Newport County 1-1 Bromley

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Machel Hewitt

Apr 05, 2025

How do we look at this? A draw that stopped the rot, or five games without a win?

Bromley travelled to Newport County on Tuesday night and returned with a draw that perhaps should have been a win.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 1-1 draw away at Newport County.

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

The team vs Newport County

The Good

The first half was one of the strangest I’ve seen in a while. Newport created one opportunity and scored from it. Bromley created five golden opportunities, of which at least three should have been taken, yet had nothing to show for it.

Football is a funny old game.

The chances may have been missed, but Bromley played some good football in that first half and were cutting through Newport at will at one stage. On another day, it would have been done and dusted by half-time.

On the flip side, the second half wasn’t as dominant, but I give Bromley and Michael Cheek credit for not falling to defeat on a night where the football gods seemed to be conspiring against them.

I didn’t think there was any one player who had an outstanding performance per se, but I thought Sam Long was impressive on his league debut. It’s easy to forget that he is only 22 years old. The high level of consistency shown by Grant Smith has made it almost impossible for Sam to force his way into the side, so all he can do is put in strong performances when opportunities arrive and leave a lasting impression on Andy Woodman.

Other than that, I thought the subs had an impact on the game which helped rescue the point.

Andy left Congreve, Mayor, and McKirdy on the bench for this one, but all three made an impact when they arrived.

Congreve’s delicious cross for the equaliser was top-notch stuff. That takes him to five goals and six assists for the season in all competitions. He has six games left to hit my target of double figures in one of those categories.

Maldini Kacurri also returned off the bench for only his second appearance since joining on loan. I liked what I saw from the big man. It will be interesting to see if he gets any more appearances before his loan spell ends.

Newport were a weak side in my book. Yes, they played with heart and gumption, but they seemed wedded to a style of football that I don’t believe will be successful at this level.

You could argue they are hamstrung by being one of the physically smaller sides in the division, and maybe in that regard they are batting above their station, but at times, particularly in the first half, they looked like they were about to be overrun by a fitter, more physically powerful Bromley side.

At one point, I wrote a post that I later deleted: “No wonder Newport have conceded the most goals in the league.” Perhaps I should have left it up.

That said, they still got a point out of the game. More fool Bromley.

None of Newport’s players stood out, and given their goalkeeper Nick Townsend was awarded Man of the Match, it goes a long way to describing the flow of the game.

Newport are 11 points clear of the relegation spots, so it’s very unlikely they will get dragged down into the dogfight. However, 23rd-placed Morecambe have won two in a row and are now just 4 points shy of Tranmere, and 6 points shy of Bromley’s next opponent, Accrington Stanley. Could the bottom two look different in a few weeks?

The Bad

Who is the best set piece taker at the club? Given how dangerous Bromley can be at well-choreographed set pieces, I thought the deliveries on Tuesday night were average at best.

The commentators made frequent references to the physically imposing nature of the Bromley side and how much of a threat they would be at set pieces, but I think only one in every four really troubled Newport. It felt like a wasted opportunity.

Due to an accumulation of misdemeanours, Andy was banned from the touchline on Tuesday night and will also have to sit out the home game against Accrington.

I noticed on the Newport stream that Byron Webster was in the dugout in his slacks. I have long assumed that Byron will fill the Alan Dunne-sized hole in the dugout next season. Am I reaching here?

As far as I know, Byron is doing his UEFA A Licence, which is the highest practical coaching award available, and he told me eighteen months ago that he intends to stay in the game after he stops playing. Will that be with Bromley?

By the way, this isn’t in The Bad because I disagree with that decision, it just felt like something to talk about! What are your views on that move if it comes to pass?

Byron turned 38 this week (Happy birthday, Byron). While many were queuing up to write him off at the start of the campaign, his excellent form in his 25 games this season has silenced a lot of doubters. But should we really be expecting him to play 25 league games again next season?

The Ugly

As I said at the top of the piece, it’s now five without a win and 2 points from the last 15 available.

Bromley, believe it or not, are still only 9 points away from the play-offs. A win on Tuesday would have narrowed the gap to just 7 points, but it is what it is.

To be honest, I’m more than happy with Bromley’s return this season, but it feels like they fluffed their lines during a period where they were on the cusp of the play-offs. Did the pressure get to them or was it fatigue?

That said, this season will have provided a valuable learning curve for Andy in terms of identifying the intangibles that separate the top seven from the also-rans.

It’s not as simple as having a big budget, just look at MK Dons and Gillingham. So what are the true intangibles? Over to you. In your eyes, what small details have afflicted Bromley when push came to shove this season?

Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Sam Long (8)

Kamarl Grant (7)

Omar Sowunmi (7)

Deji Elerewe (7)

Idris Odutayo (7)

Jude Arthurs (7)

Ashley Charles (7)

Danny Imray (7)

Ben Thompson (7)

Corey Whitely (7)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Harry Mckirdy for Corey Whitely 63’ (7)

Maldini Kacurri for Deji Elerwe 63’ (7)

Cameron Congreve for Jude Arthurs 63’ (7)

Adam Mayor for Idris Odutayo 71’ (7)

From Bromley with love

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