The League Two myth

Why do so few promoted National League clubs get relegated from League Two?

At some point in the next five seasons, Bromley are likely to launch a serious tilt at promotion to League Two.

I say this not because they have the most money or the best squad, but because of the ceaseless upward trajectory the club is experiencing on and off the pitch.

State-of-the-art facilities off the pitch have been matched by performances on it: a seventh-place finish in 2020/21 was followed by a FA Trophy win at Wembley in 2021/22.

Sutton United are the perfect template for ‘smaller clubs’ that want to escape the National League. In 2020/21, on a relatively modest budget, they stormed to a historic league title win and earned promotion to League Two.

That title-winning squad didn’t just hold their own in League Two, they narrowly missed out on a playoff place and reached the Papa John’s Trophy final at Wembley; a trophy that, were it not for Rotherham United’s last-gasp equaliser, they were seconds away from lifting.

Bromley’s game at Sutton United on Saturday, albeit in a pre-season friendly, gave me an opportunity to measure the perceived gap between League Two and the National League. Would it be as non-existent as most non-league observers believe it to be?

As oft-noted, not a single one of the last fifty-two teams promoted from the National League has come straight back down. In fact, of the last twenty-two, eighteen are still there and three are now in League One. (Credit: No Helmets Required - https://twitter.com/NoHelmetsReq)

The usual preseason caveats apply, but Bromley put in a strong first-half performance that belied the league difference. 

Starting with a line-up that’s likely to be their first XI when the league kicks off on August 6th, Bromley displayed all the hallmarks of a top ten National League side: robust, difficult to break down, and quick in transition from back to front. This playing style earned Bromley a deserved first-half lead and would’ve left neutrals guessing which side was in the EFL.

Sutton sprang out of the traps in the second half and overpowered the Ravens, but it merely led to parity in the scoreline with twenty minutes to go. It was only at this point, with the inevitable introduction of youngsters and trialists, that Bromley began to look the significantly weaker side. 

Credit: Video highlights -Sutton United

Sutton ran out 3-2 winners in the end, but the match did little to dispel the theory about the two leagues. If they ever pop out of the bottleneck at the top of the National League, it would be reasonable to expect Bromley to hold their own in League Two.

Someone well placed to compare the two levels is former Bromley defender Joe Kizzi. He played in the Bromley side that finished seventh in 2020/21, and his stellar performances earned him a move to League Two Sutton United the following season.

I caught up with him post-match to find out if he’s noticed any difference between the two levels.

Joe Kizzi interview

Kizzi’s views were echoed by Bromley manager Andy Woodman. Both stressed the importance of every single player knowing their role and sticking to the game plan. What sounds like ‘the basics’ is exactly what they believe provides a foundation for success.

Andy Woodman interview

Those who remember Sutton’s National League-winning side will recall their super-efficient smash mouth style. Their work rate essentially bullied sides into submission that season, and it’s a style they’ve successfully stuck to in League Two. It’s no surprise that Woodman sees them as the blueprint to follow.

As Kizzi alludes to in his interview, the hardest part is escaping the National League. If and when Bromley do that, they should feel confident that they have a style and a pool of players that could hold their own in the Football League. But will this season’s crop have what it takes?

---

Thanks for taking the time to read the article above - you can expect more like this as well as videos, audio posts, interviews etc etc

By all means share this with whoever you feel would like this content.

If you havent as yet make sure you read the other articles in the archive.

You can find Machel St Patrick Hewitt on Twitter here

Most importantly of all subscribe to the newsletter to ensure you get these updates direct to your inbox.