Bromley begin their National League Campaign on Saturday afternoon with a tough home game against familiar foes in the shape of Eastleigh.
The two sides spent several years competing against each other in Conference South and Eastleigh pipped The Ravens to the title in 2013/14, with the Hayes Lane side winning promotion the following season.
The Spitfires not only have former Bromley favourite Sam Wood in their ranks, but they also signed Ben Williamson on Wednesday, after the striker had spent most of pre-season with The Ravens, scoring the winner against Crystal Palace last weekend before opting for life with the Hampshire side.
Manager Neil Smith has been busy this summer with only seven of last season’s Bromley squad remaining for this campaign, he is still one short of the eighteen man squad he set out to build and may well still be looking to bring in a striker with Williamson choosing not to sign and George Porter suspended after his red card against Palace. The Ravens did add former academy player Kristian Campbell to the playing staff this week, the defender impressing with his form in the friendlies.
Last season Eastleigh completed the double over Bromley winning 5-0 at Hayes Lane in August and 2-1 at The Silverlake on Easter Monday, over all through they had a difficult season with managerial changes and intermittent form. In the last campaign Bromley finished an impressive tenth, while Eastleigh were a surprisingly low fifteenth.
Manager Chris Todd will be looking to get the side back up competing for the play offs this time round and will have been frustrated that they had to cancel home pre-season games due to the poor state of their pitch.
There will be no concerns about the playing surface at Hayes Lane on Saturday with the newly laid 3G pitch receiving favourable reports after it was opened for the Crystal Palace game last weekend and it should suit the pacey squad Smith has assembled for Bromley’s third National League season, one they will hope is fitting for the club’s 125th anniversary.