Calendar reviews are a funny old thing in football; I would hazard a guess that the large majority of football fans assess their clubs performance season by season rather than year on year.
That being said modern day football parlance seems to place huge weight on trends within a calendar year which when you consider the personnel change at clubs between seasons seems a nonsense.
All that said as we approach the end of the year it would be remiss of me to not look back on what has been a significantly upwardly mobile year for Bromley FC both on and off the pitch.
So take a sip of your festive mulled wine and a bite of your mince pie as I remind you of some the low lights and highlights of 2017.
January 2017
Neil Smith’s Ravens began the year ensconced in mid-table and to all intents and purposes exceeding all expectations in Smudge’s first full season in charge. Alas the month started with 3 consecutive defeats including the annual FA Trophy torment as Welling and a couple of old boys sent us packing at the first time of asking. Promotion winning captain Rob Swaine left for big bucks Billericay and he wasn’t to be the only one. Alan Dunne joined in a player-coach capacity and contributed as we ended the month with some joy, Southport being dispatched 3-1 to keep us safely above the bottom 4.
February 2017
We started the month in dreamy form with a win over Torquay and a marvellous comeback draw away to Tranmere Rovers. However in keeping with the general inconsistent tone of the season Bromley lost the next four league games as once again we peered over our shoulders at the bottom four wondering if we would get sucked in to a relegation battle. Alan Julian and Adam Cunnington departed for Essex as money continued to talk. One of those departures was mourned significantly more than the other.
March 2017
Bromley appeared to have arrested the slide with a goalless draw at Boreham Wood at the start of the month followed by a 3-0 win over beleaguered strugglers North Ferriby United. Ryan Hall rejoined the club for his third spell. However two defeats at the end of the month to Dover and Chester meant Bromley went into the last month of the season needing at least five more points to be certain of staying in the National League for 2017/18. Another defeat to Welling, this time in the Kent Cup, also ensured that all cup interest ended for the season.
April 2017
The month began with a 1-0 defeat at eventual champions Lincoln City, but the nature of the performance left most content that we would have enough about us to maintain our tenure in the National League. Those fans were to be proved right as Bromley finished the last six games of the season with a record of W 4 D1 L1 to end in a record high 10th place. The final position was excellent vindication for Neil Smith who had throughout the season operated under tightened budget constraints and the overhang of under-performing players with lengthy contracts.
One player who would no longer be part of the club moving forward was Joe Anderson as the mutual decision was made to rip up his contract at the beginning of the month. Joe had performed admirably and consistently over the best part of three years and it was a shame to see another of our promotion heroes go. He would later wind up at Maidstone United.
As we entered the close season fans speculated over who else we would keep and who would be encouraged to find new pastures. One thing was certain top scorer and standout player Blair Turgott was more than likely going to be heading back to the league, thus it came as no surprise when he joined League Two Stevenage Borough.
Good news landed at the end of the month as not only was Jack Holland announced as the first player to resign but the club also signposted to major developments on and off the pitch for the new season. The club declared its intention to be the third club in the National League to be playing on 3G from 2017/18 as well as the intention to build a state of the art 1,450 seated stand at the benches end in 2018.
May – July 2017
Tasked with creating a squad in his own image without the shackles of guaranteed contacts, the close and pre-season saw a complete overhaul of our playing personnel.
Out: Ross Flitney, Jordan Wynter, Lee Minshull, Ryan Hall, Bradley Goldberg, Conor Dymond, Shabazz Omofe, Blair Turgott, Tobi Sho-Silva
In: David Gregory, Ben Wynter, Tyrone Sterling, Josh Rees, Frankie Raymond, Frankie Sutherland, Adam Mekki, Luke Wanadio, Iffy Allen, Brett Williams.
Retained: Jack Holland, Jordan Higgs, George Porter, Ben Chorley, Louis Dennis, Dan Johnson, Alan Dunne
The squad had a younger, hungrier feel about it and Smudge was bullish about their chances ahead of the new season, making it clear that he wanted to better last season’s 10th place finish.
August 2017
An exceptional start to the season saw Bromley unbeaten and in the top 3 after downing relegated Hartlepool United mid-way through August. That victory had followed a momentous Tuesday night under the light at Hayes Lane as Bromley demolished Leyton Orient 6-1. Yes, SIX-ONE. What was supposed to be a very difficult start had some delirious Raven fans dreaming of playoffs and promotion. Sutton and Dagenham & Redbridge quickly brought us back down to earth with a double defeat over the bank holiday weekend.
September 2017
The month started with our annual season visit to Wrexham and as usual we returned with nothing. Frankie Raymond missed a penalty at 0-0 but in truth we did nothing else. Bromley promptly picked up form in the next three games, taking seven points from the next possible nine before mimicking the preceding month by losing the last two league games (to ten men Halifax and in the last minute to Tranmere).
October 2017
October on the whole was a positive month with only the one defeat at home to Maidenhead (2-3) in a high octane first half that saw both teams decline to defend. Other than that Bromley picked up a healthy 10 points from a possible 15. One of those wins was a last minute snatch and grab away at Gateshead courtesy of a Brett Williams header; only 25 Bromley fans were in attendance to see it. The law of diminishing returns means Gateshead and Barrow away will always test the dedication of even the most ardent Bromley support.
Most notable in the month of October was the signing of free agent (former premiership defender) Roger Johnson. He made his mark immediately with a commanding performance as Bromley knocked Dover out of the FA Cup after a replay. The defence conceded no goals in the three games Roger played that month. Josh Rees picked up the Vanamara National League player of the month award as recognition for his non-league free scoring interpretation of Frank Lampard.
November 2017
A first FA Cup 1st round appearance in three seasons saw Bromley taught a harsh lesson by League One Rochdale as we were left chasing ghosts for large majority of the match. Not to be too disheartened league form continued to be steady picking up 7 points from 9 against Guiseley (missing two penalties in the process), Chester and Barrow. Electrical failure put paid to the highly anticipated showdown between Bromley and Aldershot before the rearranged game a week later saw ten man Aldershot outpoint the Ravens to leave us just on the cusp on the playoffs.
Elsewhere in the month both Josh Rees and Daniel Johnson represented England C in the International Challenge Trophy Final. I spent the next few games looking out for covert league scouts who may have their names on their January shopping list.
December 2017
At the time of writing league form continues to see us maintain a level of consistency that has us there or thereabouts re: the playoffs. Pleasingly we have a Kent Cup semi final to look forward to in the new year (not that I’ll attend!) and also an FA Trophy 2nd round tie after defeating Hartley Wintney in the 1st round.
A hectic Xmas and New Year period sees us take on Kent rivals Ebbsfleet twice with Leyton Orient sandwiched in between. Will that define our 2018 and second half of the season most likely no. However given the upward trend of Bromley over the course of 2017 it would not be unrealistic to say that the first half of 2018 promises to be an exciting denouement to season 2017/18.
My personal 2017 highlights:
Bromley comfortably surviving and recording a league high placing of 10th
Neil Smith proving any doubters wrong and building a hungry side that we can be proud of
The 2-2 draw at Tranmere in February and the 6-1 win against Orient in August
The form of new arrivals Josh Rees, David Gregory and Luke Wanadio.
Feel free to tweet me your personal highlights @MashStPaddy