Bromley boss praises Millwall loanee as he plays part in 2-1 win over Chesterfield

BY KAI BENNETT

Bromley boss Andy Woodman praised Millwall loanee Alex Mitchell after their 2-1 win over Chesterfield today.

Michael Cheek gave Bromley the lead in the 19th minute before Chesterfield equalised with 15 minutes remaining. The game looked to be heading for a draw before Ravens defender Joe Kizzi (pictured) popped up with the winner.

The result keeps Bromley ninth and only out of the play-off positions on goal difference.

Woodman told the club’s website: “We were resolute. I was actually a bit disappointed that we didn’t go a few more goals in front in the first half.

“At this stage it’s about getting results on the board and we are still on target for our personal in-house goal, which I’ll tell you about at the end of the season.

“I don’t want to get carried away because they have to come to us in a few weeks and that will be feisty. It was getting a little bit feisty out there today, which I quite like. We haven’t achieved anything yet, so we mustn’t get carried away. We have to keep our feet on the floor and keep churning out these performances. That’s what’s key.

“It’s about the group of us, not individuals. That’s going to be paramount that we stay tight as a group until the end [of the season].

“[Our goals that we scored] were exactly what we have been working on. I’m just disappointed we didn’t get a few more.

“[Chesterfield’s leveller] was a bit gutting. But in a weird way, this team reacts off of setbacks, so I wasn’t actually that disappointed. I was looking forward to the reaction and I said to Kizzi at half time ‘you have too believe you’re going to score at the back stick’ because he had a couple of chances in the first half. I was happy he did that [score the winner] and we had a little chuckle after the match.

“There is going to be a few more bumps and twists and turns. I know that too well being in this business and it’s about how we react too them and you can see how we react every time so it’s good for Bromley.”

Woodman had praise for Ravens stopper Mark Cousins and talked about the importance of sticking together as a group.

“He’s fantastic. Every player out there was accountable for what there role was out there. That’s all I’ve asked of them since I arrived, be accountable for your role in the team and that goes for the ones left out. Liam Trotter was left out today, he’s an experienced player. Frankie Raymond came on the other night and he was left out today.

“We have to keep mixing it up and make sure to keep the players fresh because the games are coming at us thick and fast. It’s a whole group effort and that’s important.”

Bromley signed Mitchell on loan this week.

“He was great,” said Woodman. “He’s a young boy that’s come from U23s football and has probably never experienced anything like what he did today. I’m very very lucky to have a connection with Millwall and Scott Fitzgerald.

“When you get people like that tell you what he’s going to do and he does it, it just cements the relationships and friendships you have in the game that tell you honestly about players. He didn’t disappoint anywhere along the line. He’s a real credit to himself, us, Scott Fitzgerald and the academy at Millwall.”

Woodman stressed the importance of rest as Bromley haven’t got a game on Tuesday for the first time in a while.

“We need to be careful because we’ve been at full tilt since I’ve been here. I’ve demanded a lot of them, I wouldn’t say I’ve changed many things but I’ve upped the tempo and the standard and they’ve bought into it. Now we need to take our foot off the pedal for a day or two and I’ve just said to them ‘if you think the hard work is done, you’re mistaken’. We’ve got a target on our back and we need to go up another level again.

“I’ve been in this situation many times in my career. We aren’t in them yet, we have our foot in the door. Let’s go and ruffle a few feathers and keep ploughing forward with how we are going to go about things.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD