 

Some will question if that is good enough for this level of football but I return to the opening premise. Every single point gained this season will be a positive given the step up in quality.

‘By any means necessary’ has to be the mantra.

Graft aside, there were a few standout performances that caught my eye.

Woodman handed Omar Sowunmi his first league start of the season and Omar went some way to reminding fans why Woodman felt it was a no-brainer to bring the giant defender back.

He added a certain level of robustness to the back line, and was oft spotted rampaging forward to add another body to the attack, which surprised me a little. 

If Woodman remains true to his core value that every player should earn the right to wear the shirt, then I expect Omar to be a fixture going forward.

Further afield, we saw a glimpse of why an in-form Corey Whitely is so important to the way Bromley play. Most of the things that Bromley did well came from quick turnovers landing at the feet of Whitely, who is the Ravens’ most effective high-speed ball carrier. It was no surprise that it was Whitely’s through-ball that set Cheek away for the equaliser. It was a brilliant passage of play.

Over the last few seasons, Corey has seemingly played the most games and run the most yards. Even at 33, he remains critical to Bromley playing impactful counter-attacking football. Cameron Congreve definitely has the technical ability in this regard, but he remains a work in progress, ergo a lot rests on Corey to show up.

I wonder if Andy has asked Brentford about Ben Krauhaus again?

Ben Thompson is a funny one. I’ll be honest, it’s taken me a while to get it, but let me clarify that. I’m not questioning his ability, but I have been trying to work out his role in the side and what he brings to the table.

More than anything, what I’ve noticed is he adds a bit of nous that comes with Football League experience. 

Lewis Leigh, Ashley Charles, and Jude Arthurs are all good players in their own right, but you can tell that Thompson has played in the EFL extensively. His game has a lot of small details that aren’t immediately obvious, but they can be best categorised under the heading: decision making. Whether that translates to his positioning, timing a run, holding his position, or spotting the right pass, he seems to have a bit more time to do that than our other midfielders.

If fit and available, I expect that our midfield for the foreseeable future will be Thompson +1.

Lastly, yet another word for Michael Cheek. At the start of the season, I predicted Cheek would hit double figures and be in and around 20+ goals (injuries notwithstanding). If anything, Cheek appears to be finding this league easier than the National League. He’s ageing like fine wine. 

We’ve always known that Cheek can win Bromley games if he gets an opportunity. This season, more than ever, his goals will be critical in making sure they are never really in a relegation dogfight.

We won't see many games this season where the points are safe with 20 minutes to go, but if Bromley are in that position, Cheek should always be taken off.  It will be important that Woodman manages Cheek’s minutes, as being at optimal fitness will be critical. Fine wine needs to be correctly stored. 

MK Dons didn’t really have a standout player for me, but I saw enough in their possession-based style to suggest that once Scott Lindsey gets into his work with that squad, and some of their injuries clear up, they will be a force to contend with.

In many ways, what stood out most was the size and speed of the Dons. We are only eight league games into the new season, but we are starting to really see what the teams with the deeper squads have to offer. 

There is a noticeable technical and speed difference between the National League and League Two. MK Dons haven't even started that well and yet they looked like they had a gear they could go to that Bromley wouldn’t be able to match. 

This is why in my book it was a very good point. There is no Oxford City in League Two. Heck, there isn’t even a Dagenham & Redbridge.

The Bad

Continuing the above, the question is how Bromley can compete on a regular basis against the quality we are facing.

Andy Woodman alluded to something earlier in the season and after eight games of observation I make him right.

He said that Bromley players’ numbers would have to go up, chiefly running miles and speed, box entries, and crosses.

The good news is that there isn’t a huge margin between Bromley and your average League Two side. The bad news is that small errors are frequently punished. That’s why Andy has been so eager to solve his team’s defensive issues first and foremost. The maxim that you can't lose if you don’t concede is as true as ever. 

Bromley in League Two remains a work in progress, but unless we happen to sign more former Premier League players like Carl Jenkinson, what we have is what we have for now.

The wider squad will play a part at different points this season, but I would be intrigued to know what people consider to be Bromley’s best XI at this point in time.

Kamarl Grant played LCB on Saturday, but he looked uncomfortable there. Deji Elerewe is the answer in that slot, but he remains a long-term injury concern.

Cheek is yet to find an ideal strike partner, and promising players like Cam Congreve are on a learning curve. 

It’s not a bad situation, but it’s a situation. 

Some will suggest a change in play style, but you would need a change of players to facilitate it. Bromley have a squad built for the style they play and it has served them very well for three seasons.

If it ain’t broke…

The Ugly

Bromley’s more vocal fans were serenading MK’s supporters with a song that branded them ‘franchise bastards’. I might be in the minority here, but I’ve never cared about MK Dons.

I just don’t understand why we should get riled up about them anymore. Milton Keynes is a city built in the image of a SimCity grid. Like the city itself, the Dons are non-descript. 

Understandably, AFC Wimbledon hate them, but if you were following Bromley twenty years ago you will remember how sanctimonious the Wombles were during their rise up the non-League. Bromley were one of the few clubs that refused to roll out the red carpet for them.

Around that time, I decided that MK and AFC were two sides of the same coin. I’ve mellowed on AFC over the years, but I maintain that MK Dons are irrelevant to me and not worth my vitriol. 

Each to their own, but ‘live and let live’ is my opinion.

Back to the pitch.

Bromley’s costly errors continued when Callum Reynolds failed to deal with a long ball and was outmuscled in the subsequent chase, leaving Tommy Leigh to square for Joe Tomlinson for the opening goal.

That mistake aside, Callum had a decent game, but Bromley are finding out the hard way that they have to be flawless in this league. 

If you gifted teams a goal in the National League, you knew they would be just as likely to gift you a chance or two themselves. In League Two any silly error will be punished and you’re not getting the favour returned. 

The question is how and when will Bromley eradicate them?

Lastly, in the final moments of the game, Marcus Dinanga looked like he suffered a bad injury to his ankle. I assume some sort of medical scan will follow.

His season has been a stop/start affair so far, making it difficult for him to really get into his work. We wish him well on his (hopefully brief) recovery.

What did you make of the game? Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (7)

Omar Sowunmi (7)

Callum Reynolds (6)

Kamarl Grant (6)

Danny Imray (7)

Ashley Charles (7)

Ben Thompson (7)

Idris Odutayo (7) 

Cameron Congreve (7)

Corey Whitely (7)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Besart Topalloj for Kamarl Grant 46’ (7)

Lewis Leigh for Ashley Charles 72’ (6)

Marcus Dinanga for Cameron Congreve 72’ (6)

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

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

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