With over half of the National League season completed already Bromley find themselves in third place on 44 points from 25 games, among a tightly packed group of eight teams around the play off places. 

A great start to the season saw The Ravens top the table for several weeks, going unbeaten until the end of September before a number of injuries and suspensions caught up with the team with the loss of key players.     

Manager Neil Smith has had terrible luck with injuries to his small squad so far this campaign, losing the services of Marc-Anthony Okoye who has had to retire due to a knee problem, plus long term casualties in keeper Mark Cousins, Jake Goodman, Jordan Higgs, Adrian Clifton & Reeco Hackett-Fairchild. On top of this George Porter is currently banned for the season and Chris Bush is in the middle of a three game suspension having already missed a match due to five yellow cards earlier in the season.      

The 3-1 defeat at Yeovil was a huge factor in this, with Mark Cousins having to be carried off with a serious shoulder injury early on and Okoye was clearly suffering with his knee.

Smith had to move quickly to bring in keeper Ryan Huddart from Boreham Wood and has also used the loan market to bolster his squad, with Alfie Doughty and Rarmani Edmonds-Green both impressing before returning to their parent clubs and making first team appearances in the Championship.   

Striker Michael Cheek has proved to be the signing of the summer, scoring eleven goals and leading the line as a loan forward in a 4-2-2-1-1 formation. In many games Bromley have set up to soak up pressure and strike on the break, this along with some excellent set piece delivery from Frankie Raymond, Luke Coulson & Chris Bush has seen us notch some impressive victories, including a 5-0 win at home to Halifax and a 2-1 away at Barnet.             

In the cup competitions The Ravens have a home tie with Gillingham in the Kent Senior Cup to look forward to in January, having already exited the FA Cup and Trophy. The 3-0 trophy defeat at Dorking Wanderers is probably best forgotten quickly, while the Cup saw a 4-3 win over Aldershot Town before a replay defeat to Bristol Rovers in the First Round, drawing 1-1 at The Memorial Stadium, before losing by a single early goal at a packed Hayes Lane in the replay. The match shown live on BT Sport saw Smith’s side have two goals disallowed.

Since the FA Cup games, results have been up and down, there have been wins over Sutton Utd and Chesterfield, but a loss to Woking and a draw with Yeovil at home. Barrow have moved to the top of the table and Yeovil Town have also edged past Bromley, but the margins are still tight and if players can return sooner rather than later, or Smith is allowed to add to his squad then they are still well placed to secure a home play off berth if not challenge for the title. 

The busy five match festive period will go a long way to shape the direction of the season, after which there are very few midweek games and only one cup competition to concentrate on, by mid-January The Ravens faithful should have more of an idea of where their team are at.          

Crowds at Hayes Lane are now up around the 2,000 mark for almost every home game, the new stand behind the goal is  always well populated and when Bromley attack the town end, the terrace is packed and buzzing.

Wherever the season ends up, the progress the club has made over the last fifteen years is incredible and if they make the post season games then that would be another historical achievement.