Having reached the midway point in their debut League Two season Bromley FC can look at a very solid start to life as an EFL club, sitting in eleventh place with 34 points from 23 league games played, The Ravens are now looking up the table rather than down at the bottom two.
In a busy run of games manager Andy Woodman’s team has one more league fixture to go away at Crewe Alexandra on Sunday, before they look forward to a week off building up to the FA Cup Third Round game away at Newcastle United on 12th January.
Since the end of October Bromley have made a steady climb up the table with impressive wins at Accrington Stanley & Morecombe, plus picking up draws away at Walsall and at home to Port Vale.
The festive fixtures have seen an emphatic 5-2 win over Newport County and a hard fought 1-1 draw with Swindon Town prior to last night’s phenomenal 3-0 win at Gillingham.
Andy Woodman has not opted to rotate his squad too much, more of less sticking to the tried and tested starting eleven that has produced the strong run of results.
With the transfer window now open Bromley fans will be hoping that rumours of Danny Imray being recalled by Crystal Palace to be loaned out further up the leagues prove not to be true.
Centre back Kamarl Grant’s loan from Millwall ended at the start of the month and there is hope that this will be extended as he has proved to be a vital part of the defence along with utilising his long throws going forward.
Fellow loanees Ben Thompson (Stevenage) & Cameron Congreve (Swansea City) have proved to be inspired acquisitions to the midfield by the management team, adding options to the majority of the squad that earned promotion to League Two last season.
Long term injury casualty Deje Elerewe returned at Priestfield, but there is no news on summer signing Marcus Dinanga who has not featured since the opening games of the campaign.
Left wing back Bes Topalloj is out on loan at Sutton Utd with an option to buy and seems to be very much out of favour with the Bromley management right now.
Woodman has hinted there may be some additions to the squad this month, with the added bonus of the revenue generated from the FA Cup run made available to him.
The run in the FA Cup has seen the team make even more history this season, as The Ravens had never reached the FA Cup Third Round before. Away wins over National League opposition in Rochdale & Solihull Moors have booked the trip to face Premier League opponents.
Off the pitch, work will begin on the renovation of the East Terrace in February, reducing capacity in the short term, while that side of Hayes Lane is closed. Once completed the East Terrace will hold a new seated area for away fans with much improved facilities and covered accommodation for the home fans on that side with better provisions.
If Bromley can replicate their first half of the season in the second, then they will be comfortably consolidated as a Football League side and on a solid footing to look to progress from there. If results continue in the vein they have since the end of October then an outside shot at the play offs is not impossible.
It’s been twenty years since Bromley were promoted from Isthmian League Division One South under the management of George Wakeling & Billy Smith, who took over the team sitting in fifteenth in December 2004.
The progress since then has been steady and upwards, despite some bumps in the road, to where Bromley are now. These are rare auld times for us privileged to have seen it all.