Oxford City 1-3 Bromley

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The task was clear going into the Oxford City game: Gain one point or more and Bromley would secure a top-three place and a direct passage into the play-off semi-finals.

They completed the task with consummate ease, which spoke volumes about the level the side have reached as they enter the real business end of the season.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 3-1 win at Oxford City.

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

The team vs Oxford City

The Good

I don’t think even the most pessimistic Bromley fan expected the Ravens to fumble their lines at Oxford City.

Having been the better side against Barnet, then Solihull Moors, it seemed unfathomable that Bromley would lose to Oxford City. Within five minutes, they had made sure that wouldn’t happen.

Ben Krauhaus, turning in yet another consummate performance, gave Bromley the lead in the first minute, and Idris Odutayo’s sumptuous free-kick three minutes later killed the tie as a contest.

Yes, Oxford City were bottom of the league and already relegated, but they hadn’t been routed in their recent games. Bromley, however, were a level above them and it showed in every department across the 90 minutes.

A lot of players had good games. Alex Kirk deputised seamlessly for Byron Webster, and Jude Arthurs and Ashley Charles were terriers in the middle of the park once again. But the real shining stars for me were Corey Whitely and Ben Krauhaus.

Both notched goals, and in Whitely’s case yet another assist. Back in January, I challenged the two midfielders to score 16 goals between them. With one regular season game and maybe two play-off ties remaining, they each have 10 goals and it’s fair to say that both of them have made a significant contribution to Bromley’s success this season.

Andy Woodman mentioned a week or so ago that Ben Krauhaus is doing his utmost to get Bromley into the EFL before he leaves the club. His game-defining performances in the last three matches suggest that this is no exaggeration.

I sometimes wonder if we expect too much from Corey Whitely. It really is phenomenal how often he acts as the impetus behind a good Bromley performance. It’s no coincidence that when Corey plays well, so do Bromley. Though the reverse can also be true.

I suspect Corey will be high in the Player of the Season voting stakes, and rightly so. Would you lend him your vote? 

The final game of the regular season is imminent.

Bromley could still sneak into second place with a win over Gateshead, but that relies on second-placed Barnet losing to already relegated Kidderminster Harriers. That result seems improbable, so it’s likely that Bromley will finish in third place. 

This means they will host the winner of Altrincham vs FC Halifax Town/Aldershot/Southend in a National League play-off semi-final at Hayes Lane.

Last season, the physical toll of the eliminator was clear to see when both Boreham Wood and Bromley took Notts County and Chesterfield respectively to extra-time in their semi-final ties. Neither side really had anything left to give and paid the price.

Will Bromley’s 46-game toil, and breaking all manner of club records to seal third place, prove to be ‘worth it’ in the end? Only time will tell.

The Bad

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. 

More often than not in the last five seasons, the man has been Michael Cheek. I won’t bore you with his goal tally in that time, I’m sure you’ve been paying attention.

However, there is a slight question mark in my head about crunch games and moments. Do we have enough goals around the team to decide big games when they matter?

The answer, in theory, is ‘yes.’ 

For example, in the last three games, none of which Bromley could afford to lose, the Ravens collected two wins and a draw. More importantly, they scored seven goals and Michael Cheek only notched one of them.

However, I’m talking about the biggest moments here. If Bromley are to get to Wembley and contest a National League play-off final then they can’t rely on their talisman alone.

The Ravens have recently switched to something akin to a 3-4-2-1 formation. As a result, the side looks far more solid in midfield, and it creates a lot of space for players like Whitely and Krauhaus. Frankly, it has worked very well.

However, when I look at Bromley’s bench, some Louis Dennis magic aside, do we have the goals and the moments to change a game if it isn’t going in our favour?

Will Olufela Olomola or Will Davies rise to the challenge if crucial goals are needed? It’s food for thought.

The Ugly

At the Oxford City game, I felt like I had time-travelled back to Bromley’s Ryman Premier League days.

They feel like a Ryman club that has risen too far, too fast.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a dig at their achievements. For the club and its fans, I hope their promotion and subsequent season in the National League has taught them lessons that will help them to come back stronger.

That said, the atmosphere was as low-key as you could get. Yes, it was the penultimate Tuesday night of the regular season, and the hosts had nothing riding on it other than their pride, but it was akin to watching a meaningless pre-season friendly.

If it wasn’t for the hearty members of Bromley’s travelling contingent, there would have been no atmosphere in the ground whatsoever. 

I don’t mean to be snotty about the experience. In many ways, for some of us old-school fans, this was a rose-tinted return to what watching Bromley used to be like.

For decades, Bromley’s matches were witnessed by a couple of hundred non-league boats who walked freely around a basic non-league ground while keeping half an eye on the pitch. It was a more simple time.

It does, however, speak to the great divide that is happening in the National League.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for part-time clubs to get promoted into the National League and hold their own. This is what makes Alan Devonshire’s continued achievements at Maidenhead all the more remarkable. 

Without the infrastructure and deep pockets of a benefactor, how do you continually bat above your station in the National League?

If staying in the league is only the goal each season, how does a club grow? And if staying in the league is too hard because of limitations off the pitch, what was the point in getting there in the first place?

This isn’t like jumping from the Championship to the Premier League. Insane riches don’t await clubs who achieve promotion to the National League. Instead, your club’s existing budget and infrastructure will be tested to breaking point. And there aren’t even three promotion places to compete for.

In many ways, the National League is a silly endeavour.  

Let me know what you think about the above by getting at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (7)

Myles Weston (7)

Alex Kirk (8) 

Callum Reynolds (8)

Karmarl Grant (8) 

Idris Odutayo (8)

Ashley Charles (8)

Jude Arthurs (8)

Ben Krauhaus (9)

Corey Whitely (9)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Louis Dennis for Corey Whitely 76’ (6)

James Vennings for Jude Arthurs 67’ (6)

Will Davies for Michael Cheek 69’ (6)

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