The lowdown on Bromley 2 Salford City 3 – Simple mistakes cost Ravens at Hayes Lane

Bromley suffered a self-inflicted loss to Salford as silly errors cancelled out an early lead, making it four games without a win in League Two for the Ravens.

Here is Mitchell Hall’s lowdown on the match:

THE LINE UPS

Bromley: Smith, Mayor (Odutayo 70), Webster, Sowunmi, Grant (McKirdy 60), Thompson (Kabamba 70), Arthurs (Charles 70), Congreve (Ilunga 60), Whitely, Imray, Cheek. Subs not used: Long, Elerewe, Dennis.

Salford: Long, Garbutt, Tilt, Shepherd, N’Mai, Fornah (Longelo 80), Ashley, Mnoga, Woodburn (Lund 65) Adelakun, Stockton. Subs not used: Jones, Edwards, Taylor, Warrington, Wright.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

Bromley flew out of the gates early in the contest, as in the eighth minute Jude Arthurs flicked on an Adam Mayor cross, which then deflected off Ossama Ashley and into the net for an own goal. The Ravens would throw away this bit of fortune eight minutes later, as Cameron Congreve tried to be too cute with a ball roll under pressure in the middle of the pitch. He miscalculated it and allowed the ball to roll under his foot, where Ashley met it to play a wide-open through ball to Stockton, who was left with an easy finish. It felt a bit too easy for Salford again as they carved Bromley’s defensive line open in the 28th minute, with Haji Mnoga eventually rolling a ball across the six-yard box to hand Kelly N’mai a tap-in for the lead.

Bromley’s start to the second period was not as assured as the first, as they appeared to rush their build-up and misplace simple passes. Salford capitalised on the nerves just after the 60th minute mark, finding Stockton in far too much space, before he slammed home despite Grant Smith’s attempts to push it away. Bromley talisman Michael Cheek provided a lifeline with a classy side-footed volley from the centre of the penalty area, but after some frantic final attacks and eight additional minutes, the match ended 3-2 to Salford.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Bromley made four changes from their loss to Carlisle last Saturday, with a focus on rebuilding some defensive stability. Omar Sowunmi replaced Deji Elerewe in defence, with Kamarl Grant brought in at right back to allow Corey Whitely to move further up the pitch. Danny Imray made his first start in seven games on the right wing as Harry McKirdy dropped to the bench, despite scoring in his last game. Cameron Congreve was also introduced in the forward line.

Bromley sat off Salford’s defensive line when pout of possession, but pounced once the ball was played into midfield areas, with Arthurs and Whitely attempting to overwhelm their opponents to win the ball and launch a quick counter through their wide men. Imray especially became a key outlet on the right side thanks to his pace and ball carrying ability, though he lacked the final pass when chances came.

STAR MAN

Corey Whitely. In what was a lacklustre team performance, Whitely still managed to stand out as Bromley’s best player. The 33-year-old covered every blade of grass as usual, and refused to let his head drop, regularly chipping in with the defensive line before breaking away and following the counter attack all the way up the pitch. His fitness only further highlighted the relaxed approach of some of his teammates as he battled through to the last of eight minutes of added time.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

Bromley’s comfortable start was ripped away by Salford’s quick equaliser, but that goal came through just one of a slew of silly decisions that ended up playing the side into trouble. Congreve was the worst offender, with his botched skill creating Salford’s equaliser amidst a series of moments where he just tried to do too much. Kamarl Grant and Danny Imray each had their own lapses as well. They cannot be blamed for trying something audacious in a game that featured so little creativity, but to do so in your own defensive third is something else.

TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

Today’s game marks four years to the day since manager Andy Woodman first took charge at Hayes Lane in the National League. Since then he has led the club to the EFL for the first time in its history and has enjoyed a stellar first season in League Two. Bromley’s brief dreams of the play-offs feel very distant now as they drop into the bottom half of the table, but the fact that the narrative had legs for even a short spell is a testament to the job that Woodman has done at the club.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY

“It was a really good performance, we just made three errors, and they punished us for those errors. Our problem is that we look a bit vulnerable at the back, and I cannot really blame the lads at the back today because the mistakes were in front of them and left them wide open. We need to address that, and we will address that.”