Bromley boss Andy Woodman calls for his players to believe after 1-1 draw against FC Halifax

BY MOHAMUD AHMED

Bromley’s 1-1 draw with FC Halifax kept them 10th in the National League and four points adrift of the play-off spots.

Michael Cheek gave the Ravens the lead in the second half at Hayes Lane but the away side cancelled out the opening goal just two minutes later through Jamie Cook.

Bromley’s promising start to the first half quickly faltered after Halifax turned up the pressure with Luke Summerfield the standout player in the opening 45 minutes.

A series of shots by Emmanuel Dieseruvwe were unable to find the back of the net as the Shaymen imposed themselves over a struggling Bromley, who were unable to keep the ball.

The second half saw a much-improved Bromley cut through the Halifax defence on multiple occasions with shots by Corey Whitely and Cheek coming from good positions.

Bromley’s efforts were eventually rewarded in the 63rd minute with Cheek’s smart run enabling him to slot it past goalkeeper Tom Smith.

Although the lead lasted just for two minutes. A ball into the box gave Dieseruvwe a free header that hit the bar and Cook was there to head in the rebound and make it 1-1 for the Shaymen.

The away side’s goal did not dampen the momentum of Bromley as they continued to threaten Halifax but the final 25 minutes saw both sides unable to find a goal and take all three points.

Manager Andy Woodman told the South London Press: “It was a better second half and we were between trying to be brave and go for the winner but also not get done. So it creates a little bit of nerves around the place – we’ve got a bit of work to do and we’ve got to be better with our final ball.”

Asked what he said to his players at half-time, the Bromley boss responded: “Just get higher up the pitch. Towards the end of the first half we started to drop off and let them run at us. We should have stayed brave and that means being higher up the pitch and that allows us to put more pressure on them.”

Woodman also spoke about the run of form which leaves the Ravens without a win in six matches. He said: “The real problem is that we haven’t defended set-pieces well and then there’s been games where we should have killed teams off. This all creates nerves around the place, but we’ll be okay and we won’t be the only team that goes through this.

“There’s a lot of football to be played, a lot of football to be played. Everyone is beating everyone, and it makes the league exciting. We’ve only got to put a couple of results back together and we are straight back up there.

“We’ve just got to become more streetwise, smarter and a bit craftier in certain moments.”

Asked about the possibility of the play-offs and if reaching them was realistic, Woodman said: “One-hundred per cent. We’ve got to believe and to be more positive, Michael Cheek scored today, and we’ve got something to build on.”

Bromley travel to Dorking Wanderers next weekend.

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD