Bromley 4-1 Yeovil Town

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Following Bromley’s 4-1 win over Yeovil Town, some will say “that’s more like it!”. But there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

The 4-1 victory was a performance built on a great attacking performance. But, all things considered, it was just as good as Bromley’s recent 1-0 win away at Southend United. Different horses for different courses. 

That said, this performance felt like the best of the season simply because our forwards seemed to have been given licence to do their stuff. The Yeovil defence were run ragged and if Bromley had scored six I don’t think many would have felt it flattered them. 

And for those who say that this is what Bromley should be doing to a club who are 18th in the league, we must remember that Yeovil had only conceded four goals in their last ten league and cup matches before this encounter.

As ever, I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 4-1 win at home to Yeovil Town.

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

The Line-up vs Yeovil Town

The Good

When Bromley were struggling earlier in the season, some demanded that Bromley change shape or find a plan B. They got their wish in recent games.

Whatever the reason for the new 4-2-3-1 system, first seen away at Southend United, there can be no doubt that results have improved.

Since this tweak was introduced, Bromley have recorded seven points from the last twelve on offer. If we want to get technical, as they returned to a back five against Wrexham, they haven’t actually lost with their new alternative tactic.

Either way, as Bromley have lost only one of their last seven games (against high-flying Wrexham), the overriding principle is that performances have picked up in general.

In terms of the Yeovil game, it was a match where Bromley showed the very best of their attacking play. They registered 11 shots on target across the 90 minutes with Louis Dennis at the heart of the best moments.

There are few greater sights in a Bromley shirt than Louis Dennis at full pomp, and this match demonstrated what he brings to the table when he’s up to full speed. It’s now four starts in a row for the silky front man, a run that includes three goals and one assist.

The reality is that Louis is an X-factor player with a level of creativity that no one else in the squad possesses. At his best, he’s unplayable. But this is probably the first time since Woodman arrived that Louis had been at his best. 

What makes Louis so good is his ability to drift into pockets of space, find passes at will, and create space with his trickery. The cherry on top of the cake is his eye for goal.

When you study Louis’ overall stats for the season, it’s even more impressive: 14 appearances, 7 starts, 5 goals. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that keeping Louis fit for the second half of the season is integral to Bromley’s overall chances of success.

Louis aside, it’s worth noting the impressive performance of the front four at large. We saw excellent link-up play between Harry Forster, Corey Whitely, Michael Cheek, and Louis Dennis. All of them could have ended up on the scoresheet.

It was also good to see Harry Forster put in his best attacking performance for some time. Harry had the beating of his fullback all game, but more impressive was his end product. It’s what I’ve been crying out for all season and he finally delivered, with multiple efforts on goal and some accurate balls into the box.

As for Corey Whitely, I wondered if getting the monkey off his back at Wrexham would lead to more goals in the second half of the season. Well, he notched again against Yeovil and I sense he’s now playing with more freedom in his game. 

It’s still relatively early in the lifespan of the new 4-2-3-1 system, but if the consequence of it is Forster, Dennis, and Whitely causing the opposition untold problems then we are in for one hell of a roller coaster ride in the remainder of the season.

The Bad

As much as we can wax lyrical about our attacking play, and rightly so, we must acknowledge that we were far too open at times, particularly in the first half. 

Once Yeovil settled down and changed their shape, matching us with a 4-2-3-1 of their own, they fashioned three excellent first-half opportunities.

Reice Charles-Cook had to be at his best twice to deny Jordan Maguire-Drew, and Andrew Oluwabori shot wide when it seemed easier to score.

On all three occasions, Bromley were easily cut open with slide rule passes. I suspect we saw a defensive improvement in the second 45 because, in addition to Forster and Whitely upping their defensive work-rate, the full-backs didn’t over-commit going forward which cut off some channels. 

I raise this defensive issue because, on a different day, 4-1 could and perhaps should have been 6-3. And if Jordan Maguire-Drew or Andrew Oluwabori scored one of their early chances, it may have been a different game entirely.

While we can all revel in a comprehensive victory, it wasn’t without its learning points. We know that Andy Woodman prefers a side that can keep clean sheets, so you have to assume these points will be worked on.

I spoke with Andy post match to get his reflections on the game - have a listen to the recording below before you move on

The Ugly

When Besart Topalloj signed his 28-day loan, I distinctly remember some fans slagging off the signing as a desperation move for a “kid” and implying that it was a sign that the club lacked ambition. 

Four games later, no one would dare ask if Besart is good enough.

The moral of this story is that it pays to let things play out before assessing the pros and cons.

I’ve long been critical of the ‘success is now’ culture of modern fandom, and dismayed at the fact that it has somehow seeped into the National League. 

True to form, I wasn’t surprised to see people bashing the recent signing of Mitchel Bergkamp as little more than a publicity stunt. Why wait to see how Bergkamp will or won't perform when you can immediately pivot to thinking the worst and questioning how that moves Bromley to the next level?

At the time of writing, Bromley are 8th in the National League, one point outside the playoffs and very much in the race for the postseason. Dare I say... trust the process?

Match ratings

Reice Charles-Cook (8)

Kellen Fisher (7)

Byron Webster (7)

Callum Reynolds (7)

Besart Topalloj (7)

Ethan Coleman (7)

James Vennings (7)

Harry Forster (8)

Corey Whitely (8)

Louis Dennis (9)

Michael Cheek (8)

Subs:

Billy Bingham for James Vennings 73 (7)

Ben Krauhaus for Harry Forster 88 

George Alexander for Louis Dennis 89

For those who are interested, I have also included the interview with Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper - always worth seeing how the opposition viewed a match as well

Editor's footnote:
I think I'm a few games away from founding the Kellen Fisher fan club (inc. official pin badge). He was excellent again. 17 years old?! I was an absolute mess at that age. Hats off to Yeovil's keeper, Smith, who pulled off the best save I've ever seen at Hayes Lane to deny Kellen's dipping left-foot shot in the second half. I was right behind it in the carpark end and the trajectory was top-tippedy-top-corner. Applications for the Kellen Fisher Fan Club open soon (might also be a Ponzi scheme, haven't decided yet).

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