Bromley 2-2 Chesterfield

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

One small building block at a time.

The pessimists will say: “No wins in seven.” The optimists will say that there are clear signs that Bromley are getting to grips with the task at hand. 

In many ways, having Chesterfield as the visitors on Tuesday night was perfect for Bromley as it gave them an opportunity to play a team they know inside out.

Whatever your views on the game, it was a good spectacle for the neutral and certainly the best Bromley have played since their win against AFC Wimbledon back in August.

So join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 2-2 draw at home to Chesterfield.

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

The team vs Chesterfield

The Good

Fair play to Olufela Olomola. Prior to his surprise inclusion in the starting line-up, he had only made three substitute appearances, all in cup competitions, and it looked as though he was considered surplus to requirements at Hayes Lane.

However, Marcus Dinanga’s injury opened an attacking slot and I suspect Andy Woodman chose to go back to basics with a frontman who does the tireless channel running and defending from the front.

Fela lived up to that billing and then some, adding the bonus of the opening goal to put himself back in pole position vis-à-vis any potential strike partner for Michael Cheek.

Speaking of players who’ve been biding their time, I know some are determined to seek confirmation bias where Omar Sowunmi is concerned but I will simply state the fact that he was crucial in Bromley’s two goals.

It is important to remember that, at optimum fitness, Omar is as critical to Bromley’s style both defensively and offensively.

In this game, his headed flick-on freed Danny Imray for the first, and his flick-on from Ashley Charles’ free kick saw Cheek slam home the second. That doesn’t happen by accident.

Some fans will continue to pick Omar’s game apart and jump on any small error to confirm their bias, but in my book he deserves his spot in the side.

It almost wouldn’t be a write-up of The Good if I didn’t mention Michael Cheek. At the time of writing, Cheeky is the top scorer in League Two with six goals in nine games.

I said it after the MK Dons game, but I sense that Cheek is finding life in League Two easier than in the National League. The question is why? 

The defenders are definitely better than in the National League, so what is Cheeky’s secret? Has the step-up forced him to become even more clinical, or are Bromley just a better attacking side than people give them credit for?

Yes, they often cede the majority of the possession to their opposition, but Bromley have the second-most goals of all the teams placed between 11^th and 24^th. That isn’t by luck. 

If you are creating chances then you know for certain that Cheek is going to be the biggest beneficiary in the side.

He is 33 years old now, so the chance of Bromley losing him to a ‘bigger’ club has probably passed. But say he finishes as top scorer in League Two this season… Might someone drop a lot of money on him?

Chesterfield were as competitive as ever, but I must admit I didn’t see them making five changes for this game (injuries notwithstanding). Armando Dobra, Paddy Madden, James Berry, and Ollie Banks all had claims to start the game but were instead parked on the bench. This was a very clear indication of the quality in depth the Spireites have at their disposal.

I mean, two-goal Will Grigg came off for Paddy Madden. That’s some change right there.

That said, the most impressive Chesterfield player for me was Tom Naylor. He didn’t have his best game of football against Bromley, but he is by far their most intelligent footballer vis-à-vis spotting a pass and knitting the team together. He was less effective when they moved him to an inside-right forward position, but that allowed Armando Dobra to probe to good effect.

The Spireites won the National League at a canter last season and I think they have enough about them to be in and around the play-offs this season.

The Bad

Is Danny Imray better served as a winger? Should Bromley play with wingers? 

It feels weird to put this in The Bad section as none of this is a reflection on Imray being bad, but I spent a bit of the first half watching Danny’s defensive positioning and there is no doubt that he is every inch a modern wing-back. 

Arguably, all of our best attacking play came through him, and by the end of the game, Lewis Gordon had clearly had enough of Imray rampaging down his side of the pitch.

Ultimately, Bromley deploy Imray at wing-back for what he can bring going forward (while hoping he can be passable defensively). So far, I would say we are working on a net positive, but would we get more if he played further forward and could focus primarily on attacking?

It goes back to my point about being versatile with the shape. Carl Jenkinson and Josh Passley can both play in the traditional right-back role. Would a switch of system free Imray to be more effective in the right areas?

The Ugly

I need to watch the first goal back, but at the time, it felt far too easy. That isn’t to take away the patience of the Spireites’ slick build-up play, but when a cross goes across your six-yard box for a tap-in, with plenty of bodies in the box, it feels like it should have been stopped.

If the first goal was soft, the second was comical. Let’s face it, 99 times out of 100, Grant Smith boots the ball clear and Bromley regain their shape.

However, on this occasion, Smith misjudged the pace of the ball and tried to shepherd it into his box, leaving him with egg on his face as Will Grigg nipped in to tap into an empty net. Was Smith fouled in the process? The referee certainly didn’t think so. 

It is no exaggeration to say that Bromley are finding all kinds of ways to concede goals at the moment.

This has nothing to do with the level of football and everything to do with being masters of their own downfall.

This is no slight on Grant Smith. Yes, the second was a shocker, but we are talking about a goalkeeper who was Player of the Season last season and has kept Bromley in countless games. He is allowed one bad one.

We can only hope that Bromley find a way to limit the individual mistakes as the season progresses. Teams in League Two don’t need that kind of help.

So, what did you make of this one? Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (5)

Omar Sowunmi (7)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Kamarl Grant (7)

Danny Imray (8)

Ashley Charles (7)

Ben Thompson (7)

Idris Odutayo (8) 

Corey Whitely (7)

Olufela Olomola (7)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Josh Thomas for Olufela Olomola 76’ (6)

Jude Arthurs for Ben Thompson 92’ (n/a)

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