In Review: Harrogate Town 0 - 0 Bromley

My pre-game conversations all shared the same sense of anxiety. A team fighting for next year’s mortgage payments versus a team that had looked leggy and unimaginative earlier in the week. While Bromley needed a win, realistically, we all agreed we would take a point. And that’s what we got.

The heartening news was that Swindon and Salford both fell over, denting their chances of knocking the Ravens off their perch at the top of League Two. The fate of Andy Woodman’s side remains firmly in their own hands.

Join me in Machel’s absence as I take a look at The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from Bromley’s 0-0 draw away at Harrogate Town.

Formation: 4231

Grant Smith

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Marcus Ifill

Omar Sowunmi

Jesse Debrah

Idris Odutayo

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Ashley Charles

Jude Arthurs

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Corey Whitely

Ben Krauhaus

Mitchell Pinnock 

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Michael Cheek 

Harrogate played with a hunger and desire that was reminiscent of Bromley at their best. Does that mean Bromley didn’t want the win? Absolutely not. The thing about DNA is that it is embedded, meaning it doesn’t go away, even if you’re feeling a bit tired. Jude Arthurs is Bromley’s DNA in human form, and he reaffirmed that during one Harrogate attack, where he managed not one, not two, but three blocks. 

Execution was a problem to varying degrees all over the pitch, but what I saw was a squad still busting a gut to harry opponents, make runs, and throw themselves into blocks to save Grant Smith from having to pull off more worldies. If you weren’t there, rest assured: There was no lack of desire or effort from the boys in blue. 

In other news, it was great to see Omar back in the starting eleven as his presence in both boxes adds to what has made the team great this year. Keeping a clean sheet in his first outing alongside Jesse Debrah seems like a good omen for their partnership.

I am still clinging to Mash’s ‘six more wins’ mantra, but now have a new one courtesy of Joe, who I stood alongside at Harrogate. He reckons seven more clean sheets should see us right for automatic promotion. You can see the logic (and hear the gaffer agreeing). How often have we heard that defences win championships?

I left the ground with the impression that we simply hadn’t created enough chances. Ben Thompson looked like a livewire when he came on as a finisher and had more success than most in making Harrogate’s defence look fallible. We did manage to get some decent crosses into the box, with Mitch Pinnock, Corey Whitely, and Carl Jenkinson all supplying decent deliveries. Even so, Bromley rarely managed to get on the end of those crosses, although Nicke Kabamba came agonisingly close to a headed goal.

In the first half of the season, and this may be absence making the heart grow fonder, I recall Deji carrying the ball into the attacking half once or twice a game, which pulled defences out of shape and made space for our front men. This is something Bromley have been missing for the past few weeks. Would it be asking too much of our remaining centre-backs to take up the mantle?

Having watched the highlights, offering a better view of the action, it seems Bromley did have a few half-chances which, on another day, might have snuck in. So was my initial reaction flawed?

Given Bromley’s success of late, I have to wonder if the expectation of victory is skewing our perception of the quality of the boys’ performance. In this game, they were a moment of luck or quality away from three points. But then, potentially, so were Harrogate.

Poor Marcus Ifill. Anyone who has recently faced Jodi Jones should be allowed a bit of time off to recover, but he went straight from being tortured by Notts County’s class wide man to another very tough night on Tuesday against Cheltenham. Perhaps as a result, at Harrogate on Saturday, he looked wracked by uncertainty and seemed to be struggling to decide which of the left-sided runners to pick up. 

Given Ifill’s relative inexperience and his ongoing transition from attacker to defender, you can understand why opposition managers might look to strength-test our right-back area. Several teams have done that lately, and Harrogate were no exception, giving the youngster a torrid time in the first half. Andy Woodman decided to take him out of the firing line at half-time, replacing him with Carl Jenkinson. It was the right call.

I won’t jump on Marcus as I think he’s done amazingly well this season, but maybe it’s time to give the guy a short break. Assuming he’s fit, I’d personally love to see Lakyle Samuel slot in. On his few appearances this season, he has shown fantastic positioning and anticipation. No wonder he is rated so highly by the England set-up.

Grant Smith 7

Marcus Ifill 4

Omar Sowunmi 7

Jesse Debrah 6

Idris Odutayo 6

Ashley Charles 6

Mitch Pinnock 7

Jude Arthurs 7

Ben Krauhaus 6

Corey Whiteley 6

Michael Cheek 6

Subs:

Carl Jenkinson for Marcus Ifill 46' (6)

Ben Thompson for Idris Odutayo 71' (7)

Nicke Kabamba for Ben Krauhaus 60' (7)