Cheltenham Town vs Bromley preview

The last time Bromley played at Cheltenham, they were crushed 4-1 and it ended up being Mark Goldberg’s last game in the dugout.

That was Bromley’s inaugural season in the National League. After a flair gang-inspired fast start, by the end of January, the Ravens were languishing in the bottom half of the table with only one win in ten.

Goldberg was sacked four days later, signalling the start of the Neil Smith era.

That 15/16 season culminated in Cheltenham sealing immediate promotion back to League Two. They haven't returned to the National League since.

In fact, in 20/21, the Covid season, Cheltenham won the League Two title, sparking a run in League One that only came to an end last season.

This season, they are dancing to the tune of former Newport, Walsall, and Swindon manager Michael Flynn. 

Flynn experienced great success with Newport County, taking the Welsh side to two League Two play-off finals and inspiring multiple cup upsets during his tenure. But his stints at Walsall and Swindon were not so successful.

Cheltenham represents an opportunity for Flynn to reestablish his credentials at this level.

A lot of players have joined the club this season as Cheltenham look to overhaul things on and off the field.

Among the new arrivals are Joe Day and Scott Bennett (both Newport), Lewis Shipley (Norwich U21s), Harrison Sohna (Sunderland U21s), Ryan Bowman (Shrewsbury), Joel Colwill (Cardiff U21s), George Miller (Doncaster), Luke Young (Wrexham), Sam Stubbs (Bradford), and Lewis Payne (Southampton U21s). That only represents a fraction of their transfer business.

Many of those changes weren’t just a post-relegation rebuild, they were brought in to offset the departure of some of the club’s best talent.

Over the summer, the Robins lost Robert Street to Lincoln, Lewis Freestone to Stevenage, Luke Southwood to Bolton, and George Lloyd to Shrewsbury. 

Cheltenham might be 16th in the table, but things look like they are clicking for Flynn’s newly-assembled side, who are now unbeaten in six league and cup games.

Most recently, an impressive 3-1 win away at League One Rotherham in the FA Cup first round served notice as to what Cheltenham can do when playing at their optimum.

With only 14 league games gone in the season, they will be hoping this is the start of an upwardly mobile campaign in League Two.

Bromley are themselves beginning to look like they have found their feet at the level.

The helter-skelter FA Cup first-round win at Rochdale notwithstanding, the Ravens have cut an increasingly tough nut to crack, losing only one of their last six league games.

The desire to get back to basics with clean sheets and graft has been at the forefront of the revival, and while Andy Woodman would have wanted more than one win in that run, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Michael Cheek has returned to full fitness, and the frontman predictably announced his return to the starting lineup with a goal at Rochdale.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of that FA Cup tie was the return of Louis Dennis and Jude Arthurs to the starting XI.

Arthurs was playing alongside Ben Thompson in a terrier-like midfield while Dennis was partnering Cheek in attack for his first real start of the season.

Given his side started quickly and then capitulated at Rochdale, before winning the game very late on, will Andy Woodman stick with the same starting XI?

One would think the team writes itself, minus Dennis and Arthurs, so the only question will be whether those two have done enough to keep their shirts.

Bromley’s bread and butter remains League Two. They might have the exciting prospect of an FA Cup second-round tie live on ITV on the horizon, but that is for then, league points are for now.

Have Bromley, like Cheltenham, now laid enough early-season foundation to begin thinking about a climb up the League Two table?

What would you do for this game? Stick or twist from last week?

The From Bromley with Love XI

Smith

Sowunmi Webster Grant

Imray Thompson Arthurs Odutayo

Whitely

Cheek Dennis

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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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