Notts County vs Bromley preview
Bromley have a very difficult stretch of League Two games coming up.
Their next five fixtures are all against promotion-chasing sides, and the run starts today with Notts County.
County are one of only four sides that I feel have given Bromley a footballing lesson this season. Along with Newcastle, Bradford, and Crewe, Notts County had Bromley chasing shadows at times when they visited Hayes Lane earlier this season.
If we pivot back to the National League encounters, County vs Bromley has always been a pleasure to watch. Whether managed by Ian Burchnall, Luke Williams, or now Stuart Maynard, they have been a case study in sticking to a philosophy. More often than not, it has paid dividends.
So is it a case of The Prince and the Pauper? Not really. In the previous nine encounters between the two sides, Notts have only won twice.
The clash of styles between the two teams often works in Bromley’s favour, as Andy Woodman’s smashmouth football is something of an antidote to Notts’ pass-and-move style.
County are currently in 6th place and very much in the hunt for an automatic promotion spot. In fact, that is almost certainly their target for the season.
They are the division’s second-highest scorers, which befits a side with attacking riches all over the pitch. David Mcgoldrick (12) and Alassana Jatta (12) are in double figures, but it is the recent return of Jodi Jones from injury that will boost them the most.
I have no doubt that Jodi is the most talented footballer in League Two. Frankly, he has no business playing in this division.
And as if they didn’t have enough talent in their ranks already, Notts have dipped into the transfer market this January to add Zak Johnson (Sunderland), Charlie Walker (Everton), and Will Jarvis (Hull City).
If Notts get into their work, it will be very hard to stop them, but we have said that so many times ahead of a Bromley-Notts game. The Ravens have a habit of frustrating their opponents before striking against the run of play. Will that be the case today?
One interesting tidbit is that Stuart Maynard’s right-hand man, Matt Saunders, left the club earlier this week. He has been strongly linked with a return to Wealdstone as their new manager. Could that throw Notts off their axis?
Given Bromley have lost their last two league games, there is no doubt that Notts start this match as heavy favourites. It will be very interesting to see how Andy Woodman sets up for the encounter.
The Kabamba/Cheek partnership got off to a bad start against Colchester, but that had a lot to do with the subpar performance of the team as a whole. The question of whether those two can co-exist will not be answered by that game alone.
I will always be an advocate of horses for courses, and if Andy Woodman believes two up front is his best bet for the remainder of the season then so be it.
However, playing away against one of the division’s strongest sides may see him revert to the more trusted 3-4-2-1, with Kabamba an option from the bench.
Is that Bromley’s strongest side at the moment?
After his omission from the starting line-up against Colchester, I expect Jude Arthurs to return to his role as partner for Ben Thompson in the middle of the park.
The only lingering question is the make-up of the back three. Kamarl Grant and Deji Elerewe weren’t at the races against Colchester. Will that prompt Woodman to make a change and bring in more experience?
Away from today’s fixture, the transfer window closes on Friday, so the coming week represents Bromley’s last chance to add to their squad.
Danny Imray is still at the club. Would keeping him be the most important piece of business, or should Bromley add some more faces?
From Bromley with Love XI
Smith
Grant Sowunmi Elerewe
Imray Thompson Arthurs Odutayo
Whitely Congreve
Cheek
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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