How will Bromley fare this season?
Most pundits dont have Bromley down as playoff contenders, Machel Hewitt looks at why that is flawed thinking
One of the most baffling things about preseason is supporters’ incessant desire to show how well they think they know a league by predicting how the league table will finish.
The reality is, as football seasons take so many twists and turns, none of us really know anything. All we can say with any degree of certainty is that, where the National League is concerned, clubs with a huge financial advantage often end in the top seven.
Therefore, it doesn’t take any in depth knowledge to predict that Wrexham, Solihull, Notts County, and Chesterfield will be promotion challengers.Â
With that said and done, fans would be better placed assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their own team and going from there.
For Bromley, that starts with the new arrivals. Having won the FA Trophy last season but missed out on the playoffs, Andy Woodman has made additions in every area of the pitch. The hope, no doubt, is that adding depth and quality to the squad will help his charges challenge for a playoff spot. Â
Below I take a look at the possible rationale for each addition and what benefit they might bring to the squad.
Reice Charles-Cook
Reice was a more than capable back-up for Mark Cousins last season, deputising on five occasions and keeping three clean sheets. A contract dispute meant he left Bromley prematurely but he has returned this season looking in better shape and with a determination to prove himself again.
Reice, by his own admission, would say he has let a promising EFL career go. You don’t make seventy-four appearances in the football league without having something about you.
At twenty-eight years of age he’s still not in his prime and this opportunity is his to grab.Â
Andy Woodman will undoubtedly turn to a highly rated loanee at some stage, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Charles-Cook can’t cement the spot beforehand.
Callum Reynolds
With Joe Partington allowed to leave, a right-sided centre back was always going to be necessary. By sourcing an experienced defender who knows the level inside out, Woodman has gone for a like-for-like swap.
Callum has played for four different National League clubs across seven seasons and featured in three playoff campaigns, so he knows what it takes to get to the postseason. The assumption will be that he offers more defensive solidity than Partington and will likely be the go-to should any of the first-choice back-three get injured.
Eyebrows will be raised at Woodman signing a thirty-two-year-old, but the belief must be that an experienced defence guarantees more clean sheets
Reece Hannam
The talented left wing-back, on loan from Crystal Palace, has already wowed crowds at Hayes Lane with his engine and attacking forages. Much like Harry Forster on the other wing, there is a clear mandate to get forward and put crosses in. It’s clear that Woodman wants more opportunities for the strikers to feed on and Hannam will be an integral part of that equation.
Hannam’s signing has also allowed Corey Whitely to move into the midfield, where it is believed he will provide a goal threat that was sorely lacking from that area last season.
Zak Bradshaw
Little is known about Zak Bradshaw other than he’s a highly-rated eighteen-year-old, left-footed defender from Ipswich Town’s U23s. Having played fourteen times for Chelmsford in the National League South last season, he has non-league experience. So, the presumption is that his loan signing ensures there’s cover should Chris Bush get injured.
James Vennings
Rather than regurgitate what I’ve already written about James, you can read what his addition to the squad means here.
Ethan Coleman
Until this week, the midfield was one body light as Liam Trotter had yet to be replaced. Ethan is intended to be a younger, more mobile version of Trotts.Â
When Coleman signed for Leyton Orient from Kings Lynn last season, it was seen as a natural step in his progression. Identified by many as a Football League talent, Coleman has fallen foul of a managerial change, despite having signed a two-and-a-half year deal.
With new Orient manager Richie Wellens not rating Kenny Jackett’s signing, Woodman has swooped in to help Coleman revitalise his career on a season-long loan.Â
I think we can expect to see Ethan feature heavily in difficult away games against the more established clubs.
Adam Marriott
Last season Adam Marriott scored seventeen league goals for Barnet and his signing is pretty clear in its intention.Â
Michael Cheek cut a lone figure last season as the go-to guy when goals were needed. It’s little wonder that Bromley’s league campaign fell away when his goals dried up.Â
Woodman will hope that Adam can replicate his Barnet goal return, particularly in a better team. However, much will depend on how well he is able to dovetail with Cheek.Â
In terms of expected goals (xG), in Marriott and Cheek, Bromley have the most potent partnership in the league.
If they can replicate the form of recent seasons, Bromley will almost certainly end up in the playoffs.
David Smith
The upside to securing David Smith after his contract at Folkestone expired seems obvious. Thirty-five goals in the Isthmian Premier is not to be sniffed at, but that doesn’t guarantee goals in the National League. But, at twenty-three-years-old, it’s a gamble worth taking for Andy Woodman; although it’s one that might not pay off until later in the season.
It will take time for Smith to get up to speed with the fitness required at this level. This possibly explains why he has been loaned out to Mark Stimson’s AFC Hornchurch. At Hornchurch, under the guidance of a well-respected manager known for getting the best out of players, Smith will be able to develop his game while also training day-to-day with Bromley. When he returns in three months, the expectation is that Smith will be ready to hit the ground running in the National League.
Conclusion
Essentially, Woodman has kept additions to a minimum and the core of his squad in place; a core that has achieved a playoff finish and an FA Trophy win in the last two seasons.
Last season, Bromley had the tenth best defence in the league and eleventh best attack. That suggests a tenth place finish was about right.Â
Delving deeper, we also see that they drew the second most games and lost the seventh most games. Andy Woodman has frequently said that there were fine margins involved in not making the playoffs. Those stats align with that.
It’s easy to forget that, at the turn of the year last season, Bromley were in the top four and looking every bit a playoff team. In that context, wholesale improvements were not going to be needed.
The question Bromley fans have to ask themselves is whether they feel there has been the necessary upgrades and depth added to the team.
Like all clubs, Bromley can only take care of their business and set up tactical plans opponent by opponent.Â
The graphics below identify possible line-ups for the coming season.
Most likely line-up
Alternative line-up
Gif one indicates the most likely line-up if all players are fit. Gif two indicates where players can fit in if Woodman wants to tweak things. Based on this, there is definitely enough evidence to suggest that Woodman has cover everywhere on the pitch.Â
Lack of quality in depth hampered Bromley in the home stretch last season and we will all have an opinion on whether Woodman has resolved that issue this summer.
What is incontrovertible is that, assuming everyone is fit, there is a greater attacking threat in the side.
Defensively, Sowunmi’s injury last season saw a significant weakening of the back three and played a major role in Bromley falling out of the playoff places. If Reynolds is an upgrade on Partington then defensive cover shouldn’t be as problematic this season.Â
I’m reluctant to fall into prediction clichés. However the evidence points to Bromley being there or thereabouts in the playoff race.Â
We may have lost fan-favourites like Luke Coulson and James Alabi, but they only amounted to five goals. Have Bromley replaced those goals and then some with the squad tweaks and changes?Â
If you believe they have, and that Charles-Cook and the inevitable Premier League loanee goalkeeper will be an adequate replacement for Cousins and Balcombe, then why wouldn't the team improve on last season's tenth place finish?
Machel St Patrick Hewitt’s prediction cliché: Sixth.
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I thought we would make play offs , maybe I am a optimist who believes in the manager and squad. I thought Marriott was missing piece but it doesn't quite work with him and Cheek that's a area we could improve on a few 1-1 draws turned in to 2-1 wins and we would be there .
Well put Mash, you've made a good case for the playing staff. Although I would disagree about Alabi and Coulson. The "Goals For" column was indeed too light. But it was far exceeded by the "assists". However, my concern surrounds the rigid style and method adopted. Only once last season did I see a tactical style change and not a one-for-one substitution. That was in the FA Trophy semi, when York City was tearing us to bits. I for one don't believe our style of playing and apparent lack of flexibilkity will serve us....but I have yet to see us play in the new season.