Bromley 3-1 Gateshead

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Eleven unbeaten. The run keeps going.

The real test of Bromley fans’ rationality will come when Bromley finally take an L. But, for now at least, let hyperbole reign.

Are Bromley title contenders? Is Michael Cheek the best striker to ever do it? Does pretty possession-based football mean anything if you don’t get the W?

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the victory at home to high-flying Gateshead.

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

The Line-up vs Gateshead

The Good

Where do you stand on this one? 

Post-match, I spoke with both Andy Woodman and Gateshead manager Mike Williamson. Their interpretation of the game couldn’t have been more different.

Williamson intimated that his side were good value for the win and didn’t see it as a game of two halves. Andy Woodman, meanwhile, felt that Gateshead were guilty of having possession for possession’s sake and that Bromley’s game plan was spot on. 

For what it’s worth, I thought Gateshead bossed the first half possession-wise and should have been a goal up at half-time. However, Bromley were the better and more clinical side in the second half (and arguably across the match) and that’s why they won.

Surely, that’s all that matters in the National League? You can go a long way at this level if you remain tight defensively, find a goalkeeper who makes crucial saves, and take your chances when they come.

Marcus Dinanga may lead the National League scoring charts this season, but it was Michael Cheek, the league’s top-scorer of all time, who delivered a lesson in marksmanship. Cheek had three chances and scored two, proving once again why every National League side would love to have him in their starting XI.

Above all else, it was another Bromley performance where grit, desire, and sticking to the game plan were all in evidence. 

I make Andy right that Gateshead wanted Bromley to over-commit and press as a team. This would’ve given The Heed chances to beat the press with incisive passing, which they’re more than capable of. 

That said, Bromley’s mid-block positioning in the first half handed the away side too much initiative. Something needed to change. And it did.

Be under no illusions, Bim Pepple’s introduction at half-time changed the game. 

With Pepple and Cheek actively pressing from the front, Bromley instinctively pressed higher as a team. And, crucially, when the two frontmen received the ball, their hold-up play was top-notch, allowing Bromley to move up the pitch with more purpose.

After the game, Woodman called Pepple an upgrade on James Alabi. Some fans might take umbrage with that statement but I can see why he said it. If Pepple can add goals to his strength and pace, he will be one hell of a player. 

Ultimately, in a game with a clear clash of styles, Bromley demonstrated their ability to mix it up and win on their terms.

This victory takes them to fourth in the league, but their thoughts will have turned to Tuesday night’s mouth-watering clash at table-toppers Chesterfield. Bromley’s run has to end at some point, but they will never go into an encounter at the SMH Group Stadium with greater belief.

The Bad

I felt sorry for Kido Taylor-Hart. It just wasn’t his day. Birthday notwithstanding, he was on the periphery of the game during his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Kido’s technical ability and potential to provide match-winning contributions aren’t in doubt. But, if you want to earn the right to compete at the top level of the National League, you need to bring your A-game every week. Here, he got a rude awakening as to the level of consistency required. 

Time and again Kido was caught wanting too much time on the ball. That might fly in elite academy football, but in the National League, the opposition are going to snap you.

Kido’s frustration was palpable, and Andy Woodman made the right decision in subbing him out for Bim Pepple at half time.

By no means am I writing off Kido Taylor-Hart, but I do hope this game was a lesson for him. There’s a fine line between employing your technical gifts and lending your team some grit and graft. Just ask Louis Dennis.

Louis faced the same conundrum in his early years. Getting to grips with the mucky side of the game helped him to progress from being ‘just’ a fantastic ball player to being a team-sheet must-have.

I predict the penny will drop for Kido and he will end up being responsible for many wins over the course of the season. Remember I said it.

The Ugly

A strange one this. Have a listen to my post-match interview with Gateshead manager Mike Williamson.

Now, first things first, I like Mike Williamson and I’ve had some good interviews with him in the past. But he threw me a bit after the game.

He seemed to take umbrage with my suggestion that Bromley ‘shaded’ the second half and asked if I was watching a different game. Maybe he was still feeling a bit gutted from the defeat, I don’t know, but was I watching a different game?

1st Half 

Shots on: Bromley 1-4 Gateshead 

Shots off: Bromley 1-5 Gateshead 

Corners: Bromley 1-4 Gateshead

2nd Half 

Shots on: Bromley 5-3 Gateshead 

Shots off: Bromley 2-2 Gateshead 

Corners: Bromley 4-3 Gateshead

These stats imply that, possession aside, Bromley had the stronger second half. More importantly, they took their chances. Goals win games.

But do the stats not tell the whole story? Maybe this is where being a football fan/journalist (delete as appropriate) holds me back. Is it the case that only a manager could appreciate the nuances of the game that unfolded before us?

Where do you stand on this? Try not to comment with your Bromley-tinted glasses on.

Another talking point was Lewis Leigh’s dismissal. The Preston loanee received a second yellow card for an aerial challenge on Ed Francis in stoppage time. I’ll be honest, I missed the challenge. By the time I looked up, Francis was already slumped on the ground.

I’ve seen some comments on social media debating whether it was even a yellow card. Other commentators, however, have vociferously stated that it should have been a straight red. 

From the replay that I’ve seen, Lewis had his eyes on the ball the whole time, but it can definitely be argued that he led with an elbow. To my mind, for that alone, he was lucky not to receive a straight red.

But what do I know? According to Mike Williamson, I was watching a different game.

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

Match ratings

Grant Smith (9)

Josh Passley (7)

Chinn Okoli (7)

Byron Webster (7)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Besart Topalloj (6)

Lewis Leigh (6)

Corey Whitely (8)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Kido Taylor-Hart (6)

Michael Cheek (9)

Subs:

James Vennings for Besart Topalloj  14’ (7)

Bim Pepple for Kido Taylor-Hart 46’ (8)

Cole Kpekawa 90+6’ for Bim Pepple (n/a)

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

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

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