Salford City 3-3 Bromley

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

This is the social media age. When your football team capitulates and throws away a three-goal lead, it is often a battle to see who can shout “disgrace” the loudest.

That is not an attempt to downplay the surrender, more an observation that it is rare to find sober reflection in the online era.

Bromley turned in another Jekyll and Hyde performance, clinically racing into a three-goal lead only to soil themselves in the second half and end up settling for a share of the spoils.

Join me as I reflect on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 3-3 away draw at Salford City.

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

The team vs Salford City

The Good

The point of these articles is always to start with the positive, no matter the result or how little there is to write about on that front.

We start with Cameron Congreve. He added two more goals to his season tally to take him up to five for the season.

I wrote after the Newcastle game that there was no point Cameron scoring that brilliant goal if he wasn’t going to use it to kick on and end the season well.

I don’t know what target Andy Woodman has set him, or even the target Cameron has set himself, but double figures in goals or assists should be realistic from here.

These two goals had nothing to do with his educated feet. Instead, they were a result of his anticipation to be in the right place at the right time. It’s those small intangibles that should ensure he ends up at a higher level than League Two (if he puts his mind to it).

Given the transfer window activity at Hayes Lane, there was a lot of talk pre-match about how Bromley would set up. On paper, the formation for the Salford match looked like an interpretation of 4-2-3-1. In practice, I don’t think it was that simple.

In the first half, I thought Bromley were excellent with and without the ball. At times, Danny Imray was dropping back into a wing-back position. Cameron Congreve seemed to start on the left wing but was often found dropping into the space in the ten. Ben Thompson, meanwhile, started as the furthest-forward midfielder but dropped back into a central destroyer role when needed.

Salford seemed surprised and unprepared for this Bromley set-up, which might explain why the Ravens were able to create and take their moments to race into a healthy lead.

Part of me wonders how much of the collapse was also due to losing Carl Jenkinson’s nous just before half-time. In his return to a Bromley shirt, I thought his experience was critical next to debutant Maldini Kacurri on a dreadful pitch.

Danny Imray provided two assists on the night from a more advanced role. This once again got me wondering how we get the best out of Danny. Is he more threatening when he starts further up the pitch, or is it horses for courses and dependent on the opposition?

It was by no means his best performance, but there is no doubt that when Danny takes the opportunity to impact games in the final third, it is a huge net positive for Bromley.

I thought Salford were pretty ordinary, but the game changed with the introduction of their subs: Kylian Kouassi, Rosaire Longelo, and Lewis Warrington.

Kouassi, in particular, was a livewire on the left wing. No one on Bromley’s right side could get to grips with the former Sutton man’s ball-carrying. It was his run and body strength that dealt with Maldini Kacurri for the first goal, which inspired Salford’s belief that they could salvage something.

Warrington got the second, and every Bromley fan could see what was coming after that. Salford’s 92nd-minute equaliser seemed utterly inevitable.

If we’re being fair, Grant Smith made at least three excellent saves, so it feels churlish to complain about the comeback as if Salford didn’t create good opportunities.

The Bad

What on earth is up with Salford’s pitch? At first sight, my assumption was that it was a dual-purpose pitch shared with a rugby team, but I was quickly set straight.

So what was the reason for the pitch being so cut up? Rain and bad weather?

Where is the line between a pitch being the same for both sides and a home team knowing what to expect? Did it play into Salford’s hands, or is that just making excuses?

In truth, Bromley looked very leggy in the final 20 minutes. If the match had gone on for another five minutes after the equaliser, I suspect Salford would have scored a winner.

Carl Jenkinson was forced off the pitch after 44 minutes, which was a very disappointing end to a solid night's work. It begs the question if there are long-standing injury concerns where Carl is concerned.

We have only seen him play two games in two months, and on both occasions he hasn’t been able to complete the 90 minutes.

By no means is that a critique of Jenkinson, as I think he brings serious value to the side from an experience perspective. But if we can’t get him on the pitch, how much is that experience worth?

The Ugly

Bromley ended the match with a defence of Danny Imray – Kamarl Grant – Byron Webster – Adam Mayor.

As soon as I saw Maldini Kacurri go off for Corey Whitely, I questioned how the team would be able to hold on for the win. Andy Woodman’s hands were tied as Kacurri was struggling to get through the 90 and there was no obvious defensive change available, but that back four was too inexperienced (and arguably too defensively weak) to expect them to hold out.

Danny is a wing-back or winger. Arguably, so is Adam Mayor. And neither Grant nor Webster are in tip-top form. This is why, however bad the collapse was, I feel rather sanguine about returning with a point.

That said, whether Jenkinson, Sowunmi, Kacurri, Odutayo, or Elerwe, Andy Woodman will need to establish what his best defence looks like now.

For the next two games, it won’t be Omar Sowunmi as he’s suspended. And while Idris Odutayo’s injury status is unknown, I suspect he won’t be involved either. Kacurri clearly has talent, but it will be a learning curve (hopefully a quick one) as he adapts to the ebb and flow of League Two. And Deji is still making his way back from injury and is clearly being carefully managed.

So how does Andy set up defensively when Bromley face MK Dons? This is yet another team gunning for promotion, so the back line will be tested. I sense the Ravens may be on a rocky road for some time yet.

Forget the 3-3 for a minute, let's pay homage to Alan Dunne, who this week announced his departure from the club after eight years. During his tenure, he transitioned from playing to coaching before becoming Bromley’s assistant manager.

I have a lot of time for Alan. Whenever I spoke to him, no matter what was going on at the club, he was always courteous and made time to chat. Alan doesn’t draw a lot of attention to himself, but Andy Woodman has always been quick to point out that he has been as instrumental as anyone in Bromley’s success over the last four years.

I remember when I bumped into Ben May about a year after he had left Bromley, he was singing Alan’s praises. Ben was blown away by how hard he works off the field on match preparation and alike. Andy has always said the same.

We cannot underestimate how big a miss this will be, but it will of course open a door for someone else to step into the breach. For now, it looks like Steve Aris is combining the role with Alex Dyer, but watch this space in the summer.

I wonder what this might mean for Byron Webster?

Anyway, we shouldn’t lose focus. Alan Dunne’s decision to take a step back is an instructive guide to us all as human beings. Learning to listen to your body and knowing you have to take a step back is a powerful thing to do.

I admire Alan for not just grinning and bearing it. Instead, he chose to take time for himself and his family, which should ultimately give him a chance to recharge properly before he returns to the world of football.

Go well, Alan Dunne!

Got something to say? Don’t be shy. Get at me in the comments below.

Match ratings

Grant Smith (8)

Carl Jenkinson (7)

Maldini Kacurri (6)

Byron Webster (6)

Adam Mayor (6)

Ashley Charles (6)

Jude Arthurs (6)

Danny Imray (7)

Ben Thompson (6)

Cameron Congreve (8)

Michael Cheek (7)

Subs:

Kamarl Grant for Carl Jenkinson 44’ (6)

Corey Whitely for Maldini Kacurri 78’ (5)

Nicke Kabamba for Michael Cheek 79’ (5)

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Thanks for taking the time to read the match synopsis above.

Please note all match photographs in this article are by Martin Greig - please follow him on Twitter here

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