Bromley 3-2 Wealdstone

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

A game of two halves, but one where Bromley were so dominant and clinical in the first half that they left themselves enough room to escape a subpar second half.

The FA Cup holds a special place in the hearts of non-league fans. Can Bromley go on the ever-elusive cup run and make it past the first round for the first time in the post-war era? They’ll have to get past Blackpool of League One first.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the FA Cup 4^th qualifying round victory at home to Wealdstone.

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

The Line-up vs Wealdstone

The Good

On paper, the decision to sign striker Olufela Olomola seemed a strange one. In addition to Michael Cheek, the club already had Bim Pepple, Louis Dennis, Soul Kader, and Adam Marriott on the books. 

But when you factor in the injuries of the latter three and the rawness of Bim Pepple, it makes sense that Andy would seek to boost his options.

On the evidence of Olufela’s first two games, it was a very astute signing. 

The striker has been involved in four of Bromley’s last five goals and seems to have the all-round game to perfectly complement Michael Cheek.

It would be easy to say that he simply relished playing against Wealdstone, his former side. Even if that were true, I still think the early signs are good. 

What happens when Dennis and Marriott return? It’s a nice problem to have. You need strength in depth to compete at the top end of the National League and it would appear Bromley now have that. 

In the middle of the park, we saw another keen performance from Ben Krauhaus. A month ago, when I asked Andy Woodman about Ben’s ceiling, the gaffer waxed lyrical about the silky midfielder and compared him to Emile Smith Rowe. 

To propel him to the next level, Andy has been pushing the youngster to add goals to his game. Krauhaus has responded to that clarion call with two goals in his last six games, in addition to several assists.

Much like Kellen Fisher, Ben has been given the launch pad and has fully grasped his opportunity. Enjoy watching his progress at Hayes Lane because I’m not certain how much longer we’ll get to see him do his thing in a Bromley shirt. The expectation around the club is that he will leave at the end of the season for a bigger pond.

And finally a short word for Alex Kirk. Alex won the sponsors’ Man of the Match award and he looked solid, particularly considering it was his debut. The young centre-back has had to bide his time since joining on loan from Arsenal, but he seemed determined to impress.

Given that Woodman tends to reward players for playing well, it will be interesting to see who slots into his preferred back three in the coming games. Particularly now that Deji Elerewe has returned to the club for a second loan spell.

Who would you have?

The Bad

The second half was a very uncomfortable watch. This wasn’t because Bromley looked like they would lose the game but because the intensity was missing from the restart. 

There are different ways of approaching a three-goal lead at half-time. Bromley chose a defensive stance, welcoming the opposition onto them. In response, Wealdstone changed their shape and patiently probed for weaknesses in the back line. 

Rather than spring incisive counter attacks, the Ravens played as if they could afford to be lackadaisical in possession. Time and again, players were harried off the ball or gave possession away cheaply under virtually no pressure. Wealdstone, to their credit seized, on this.

In black and white terms, Bromley achieved their objective and made it into the first round of the FA Cup. On that score, you could argue their game management was fine. But let’s be honest, it certainly didn’t feel like it.

If Andy Woodman and his team find themselves in this position again, you’d have to hope the lessons of the Wealdstone game would be ringing in their ears. A better opposition would have forced a replay. Or worse. 

In my post-match interview with Andy, he admitted that he contributed to the second-half nervousness by swapping striker Olomola for midfielder Vennings. This ceded the initiative to Wealdstone and gave Bromley no outlet ball. A lesson learned.

Ultimately, despite a mistake-laden second half, Bromley got the result they wanted. And, as long as the teachings of this game are retained, the analysis need go no further.

The Ugly

“We want our Nigel back!” was sung throughout the game in reference to the recent banning order placed on a Bromley fan known to many as Naughty Nigel.

As I understand it from his social media posts, Nigel got into an altercation at York that has led to him being persona non grata at games both home and away.

To a lot of the Bromley youngsters, and maybe some of the older crowd, The Naughty One is a unique, dare I say cult-like figure. 

As a longstanding Bromley fan, I’m very familiar with Nigel. We’ve had our ups and downs over the years, but I have no doubt that where Bromley Football Club is concerned, his heart is in the right place. He wants the club to be the best version of itself and he’s travelled up and down the country cheering the team on to that effect.

However, and I say this respectfully, Nigel would be better served by those around him by holding him to account when he steps over the line. 

There is nothing to be gained by placing anybody on a pedestal when they are guilty of repeated indiscretions. It does nothing to help them avoid the negative spiral that causes situations like this to occur.

If you claim to be a friend, do more than just cry injustice. Offer tangible support that breaks the cycle.

“We want our Nigel back?” Yeah, maybe we do, but how about a version that people don’t egg on to the point of self-destruction?

Get at me in the comments below to let me know what you think about the above. 

Match ratings

Grant Smith (7)

Josh Passley (7)

Alex Kirk (8)

Byron Webster (7)

Besart Topalloj (7)

Ryan Jones (5)

Sam Woods (7)

Corey Whitely (7)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Olufela Olomola (8)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

James Vennings for Olufela Olomola 64’ (5)

Cole Kpekawa for Ryan Jones 71’ (6)

Jude Arthurs for Sam Woods 88’ (6)

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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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