Maidenhead United 0-0 Bromley

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Since Andy Woodman stepped into the Bromley hot seat, few teams have got the better of Bromley. However, it can be argued that Maidenhead are something of a bogey side. 

Bromley haven’t scored in any of their last three visits to York Road, but that shouldn’t detract from a hard-fought point away from home. Ultimately, it was another small step towards fulfilling the season’s mission. 

As ever, I reflected on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 0-0 draw at Maidenhead United.

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

The team vs Maidenhead United

The Good

Bromley have reached the stage of the season where their results should be measured against those of their play-off-chasing counterparts. 

The season's mission, as far as I can work out, is to secure a second or third place finish and guarantee a one-leg semi-final at home. 

Assuming that’s the case, the Maidenhead game was a point gained over Barnet, who lost 3-2 at Altrincham. 

Is it cynical to look at results in that regard, or simply realistic?

On the pitch, it was yet another game where Bromley struggled to get to grips with the slope and surface at York Road. And, as ever, the home side played to their strengths.

Uncompromising and difficult to break down, Maidenhead are Bromley’s kryptonite. But the Ravens aren’t the only team who struggle against Alan Devonshire’s hard-grafting side. When Maidenhead are on form, they can be one of the hardest teams in the National League to put away. 

Kudos to Grant Smith and his defenders, who were resolute when it mattered. If it wasn’t for their diligence, Bromley might have lost this one. 

Grant Smith has gone under the radar somewhat in recent weeks, but when it comes to sheer consistency, he must be in the top three goalkeepers in the league.

The seasoned stopper has kept 8 clean sheets in 29 league and cup appearances and conceded a solitary goal in another 12 games. That means Grant Smith has conceded one goal or fewer in 69% of Bromley’s games.

This stat may explain why the Ravens have the third-best defensive record in the league and have avoided defeat so often this season. 

We’ve seen solid Bromley defences before, of course, but the current squad has much more to offer offensively. While attacking ruthlessness wasn’t on show in this game, defensive durability earned the team a point.

Sometimes people can get lost in the hype of not seeing a victory and forget the positives on show.

The Bad

Maidenhead’s disallowed goal notwithstanding, the first half was relatively even. Both sides struggled to break each other down and pretty much cancelled each other out.

The second half, however, saw Bromley on the backfoot. On the balance of penalty box entries and general pressure, Maidenhead might feel they should have won the game. Bromley really had to work for their share of the points.

That said, in almost rope-a-dope style, Bromley fashioned three opportunities in the second half that could have stolen the points.

We can probably forgive Josh Passley’s header being cleared off the line, but Sam Woods had two golden opportunities from six yards out which were begging to be finished. First, he hit the post. Then, at the death, he inexplicably shot wide when it looked easier to score.

This is no attempt to dig Sam Woods out, he otherwise had a very good game, but there’s no getting away from the fact that he could have won the game for Bromley.

In the 66th minute, we witnessed the second debut of Tate Campbell, who came on to replace Ben Krauhaus. In case you’ve forgotten, Tate was signed on a season-long loan in July but suffered a serious injury soon after. 

It’s good to have a versatile player like Tate back in the squad. On the face of it, he seems to be the replacement for Lewis Leigh, but neither incoming nor outgoing has been confirmed by the club.

Was Tate’s loan terminated then reinstated or has he always been contracted to the club? It’s unclear. 

Perhaps by the time this is published, the club will have confirmed who’s in and who’s out. It would be nice to keep fans up to date with who actually plays for the club they support.

The Ugly

Am I right in saying a plastic bottle was thrown at Maidenhead’s keeper at full-time? That was certainly the story that made its way down the terrace after the final whistle. 

If true, I’ll keep it simple: Whichever brainless twat did that needs to jog on and get out of the club. 

An incident like that doesn’t happen in isolation. There would have been people around the individual in question. 

Who called them out? Who gripsed them up? I suspect the answer is nobody.

You are the company you keep and your silence equals complicity. 

Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (9)

Josh Passley (8)

Alex Kirk (7)

Callum Reynolds (8)

Besart Topalloj (7)

Myles Weston (7)

Sam Woods (7)

Ben Krauhaus (6)

Corey Whitely (6)

Olufela Olomola (6)

Michael Cheek (6)

Subs:

Ryan Jones for Myles Weston 62’ (7)

Tate Campbell for Ben Krauhaus 66’ (6)

Louis Dennis for Olufela Olomola 76’ (6)

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