Bromley 2-0 FC Halifax Town

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Mar 03, 2024

“Clinical.”

That was the take of my good friend who was visiting Hayes Lane for the first time. They witnessed a match that wasn’t one for the purists, but it was a perfect example of why Bromley have sat in the top three for most of the season.

There has been a lot of noise about Bromley’s poor form in 2024, but this victory over FC Halifax Town was as National League as it gets.

With ten games to go, Andy Woodman will hope for more of the same as Bromley look to secure a bye into the National League play-off semi-finals.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the 2-0 home win vs FC Halifax Town.

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

The team vs FC Halifax Town

The Good

For all of the bluster about Bromley’s defence of late, you would be forgiven for not realising that they have the third-best defensive record in the National League.

After the game, people were quick to call Halifax a limited team, but the Shaymen were the team with the second-best defensive record in the league. They were also just outside the play-off places. This game was a prime example of a good team that looked average because they were made to look average.

“When Bromley have a lead to defend, they are well organised and drop numbers in behind the ball, which makes it very hard to go toe to toe with them.”

Those were the words of FC Halifax Town’s gaffer Chris Millington when I spoke to him after the game. They speak volumes about how Bromley are perceived in the National League.

People can argue about Bromley’s best centre-back trio, but it can’t be argued that when Bromley get it right, they are one of the hardest teams in the league to breach.

Some will argue that yesterday’s defensive solidity was due to Byron Webster’s recall. I have always been of the view that Byron is an important cog in the Bromley wheel. That said, there are some games he is far better suited to than others. We’ll call that a balanced narrative.

Byron’s positive attributes go beyond his physical and defensive qualities. His inclusion against Halifax was about leading and organising the team, as well as adding some steel and maturity to the backline.

Callum Reynolds moved from CB to LCB to accommodate Byron’s inclusion and it worked. Halifax struggled to unlock the Bromley defence and never really threatened their goal.

Let me be clear, that wasn’t down to Byron Webster alone.

Halifax couldn’t unlock Bromley because the team grafted. From the first minute to the last, their defensive workrate outperformed anything we’ve seen in 2024.

After the game, I had a brief chat with Corey Whitely. I reminded him that he’s now on 8 goals and 8 assists in the league this season and challenged him to hit the double-double.

Make no mistake, this has been Corey’s best National League season since he bagged 11 goals for Dagenham & Redbridge and Ebbsfleet in 2017/18. Those familiar with his early career will know that we are seeing him in his true form this season. Not many players can achieve that in their thirties, but, like Michael Cheek, Corey is ageing like fine wine.

His goals in this game were the usual Corey Whitely specials. He makes the exceptionally difficult look simple, which is a testament to his superior technical ability.

I back him not only to hit the double-double, but to challenge Michael Cheek, Callum Reynolds, and Besart Topalloj for the end-of-season award honours.

It looks like a one-man battle for Bromley’s goal-of-the-season award.

Which one is your favourite so far?

The Bad

Besart Topalloj’s sending off in second-half injury time was completely unnecessary and poses a selection dilemma for Andy Woodman ahead of the trip to Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night (yet another play-off side).

Very few people in the ground knew why he was sent off as they were busy following the ball, but I was informed post-match that violent conduct was the cause. Punches may or may not have been thrown, but the consensus was that Bes deserved the red card.

Andy Woodman was minutes away from securing three points with a near full-strength team rediscovering their DNA. Now he has to contemplate how he rejigs his side for the next three games.

The sending-off was in keeping with a frustrating day for Bes. For me, it was his weakest game in a Bromley shirt in a long time.

The few times Halifax did get at Bromley, it was down their right-hand side as they peppered Bes with overloads. Going forward, he was as direct as usual, but his end product was far below his normal standard.

All in all, it was a day to forget for the young wing-back. His suspension will give him time to rest, reflect, and rebound.

In terms of replacing Bes, the obvious move would be a like-for-like swap with Myles Weston, assuming he’s fit and available. There is no use questioning if Myles is up to the task as he was signed for precisely this purpose.

The whole point of a squad is having the flexibility to cope with this kind of situation. Myles is used to playing at wing-back. If now is the time for him to step up, so be it.

Alternatively, we may see a debut for Idris Odutayo, the young left-sided defender who arrived from Fulham at the start of 2024.

Andy Woodman has made it clear that Idris will be introduced slowly as he’s still getting up to speed with the fitness and performance levels required in the National League. Oldham Athletic would be quite the baptism of fire for the 21-year-old, but if needs must.

The Ugly

Prior to the match, Bromley issued a club statement condemning recent supporter behaviour, citing antics at the Eastleigh game.

I wasn’t there, but I’ve heard from people who were. It seems that several of the Bromley ‘yoof’ embarrassed themselves and the club yet again.

Firstly, good on the club for publicly saying something. This has been the great unsaid for some time, but not by me. On these pages, I’ve warned anyone who cares to listen that a negative element is festering in the north terrace. It seems this element has finally taken their ‘fick’ behaviour too far.

I won't repeat what I’ve heard happened before, during, and after the Eastleigh game, but some of their number were so pleased with their antics that they gleefully shared them online.

What I will say is that one of the reasons I started watching Bromley way back in 1996 was because I met a group of like-minded individuals who believed in speaking out against injustice and doing right by their fellow human.

It’s a simple tenet that has kept us in good stead for 25+ years.

I don’t know who these new people are, but if they feel bigotry is the way forward in life, or specifically within the confines of supporting Bromley Football Club, they should f*ck off back to whatever worm hole they came out of.

I said what I said.

Let me know what you think about the above by getting at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (8)

Josh Passley (7)

Alex Kirk (7)

Byron Webster (8)

Callum Reynolds (8)

Besart Topalloj (6)

Ashley Charles (8)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Corey Whitely (9)

Olufela Olomola (7)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Jude Arthurs for Ben Krauhaus 83’ (6)

Levi Amantchi for Olufela Olomola 89’ (n/a)

From Bromley with love

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