Bromley 2-2 Altrincham

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

When you’re second in the table and flying high, it’s easy to see every drop point as a disaster. But, as Andy Woodman stated at full-time, it all depends on the results that follow. 

What seems like two dropped points can look like a very useful point at the season's end. Context, people, context.

That said, Bromley turned in one of their best (if not the best) attacking performances of the season, but their wasteful finishing left the door open for Altrincham, who honestly couldn’t have complained if they’d lost by two or three goals. Alas, the Ravens squandered their chances and got punished at the death. 

The game is the game.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 2-2 draw at home to Altrincham.

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

The team vs Altrincham

The Good

Bromley get stick for being pragmatic and playing a percentages game. Call it how you see it, but you can’t deny it has been highly successful this season.

Bucking the trend, this game saw Bromley play some of their most impressive ‘front-foot’ football, recording 18 shots on target to Altrincham’s 3. 

Yes, Altrincham defended for their lives at times but they were repeatedly let off the hook by Bromley’s wasteful finishing. It was frustrating to watch, but the positive takeaway is that the Ravens were able to create countless opportunities against a fellow play-off side.

Nothing about the game, other than the result (yes, I know), suggested there was only a two-place gap between the sides. Crucially, if Bromley can maintain this level of attacking threat, not only will they batter most sides, they will almost certainly end the season in second place.

On a day where several players had some standout performances, most notably Alex Kirk and Besart Topalloj, the man who was integral to the turn-around was Olufela Olomola.

Go back a few weeks and you’ll find Andy Woodman remarking to me in a post-match interview that he didn’t sign Fela to just be Michael Cheek’s running man, he demanded goals from him as well. That demand has been met.

Fela has netted 7 goals in his first 11 appearances (7 starts) and has proved the perfect foil for Michael Cheek. I'm yet to speak to him about it, but I would be surprised if Fela said he wasn’t playing the best football of his career. 

The former Wealdstone man has the capacity to run in behind, link up play, and do the dirty work, and has added the kind of goals that mean the over-reliance on Michael Cheek is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

If Fela continues in this vein of form, and Bromley put together more performances like this one, it will take teams with the strength of Chesterfield to pip them to the post. 

I don’t often talk about the opposition in The Good but Alex Newby’s freekick to rescue a point for Altrincham could have graced any top-level game. 

Respect where respect is due, it was worth the entrance fee alone.

The Bad

For all of the conversation around good performances, the fact remains that Bromley didn’t finish their opponents off. The final score was 2-2 when it really shouldn’t have been.

I can't remember the last time I saw Bromley waste so many golden opportunities. From where I sat, at least six chances should have been goals. You might have counted more.

Was it complacency, or was it just one of those games where the bit of luck you need deserts you?

Being hyper-critical, Bromley need to rid themselves of this level of profligacy. Over the course of a league season, a bit of wastefulness tends to even itself out. But when push comes to shove in the play-offs, passing up chances could cost far more than a few dropped points.

Off the pitch, we are two games away from some of the Bromley loanees returning to their parent clubs. Most notably: Chin Okoli, Ryan Jones, and Lewis Leigh. Please let me know if I’ve missed anyone out.

The question is, do Bromley have enough quality in the squad already, or does their progress depend on nailing the next recruitment drive? 

A scenario I’ve pondered in recent articles is what happens if Whitely or Krauhaus (or both!) get injured? This question doesn’t have an obvious answer as yet, but in his post-match interview with From Bromley with Love, Andy Woodman admitted that new bodies are on the way. 

Some pieces of the puzzle are already slotting into place. Recent signing Myles Weston looks like a vastly experienced alternative to Ryan Jones, while injury-hit Tate Campbell is on his way back to full fitness and may well slot into Lewis Leigh’s boots. So far so good.

But Okoli’s departure, twinned with Deji Elerewe’s recent recall to Charlton, means a centre-back will almost certainly come through the door. 

Where else does Andy Woodman need to beef up the squad in your view?

The Ugly

After the Woking game in October, I wrote the following about Jude Arthurs: 

‘Jude is a pest; a maddening combination of tackle-terrier, foul-seller, and wind-up merchant. In other words, he’s the kind of player you’re glad is in your team and not the opposition’s. 

That said, there are times when I worry that Jude might trip over the line and become a liability. This is not to say he has ever let Bromley down with a red card, and I would never seek to take this quality out of his game, but I would like Jude to be a bit more selective.’

Hate to say I told you so. 

Before people take this the wrong way, I have always said this is the rough-with-the-smooth you have to accept with Jude. Perhaps the real surprise is that this is only his first red card of the season.

There is no getting away from the fact that this tackle was beyond reckless and could have broken the recipient's leg. 

Not only was the challenge inexcusable, it was completely unnecessary in the context of the game. Altrincham had just gone down to 10-men and Olomola had equalised. While not in the lead, Bromley were in the ascendancy and seemed on course to dominate the game. Why jeopardise that?

Yes, Bromley kept their momentum in the aftermath and had multiple opportunities to put the game to bed, but Jude’s sending-off was costly in terms of game management and handed Altrincham an undeserved lifeline.

I saw footage after the game of Jude punching up the dressing room in anger. He knew he’d f*cked up. That’s why this incident belongs in The Ugly. 

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

Match ratings

Grant Smith (7)

Josh Passley (7)

Alex Kirk (8)

Byron Webster (7)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Besart Topalloj (8)

Jude Arthurs (5)

Ben Krauhaus (6)

Corey Whitely (7)

Olufela Olomola (8)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Lewis Leigh for Josh Passley 59’ (7)

Louis Dennis for Michael Cheek 71’ (6)

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