Gillingham vs Bromley preview
This is the first From Bromley with Love preview this season that sees us play a return fixture.
No less than one month ago, Bromley hosted Gillingham and bested them 2-1 in the Kent derby. It felt like a statement performance.
Tonight, Bromley head into the encounter two places and one point above Gillingham. Make no bones about it, the pressure is on the Gills to get a result.
Bromley are unbeaten in 11 games while Gillingham are coming off the back of two consecutive defeats to Colchester United and AFC Wimbledon.
If Bromley start well or score first, it is not a stretch to suggest that the home fans will turn on their side. Patience is wearing thin with a team that was expensively assembled in the summer and is currently underperforming. Injuries be damned.
One piece of good cheer for the Gills is the return of prodigal son Bradley Dack to the starting lineup.
On paper, a team that can boast the likes of Dack, Elliott Nevitt, Jayden Clarke, and Armani Little should have enough creativity and goal-scoring threat to unlock a lot of League Two sides. But, for some reason, it just isn’t clicking at the moment.
In fact, if you crunch the numbers, only three teams in the league have scored fewer goals than Gillingham. They do have the third-best defensive record, but their lack of goals is a seriously damaging stat.
You simply cannot hope to achieve your aims for the season without goals.
The real question is how long can Mark Bonner expect to be given if his side’s form remains this sketchy. He talks a very good game and is an astute manager, but something isn’t working.
Maybe, on the back of some iffy form, a Kent derby is exactly what they need to liven themselves up?
The last time Bromley took to the field, they played out a dreary 1-1 draw with Swindon. However, given Swindon’s recent good form, perhaps it wasn’t a point to turn one’s nose up at.
The Ravens haven’t lost in the league since October 19th, and even when not at their best they look like a tough nut to crack.
The question is when does the good run naturally come to an end?
Personally, I thought Andy got away with one against Swindon. It looked like one game too far for the same XI and I expect changes for the Gillingham game.
It’s a Kent Derby away from home, so Bromley need to be a bit more robust in how they go about their business.
For that reason, I expect Congreve to be on the bench tonight. But are there any other areas of the lineup that could use a little rotation?
Gillingham played on Monday evening while Bromley played on Sunday at midday. Is that enough rest time for Andy Woodman to trust the legs of the remaining starting XI?
We’ve heard no news regarding Danny Imray, so I assume he will start (at wing-back rather than winger), but who knows.
How would you set up tonight?
The From Bromley with Love XI
Smith
Sowunmi Reynolds Grant
Imray Thompson Arthurs Odutayo
Whitely
Cheek Olomola
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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