January has been a difficult month for Bromley as they have struggled to find form and slipped from the top of the table down into the play off places in the National League.
Having had an up and down December the new year kicked off with an impressive 3-0 win over Dover Athletic at Hayes Lane in front of a bumper crowd. Any optimism for a push into 2020 was dented, though, by a 2-1 loss away at Notts County the following Saturday. Problems were compounded with defender Chris Bush being sent off for the third time this season.
The Ravens Kent Senior Cup campaign only lasted the one game, when a mix and match side was despatched 2-0 at home to Gillingham, Adam Mekki missing a penalty for The Ravens at 1-0 down. This was to be Mekki’s last game in a Bromley shirt for this season, at least, as he joined Ebbsfleet United on loan until the end of the campaign later that week.
In a busy seven days for the club, winger Reeco Hackett-Fairchild joined League One Portsmouth for what was rumoured to be a record transfer fee received, while coming into Hayes Lane were defender Michael Chambers from Wrexham and winger Corey Whitely on loan from Newport County.
Both players were involved in the next match when third placed Bromley travelled to league leaders Barrow for an evening kick off in front of the BT Sport cameras. Despite creating some good chances Neil Smith’s side lost 2-0 conceding two poor goals, one of which came direct from a corner.
Although conceding the title race, Smith remained upbeat in his post match interview, sighting a response in the final game of the month at home to an in form Barnet. Sadly it wasn’t to be, as another bought of poor defensive errors saw Barnet win 2-1 with goals either side of a superb Josh Rees equaliser. Rees’ form has been one of the few positives of late as he looks to have rediscovered his goal scoring touch so prevalent in his previous spell with Bromley.
Smith’s reaction to the Barnet loss was a lot less complimentary of his players, criticising defensive errors and saying they were shooting themselves in the foot too often. The manager has tried changes in shape, personnel and formation, but hasn’t yet found the formula to re-ignite the challenge at the top of the table.
As January ends The Ravens now sit in fourth with 50 points from 32 games. The play offs are still a realistic goal, but a poor run of two wins in ten games needs to be turned around sooner rather than later.
The next opportunity to do this is a trip to AFC Halifax Town on Saturday 1st February, prior to games with Solihull Moors at home, Stockport County away and then two more home games against Wrexham and Sutton United to end the month.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, the average attendance for Bromley games at Hayes Lane this season is over 2,000, the highest figure since the 1950s, spectator facilities are gradually being added to and if most Bromley fans had been told in July that their team would be sitting fourth at the end of January they would have definitely taken that.