Mid-season grades
How have the goalkeepers and defenders performed at the half-way stage?
As 2022 comes to a close, Bromley find themselves in a more than acceptable position: just outside of the playoffs on goal difference and within touching distance of both 5th-placed Barnet and 6th-placed Southend United.
In a pre-season prediction article, I stuck my neck out and stated that Bromley would finish 6th this season. I have been at pains to point out that all Bromley need to do, and other teams for that matter, is to stay in-and-around the playoffs. They’ve done that so far, but how teams finish the season will ultimately decide who ends up in the 4th to 7th spots.
Every team will have bad runs. The key is to ensure the bad run doesn’t come in the final ten games of the season.
That said, despite my insistence that Bromley are where they need to be at the moment, it hasn’t been a vintage season on the pitch.
With this in mind, I’m handing out half-season grades to each member of the squad. They may even hint at areas Andy Woodman will try to improve in the near future.
I’ll be grading the team in two separate articles. First up: Goalkeepers & Defenders. Keep an eye out for Midfielders & Strikers in the coming days.
Perhaps you disagree with some of my assessments? Don’t be afraid to set me straight in the comments section.
Goalkeepers
Reice Charles-Cook
Reice re-signed with the club in the summer and set about shutting up a lot of people with his early season performances. Remember all that fan noise leading up to the start of the season? “Where’s our keeper?” “Woodman doesn’t know what he is doing!” So on and so forth.
Charles-Cook started in goal for five of Bromley’s eight clean sheets in the league this season, and I think it would be fair to say that his presence on and off the pitch has been missed during his injury lay-off.
It’s very easy to forget that Reice has extensive EFL experience. The only question mark was whether he had the mindset to step back up following a few years playing below his natural level.
He was doing exactly that before his injury, and if he continues where he left off when he returns to the team, he will likely be a strong contender for player of the season.
Half season grade = 8/10
Tom Smith
Tom’s stats read: 13 league appearances, 3 clean sheets. Does that tell the story of his time at Bromley so far? Is that an acceptable return?
Bought in as the deputy/to challenge Reice Charles Cook (delete as appropriate), Tom got his chance sooner than expected due to RCC’s injury. My assessment is that Tom is a competent keeper at this level. He’s a good shot-stopper and is comfortable with the ball at both feet. In that regard, you can clearly see the top-level academy grounding that he’s received.
My concerns? Is Tom vocal enough, and does he command his box? Maybe these critiques are more reflective of the fact that Tom is only 20 years old and this is the highest level of senior football he’s been exposed to. My suspicion, however, is that he will face a real test to hold on to his shirt once RCC is fit again.
Of course, a goalkeeper is more than stats and shot-stopping. A lot of their worth comes from the soft skills that dictate the level of confidence their back line has in them. These skills can take time to hone.
Half season grade = 7/10
Defenders
Kellen Fisher
Our academy product has had a breakthrough season, and his emergence confirms Andy Woodman’s desire to trust youth at the right time. Speak to anyone around the club and you’ll be left in no doubt that Kellen is highly rated. As early as the second game of the season, he showed his potential in the 0-0 draw vs Altrincham, but a torrid experience in a patched-up defence at Dagenham & Redbridge provided a steep learning curve.
His recent display away at Southend United, following his very productive loan spell at Cray Wanderers, served to highlight that he is on the right path and should have a bright future in the game.
I am not saying Woodman should play him regularly from here on in, but the manager can be safe in the knowledge that he has a promising deputy when needed.
Half season grade = 6.5/10
Harry Forster
Some might take umbrage with Harry being included among the defenders, but he’s played the majority of the season as a right wing back. Perhaps that’s why he has underwhelmed?
The perverse thing is, defensively he has actually improved over the course of the season. Harry’s work-rate is top notch and his inexhaustible ability to track back is crucial.
That said, there is no getting away from the fact that Harry’s end product has to improve. Getting into promising positions and taking on his man isn’t the issue, but delivering from those positions is.
He’s only 22 years old and continues to have a great upside. If he can improve that area of his game, Bromley will be a much bigger threat in the second half of the season.
Half season grade = 6/10
Omar Sowunmi
There’s a strong argument that Omar is Bromley’s most valuable asset this season. 6 goals in 17 games from a centre back is a fantastic return, and he’s probably the player whose absence is most keenly felt. Indeed, three of the seven defeats Bromley have suffered this season have come when Omar has not featured.
It cannot be understated just how important he has been at both ends of the pitch. In my opinion, RSG and Andy Woodman should be moving through hell or high water to tie Omar down for another year or two. Make no mistake, he will be a highly prized player in the summer. More fool Bromley if they lose him for nothing.
Half season grade = 8/10
Byron Webster
How valuable is Byron’s leadership on the pitch? Answer that question and you get the appropriate grade. The captain has only missed two games this season: the home win over Scunthorpe and the away defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge.
Is that enough to make him integral to the side? The jury is out. However, there can be no doubt that he is the organiser on the pitch.
In recent games, I’ve been concerned about the level of overplaying at the back, and Byron has been among the culprits. Andy Woodman has been vocal about this issue too, so you would have to hope that it won't be repeated.
Byron has been an integral part of Bromley’s success in successive seasons, and he’s essential to the gaffer on the pitch. As a result, assuming he’s fit, he will remain first choice for the rest of the season.
So the question is: Does Byron make the defence stronger or weaker?
My personal view is that, rather than pointing the finger at one player, our defensive errors have largely been down to poor defending as a team.
According to the stats, Bromley have the ninth-best defence in the league. If Bromley can improve that by a couple of places then it would be fair to say that Byron, heart of the defence and captain of the team, has had a good season.
Half season grade = 7/10
Callum Reynolds
When Joe Partington left Hayes Lane, Callum Reynolds appeared to be his like-for-like replacement.
The key with Callum is to identify how many bad games you’ve seen him have. I can only think of two in his 19 league appearances. Arguably, he’s looked undroppable since his first start at home to Torquay United.
He’s just turned 33, so questions remain as to how much of a long-term investment he is, but Callum seems to be the very definition of a reliable defender at this level. He also offers flexibility, as he seems comfortable on the left or right side of a two or three-man central defence.
More to the point, someone who puts in a minimum 7/10 performance in the vast majority of their games has to be respected.
Half season grade = 7.5/10
Chris Bush
After much speculation, it was recently confirmed that Chris Bush has left the club. To be honest given the details, it was the right time to part ways. No one can doubt his talent, but I maintain that Chris is his own worst enemy on and off the pitch.
For one reason or another, this season seemed a step too far for him. There was the obligatory red card and accompanying three-match suspension, along with four yellow cards, but ill-discipline was just one issue. More importantly, in the eight games that Chris started this season, his record reads: one win, two draws, and five defeats. It isn’t flattering.
Bromley’s defence wasn’t Chris’s sole responsibility, but the stats indicate why his days of being a nailed-on starter were numbered. He also had to contend with the emergence of the ever-reliable Callum Reynolds.
It must be remembered that Callum didn't start the season in the side. It was Bush’s shirt to lose, and lose it he did. Then, when he returned to the side in late October, he didn’t do enough to keep it.
Rumours have been circulating over the exact reason for Chris’s exit, and there are two sides to every story, but it’s almost certain that he was unprofessional in some regard. With the greatest of respect to Chris, this is something we have seen under both Smudge and Woodman.
None of this is to say that he won't perform exceptionally well when he turns up at his new club, and I think the majority of Bromley fans wish him well. I certainly do.
Half season grade = 6/10
Reece Hannam
I actually have Reece down as one of our better players this season and feel he has quietly gone about his business. I wrote an article on him in preseason and I’ve seen little to challenge my instinct that he will have a career in the EFL.
Of his 17 league appearances this season, he has only been involved in four defeats, and one of those came as part of the weakened team we put out at Dagenham.
The main criticism that some fans have is that Reece isn’t a natural wing-back, and I get it. I don’t think beating or getting at his man comes naturally to him. But, for me, his technical skills make up for that.
There shouldn’t be any concern about his defensive contribution; I can't think of many wingers that have got the better of him so far. If it wasn’t for injury, I suspect more fans would recognise this, particularly if he was part of the conventional back four that we recently witnessed.
It should also be remembered that, in addition to his dangerous dead ball deliveries, Reece has two goals to his name.
Unfortunately, it seems he will be out for the foreseeable future with an injury to his spleen, but if he returns in time for the run-in it will be a great boost.
Half season grade = 7.5/10
Charles Clayden
Originally brought in to challenge or replace Reece Hannam, it simply hasn’t worked out for Charles Clayden.
Charles made 10 appearances for Charlton’s first-team this season, so this should have been a signing that significantly upped Bromley’s levels. To put it bluntly, it hasn’t.
I think Andy Woodman thought he was getting a player who could offer what Forster does but on the left-hand side of the pitch. Theoretically, this would have been an attacking upgrade on Hannam, who seems more defensively gifted.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve seen glimpses of Clayden’s attacking threat in fits and bursts and there’s obviously a promising player in there somewhere. After all, you can't play ten times in League One and not be rated. But I question whether we’ve seen enough of that League One quality from Charles.
So far, too much of his play seems to be: head-down, run into a cul-de-sac. Is it a confidence thing?
Either way, I suspect Clayden’s loan will be terminated in the near future. Not necessarily because we want to, but because he won’t be guaranteed the first-team football that he and his parent club require.
Half season grade = 5.5/10
Besart Topalloj
Where Bromley’s most recent recruit is concerned, we only have one performance to go on. But, based on his performance at Southend United, you can see why Besart is rated at Millwall.
In that game, he looked solid in his defensive work and had some bite to match his bark. Given Reece Hannam’s injury woes, he should be a more than adequate replacement in that regard.
That said, the jury will remain out until we see more of his work in the remainder of his 28-day loan. Perhaps the greater question will be if we can extend the loan should it go well for both parties.
Half season grade = n/a
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