Dorking Wanderers 0-2 Bromley

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

It’s six clean sheets in seven games and another three points on the board as Bromley look to cement a bye through to the National League play-off semi-finals.

Given Bromley were playing a Dorking Wanderers side fighting for their lives, there was always a chance this game could be a banana skin. In the end, it was anything but, as the Ravens recorded a win at Meadowbank without much fuss.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 2-0 win away at Dorking Wanderers on Good Friday. 

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

The team vs Dorking Wanderers

The Good

For some fans, the jury has been out on Ashley Charles. But, given a run in the side, he has really come into his own and has shown why he was so highly rated at Wealdstone.

Tenacious in the tackle and technically gifted enough to spring forward transitions, Charles was at the heart of a lot of Bromley’s best play against Dorking. The ball-playing midfielder has had to adapt to a different style of football, but it looks like it is starting to click. 

Testament to his performance, it is hard to see how the Ravens line up without him at the moment. It fits with the Woodman mantra that once you get the shirt, you have to earn the right to keep it. 

One of the critiques of Bromley’s recent run of clean sheets was that their pragmatism might be harming their attacking threat. While it’s true that Bromley looked like they were struggling to create chances in some of those games, it was not true of the Dorking match

Bromley may have won the game 2-0, but if they had scored six, I don’t think Dorking could or would have complained. 

The Ravens were guilty of some bad misses in this game, but that can be excused as there was a clear redressing of the defensive/attacking imbalance. 

Interestingly, there were several tactical and personnel changes for this match, and credit should go to Andy Woodman because they paid off. 

Idris Odutayo replaced Bes Topalloj, Jude Arthurs replaced Josh Passley, Ben Krauhaus played right wing back, Olufela Olomola replaced Louis Dennis, and Alex Kirk replaced the injured Deji Elerewe.

Topalloj and Dennis were nowhere to be seen in the matchday squad, while Passley had to settle for a place on the bench. These changes might seem ruthless, but they got the desired reaction. 

It will be very interesting to see who keeps their spot for Woking’s visit to Hayes Lane on Easter Monday. How does a manager navigate the tightly-packed Easter weekend? Do you manage fatigue or reward good form? 

If you were Andy, would you stick or twist? 

In goal, Bristol City loanee Lewis Thomas made his second start for the club and recorded his first clean sheet. More importantly, he made several great saves in the final 15 minutes to maintain his clean sheet and lock in the win.

One save in particular had to be seen to be believed. A thumping Dorking header seemed destined for the net, but a flying Thomas appeared out of nowhere to parry the ball behind.

That description doesn’t come close to doing the save justice. If you haven't done so, watch the match highlights back.

The Bad

I tend not to use these match reviews to comment on the opposition, but Dorking were bad. Very bad.

They went into this game knowing they couldn’t afford to lose, yet for 75 minutes, they played with an intensity that suggested that a) they didn’t believe they could win, b) they couldn’t match Bromley’s fitness, and c) they were devoid of the talent needed to stay in the National League.

Before Callum Reynolds scored the game-clincher in the 73^rd minute, Dorking had barely threatened. Bromley were able to miss countless chances and not play at their best while still deserving an overwhelming win.

Given Dorking are now five points from safety and have played more games than the two sides immediately above the relegation zone, it will take a footballing miracle to preserve their National League status.

In the aftermath of Dorking’s previous game, a 6-0 drubbing by Barnet, manager Marc White went on an expletive-filled rant and dug out his players. Did he get the response he thought he would?

Dorking surviving their first-ever season in the National League was a fantastic achievement. But based on this showing, it seems White has put his faith in some players for one season too long.

You can't afford to stand still in the National League, it will chew you up and spit you out. 

Worryingly for Bromley, Ben Krauhaus fell victim to the recent injury curse. The Brentford-bound youngster seemed to jar his knee when turning in the first half and had to be replaced by Josh Passley. 

Time will tell how serious that injury was, but it was interesting to note that Krauhaus had played at right wing-back until that point, with Jude Arthurs pushed into midfield. 

I didn’t see enough to make a full assessment, but it is fair to say that Ben did not look out of his depth in that position. 

If he is back sooner rather than later, I wonder if this game foreshadowed how Ben will be used in his remaining time at the club.

The Ugly

A fantastic away following of 549 cheered on the Bromley Boys tremendously, and I must say it is so heartening to see Bromley slowly but surely becoming a serious club at this level where support is concerned.

However, when I watched the players go over to the youth brigade at full-time, I noticed that the bottom quadrant of one of their flags displayed the phrase ‘No Surrender.’

I must ask what context ‘No Surrender’ has in 2024? Would the owner of this flag care to educate me and explain why this is necessary at a Bromley game? Or at all?

The assumption is that the flag’s owner aligns themselves with a far-right nationalist fraternity. If that is the case, what other bigotry must I and fellow Bromley fans be made aware of? I’m intrigued to know. 

To share your thoughts on all of the above, get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Lewis Thomas (9)

Ben Krauhaus (7)

Alex Kirk (8)

Byron Webster (8)

Callum Reynolds (9)

Idris Odutayo (9)

Ashley Charles (9)

Jude Arthurs (8)

Corey Whitely (8)

Olufela Olomola (6)

Michael Cheek (8)

Subs:

Josh Passley for Ben Krauhaus 39’ (8)

Will Davies for Olufela Olomola 63’ (7)

Karmarl Grant for Jude Arthurs 88’ (n/a)

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

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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