Bromley 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Two steps forward. One step back.

As good as the performance was in the 4-3 win over Chesterfield, it was as ugly in the 2-2 draw against Dagenham & Redbridge.

A putrid home display on Tuesday night saw Bromley share the spoils with the Daggers. Even though they ended the first half with a 2-0 lead, all things considered, you could call it a fortunate point gained for the Ravens. 

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the draw. 

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

The team vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The Good

That’s 20 goals for Michael Cheek. Where do you start? The many superlatives you could attach to Cheeky have already been said and written. Can I possibly add anything further?

I will however regale you with this small anecdote. At the end of the 2018/19 season, Bromley beat Ebbsfleet United 5-1. Off the pitch, rumours were circulating that Ebbsfleet were going to have a post-season fire sale.

In the Ebbsfleet squad that day, among others, were highly-rated players like Nathan Ashmore, Chris Bush, Corey Whitely and Michael Cheek.

After the game, in conversation with then Bromley manager Neil Smith, I remarked that he should move hell and high water to sign Corey Whitely.

In response, Smudger said: “Cheek is the player that would take us to the next level.”

Five seasons later, Cheek has cemented himself as a bonafide Bromley legend. Everything good Bromley have done in the Andy Woodman era is synonymous with Cheek scoring when it mattered most.

I think I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: Cheek isn’t a striker who depends on a great burst of pace, so it is more than feasible that we could see him play at a high level for several seasons to come. Let’s just hope it’s in a Bromley shirt.

Twenty-five minutes into the first half, I wrote Ben Krauhaus’s name in my Ugly column. He seemed increasingly frustrated at not being able to affect the game and was being rushed into regular turnovers.

In truth, it was in keeping with a lean stretch of performances that has invited scrutiny of the young midfielder’s current level. However, before I could expand on my reasoning, Ben produced a sublime piece of skill to set up the first goal of the game.

His inch-perfect lofted pass over the head of Sam Ling into the path of Besart Topalloj was a window into what he can produce when his game is firing on all cylinders.

Krauhaus was then crucial in the second goal. His neat pass set Jude Arthurs free to cross for Cheek to score the second.

That’s not to say Ben was brilliant in this game, but when he was subbed off for Ashley Charles on 58 minutes, I thought it was a curious move as he seemed to be having his best game in a while.

Andy Woodman must have been gambling that Ashley Charles’ experience and passing ability would help Bromley see the game out. Alas, it did not pan out like that.

The Bad

It was all a bit ‘after the Lord Mayor’s Show’ across the whole 90 minutes. How much of the match can the Ravens really claim to have controlled? Five per cent?

You often see performances like this after a side has put in a superhuman performance. Fans assume that performance will give the team unstoppable belief and momentum. In reality, the energy it saps means the players struggle to find even half that level in the next game. 

Dagenham overwhelmed the midfield and constantly had a man spare during their attacking transitions. In addition, they seemed hungrier to press, which started with Freddie Sears and Josh Rees at the front and was replicated throughout the team.

As Andy Woodman mentions in his post-match reflections, Bromley were “beaten up” all over the pitch. 

Even at two nil up, they never had any level of control over the game. Dagenham continued to win the large majority of second balls and force the play. 

Perhaps Andy Woodman will regret making the early subs in the second half, but I think there were bigger issues at play. Bromley were leggy/flat/soft* (delete as applicable) from minute one, and played as if they could win the game in second gear. 

Arguably, a point was the least Dagenham deserved.

The one substitution I will be critical of is introducing Kido Taylor-Hart with seven minutes of normal time to go. I’m not altogether certain whether Kido was playing wing-back or right midfield, but he came on cold and was a clear liability in the defensive third. Did Jude Arthurs need to go off? 

I am not attempting to scapegoat Kido as the performance issues were bigger than him alone, but it can't be ignored that his introduction made the side weaker at a critical time.

There is more I want to say on Kido, and maybe this G/B/U isn’t the place for it, but for someone as naturally gifted as him, I must question how much he wants to succeed.  

Kido should be angry he isn’t starting many games, but I don’t get the sense he is grafting to earn the opportunity. 

Andy has clearly stated some players need to be mindful of holding onto their shirt for Saturday. Who would you drop going into Saturday’s televised game at a rejuvenated Eastleigh?

The Ugly

Post-match, I’ve encountered several people saying that the referee was awful. 

His last-minute free-kick decision that led to the Dagenham equaliser could certainly be questioned, but I’ll be honest: When your team plays crap, I don’t put much stock in the refereeing performance. 

People must ask themselves whether Bromley earned the right to win, irrespective of a subpar refereeing performance. Hiding behind that excuse would be wrong and would deflect the focus from where it really needs to be. 

Off the pitch, the attendance was ‘only’ 2118 (174 away). I will leave it to you to decide if that is over or under expectation for Dagenham & Redbridge at home on a Tuesday night. 

While I think it was a solid attendance, it was disappointing that many of the neutrals who swelled the crowd on Saturday couldn’t be persuaded to come back after witnessing a seven-goal thriller.

Take away the Chesterfield support and that is a drop-off of 1,200 home fans. 

Is it reasonable to expect a 3,000+ crowd on a Tuesday night? 

I actually suspect the Bromley hierarchy will be happy with the attendance and will see it as a building block towards Project 30k.

In the long term, though, is promotion to League Two the only sustainable way to average the vaunted 3,000?

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

Match ratings

Grant Smith (7)

Jude Arthurs (7)

Alex Kirk (6)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Kamarl Grant (6)

Besart Topalloj (7)

Sam Woods (6)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Corey Whitely (6)

Louis Dennis (6)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Ashley Charles for Ben Krauhaus 57’ (6)

Olufela Olomola for Louis Dennis 55’ (6)

Kido Taylor-Hart for Jude Arthurs 83’ (5)

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

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