Bromley 2-3 Chelsea U21s

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

1,250 hardy souls ventured to Hayes Lane to see Bromley play their second-ever game in the EFL Trophy. They got value for money as the Chelsea yutes played some serious ball to take all three points.

Every single Chelsea player on show is likely to go on to be a serious problem in this game we call football, and it was a pleasure to see these young men play a brand of football that looked like it came from another planet. 

No shame in losing to that.   

As ever, join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the 2-3 defeat at home to Chelsea U21s.

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

The team vs Chelsea U21s

The Good

It wasn’t a vintage night down the Lane as Bromley struggled to get to grips with the Chelsea youth.

For me, the result was somewhat immaterial. The real exercise was exploring new play patterns and establishing who among the fringe squad could force their way into first-team reckoning.

Will Andy Woodman be happy with what he saw? The jury is out. But I think a few performances might have persuaded him to shuffle his first XI on Saturday.

Omar Sowunmi was a threat at attacking set pieces and put in some very timely blocks against the Chelsea onslaught.

He resembled something akin to the robust Omar we saw in his first spell with Bromley and it wouldn’t surprise me if he starts on Saturday against MK Dons. Who misses out? Well, that will be interesting.

Sam Long may have conceded three goals, of which only the first might warrant self-analysis, but he made some very notable saves throughout the game. He continues to be a useful understudy to Grant Smith.

Other than that, perhaps Levi Amantchi and Olufela Olomola will feel they have forced themselves ahead of Marcus Dinanga in the race to partner Michael Cheek.

Levi has started three games for Bromley this season and scored two goals but there is a perception that Cheek and Amantchi, two focal-point strikers, simply wouldn’t work as a partnership. But you’ll never know unless you give it a go from the jump. 

Would you give it a go?

Lastly, we cannot forget Ashley Charles’ goal. That was a mighty fine strike to mark your first goal for the club. 

Frankly, I have to hand it to Chelsea U21s. I am not sure the last time I saw a side play at Hayes Lane that was as fluid in and out of possession. It took me the best part of 35 minutes to establish what formation they were even playing.

So many of their players were able to move off the ball with ease and in tandem with the pattern of play. It is no hyperbole to say that at times I thought I was watching Cryuff-inspired football.

Max Merrick, the Chelsea custodian, essentially played as a sweeper keeper; often found 35 yards from goal orchestrating play. The impetuousness of youth, eh?

At times, Bromley were quite literally chasing shadows in pursuit of the youngsters, who were able to drop deep and spin on the half-turn, particularly through the middle of the park.

It’s hard to pick a stand-out in Chelsea’s talented ranks, but I thought Brodi Hughes, Kaiden Wilson, Harvey Vale, and Shumaira Mheuka stood out most. 

Imagine my shock when I googled Shumaira Mheuka and discovered he was only 16 years old! He was out there doing jinky mi jinky on players many years his senior. If he keeps his head on, Shumaira will go on to be a problem in the game.

The Bad

The first goal Bromley conceded was sloppy. For all of Chelsea’s pretty approach play and fluid patterns, Bromley gave their talented attackers too many bites of the cherry before Donnell McNeilly smashed home. 

Doing the ugly stuff is still an integral part of the game, no matter what level you play at. Bromley need to knuckle-down in that regard. 

Arguably, the second was too easy as well. Yes, Dyer produced a terrifying run at pace with excellent ball control, but the ball shouldn’t have found a way through to Harvey Vale to slide home on the line.

Even the third goal, while brilliantly taken by Vale after a slide rule pass, was a case of the youngster ghosting past his static marker all too easily. 

Andy Woodman has spoken at length about clean sheets, but his side failed to record one yet again. Of course Chelsea U21s were an impressive side, but you still have to limit the volume of unforced errors. 

I saw a few too many on the night.

The Ugly

This game represented a chance for some of Bromley’s squad players to stake their claim for a first-team spot. In most cases, I’m not sure I saw enough from them.

When you’re on the fringes of the starting XI, chances to flex your muscles for 60+ minutes don’t come around often. Some of the players who were handed a shirt have to ask themselves whether they really did enough to sway Andy Woodman’s mind.

This isn’t a witch hunt by any stretch of the imagination, but this wouldn’t be FBWL if I didn’t keep it real.

Among others, I thought Marcus Dinanga and Cameron Congreve simply didn’t add enough going forward. There was a lack of inventiveness and threat and it smacked of waiting for things to happen rather than trying to make them happen.

Congreve, in his slight defence, was playing at wingback. It looked unfamiliar to him and I wouldn’t be in a hurry to see him play there again.

In the middle of the park, Chelsea seemed to run through at will, though I’m willing to concede that may have been due to the pace of the movement in possession. Some of their acceleration with the ball over the half-yard had to be seen to be believed. 

Lastly, in the backline, I thought Taylor Foran had a difficult night. He had the misfortune of coming across more movement than he seemed to be used to and it gave him a stern examination regarding his positioning and decision-making. 

All in all, it was a rough night that may have left some of Andy Woodman’s more pressing questions unanswered.

That said, when your opposition are as good as Chelsea’s U21s were on the night, you shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking Bromley were the architects of their own downfall and little else.

As I said the other week, it's okay to doff your cap to the opposition when it’s warranted. This was another one of those occasions.

What was your take on the game?

Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Sam Long (6)

Omar Sowunmi (7)

Taylor Foran (5)

Idris Odutayo (6)

Cameron Congreve (6)

Ashley Charles (6)

Lewis Leigh (6)

Bes Topalloj (6) 

Louis Dennis (5)

Marcus Dinanga (5)

Levi Amantchi (7)

Subs:

Jude Arthurs for Louis Dennis 46’ (6)

Olufela Olomola for Lewis Leigh 70’ (7)

Nathan Paul-Lavaly for Marcus Dinanga 70’ (6)

Josh Thomas for Idris Odutayo 70’ (6)

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

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