Bromley vs Colchester United preview

Back to league action we go.

The TV cameras have gone and the national media has turned its gaze back towards bigger teams chasing shinier trinkets.

How Bromley react to the ‘humdrum’ of League Two will be very interesting. Did the FA Cup exploits against Newcastle galvanise them or exhaust them emotionally?

In opposition, they face Colchester United, a team that is very much a work-in-progress under Danny Cowley.

Colchester, like Bromley, have proved to be one of the hardest teams to beat in League Two. Of their 24 games this season they have only lost seven, but it is the 12 draws that see them positioned in the lower reaches of the table.

In many ways, this season represents a consolidation period for Cowley. Given Colchester’s best finish in the last three seasons was 15^th, straddled by two relegation-threatened campaigns, the majority of their fans would probably accept a safe but mediocre season.

Cowley has made no bones about his desire to add to his squad during the transfer window, but at the time of writing, those additions have yet to materialise. In fact, most notable has been the departure of Alex Woodyard to Sutton United.

Coming into this game, Colchester have no wins in their last three league games and only one win in their last six.

While they have been relatively strong defensively, the goals-scored column will cause Cowley some concern. Lyle Taylor leads the way with seven, but other than Jack Payne (5) and Samson Tovide (5), no one else has really chipped in.

Understandably, a lot of what Colchester do creatively runs through Payne. For that reason, there is a sense that if you can stop him from playing, you will go a long way to restricting his team. Let’s see if it plays out like that.

With Bromley back in league action, it offers fans a glance at the players who have joined the club in this month’s transfer window.

Free-scoring Barnet striker Nicke Kabamba has arrived to alleviate the pressure on Michael Cheek. It was obvious that Woodman desired another striker as the current crop cannot do what Michael Cheek does.

Like Cheek, Nicke is used to playing the hold-up/link-up frontman role, but he also has a knack for scoring goals. His arrival begs the question whether Bromley will play two up-front more often.

Would you?

Brooklyn Ilunga has also come through the door. The left-footer can play wing-back on either flank, but he can also play further up the field, too.

Brooklyn has age and time on his side, but we will have to wait and see how Andy Woodman intends to use him. To me, he seems like a versatile squad addition, and his arrival suggests that Bes Topallaj will see out the season at Sutton United, perhaps joining them permanently.

There have been two departures so far, with Josh Thomas recalled by Swansea and Taylor Foran loaned out to Chesham United in the National League South. I doubt this will be the end of the club’s business this month.

After Bromley’s promising run of late, I suspect Andy Woodman is now eyeing the League Two play-offs as his target for the season. Bromley are currently six points outside the top seven, having only recently seen an end to a 12-match unbeaten run.

The challenge is to dust down and start another run.

One big bonus is that Deji Elerewe looks fresh and ready to play a significant role in the second half of the season. Provided Andy can add some creative quality in the middle of the park, perhaps a play-off run isn’t out of the question.

Over to you. How would you go about this one?

From Bromley with Love XI

Smith

Grant Sowunmi Elerewe

Imray Thompson Arthurs Odutayo

Whitely

Cheek Kabamba

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

All articles are edited by Peter Etherington you can link to him here

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