Salford City vs Bromley preview

Another game, another promotion chaser.

Salford City currently lie in eighth place in League Two but are on a run of four games without a win.

Much like Bromley, since their FA Cup third-round exploits (losing 8-0 to Manchester City), Salford have struggled to restore the feeling.

Defeats to Fleetwood and Cheltenham have been followed up with draws with Newport and Walsall.

Maybe that offers something of a silver lining for Bromley, but I said the same prior to the arrival of Grimsby in London. That encounter saw Bromley turn in a wretched second-half performance that resulted in a well-deserved defeat.

Salford City, like most of League Two, have been active during the transfer window.

Through the door have come Lewis Warrington (Leyton Orient – loan), Stephan Negru (Oxford United – loan) and Rosario Longelo (Swindon Town) – remember him?

If Salford are to make a play for the automatic play-off spots then they need to address their Achilles’ heel that is their lack of goals. Only six teams have scored fewer goals than Salford this season, but they do possess the third-best defence.

Defences win you promotion, but you still need to score.

Cole Stockton’s goals notwithstanding, Salford will need someone else to chip in if they’re going to make this a successful season.

That Salford defence needs to be tested tonight if Bromley intend to return to London with any points.

The Ravens are struggling in both boxes right now, but it’s the ‘goals for’ column that worries me most. Yes, there’s a need to get back to basics and keep clean sheets, but Bromley aren’t creating enough opportunities or making enough dangerous last-third entries.

It feels like this will be the match where Andy Woodman really switches things up offensively.

A lot of January transfer activity has happened at Hayes Lane. Through the attacking door have come Brooklyn Ilunga, Marcus Ifill, Harry McKirdy, and Adam Mayor.

Defensively, Arsenal youth centre-back Maldini Kacurri has essentially replaced Callum Reynolds.

It doesn’t need a rocket scientist to establish that Andy wants better quality in the final third and more game-changing options.

Some of these signings are not ready to feature in tonight’s game, but we will see them in action soon enough.

The arrivals have meant players leaving to free up the budget. We seem to have waved goodbye to Myles Weston, who will stay at Hornchurch for the remainder of the season, and Josh Passley has joined Ebbsfleet United on loan for the rest of the season, too.

The question is how Andy Woodman will now set up with the options available to him? Surely it can't be the same old same old.

I vote to rip up the script.

The From Bromley with Love XI

Smith

Jenkinson Kacurri Elerewe Odutayo

Leigh Charles

Imray Dennis Mayor

Kabamba

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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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