Pre-Season Preview: Bromley vs Crystal Palace

The following season, a brace from the now Cambridge United winger Sully Kaikai was enough to secure a win for the Eagles in a much narrower 2-1 victory. 

That was the last time Palace fielded a near-full-strength side at Hayes Lane, as the introduction of a 4G surface in 2017 prompted a rethink. With Premier League survival in mind, the Eagles decided that the artificial turf was too much of an injury risk for their expensive stars.

But times change.

Today, Bromley are back on grass and are about to embark on their first season in League One. With their stock at an all-time high, the reigning League Two champions will welcome the reigning UEFA Conference League champions to BR2 for a fresh first-team face-off. If the Eagles name as strong a side as expected, the fixture promises to be the Ravens’ toughest test of the summer.

So far in pre-season, Bromley have encountered Sporting Lisbon B and West Bromwich Albion, losing 3-1 and 4-1 respectively during their warm-weather training camp in Portugal. As ever, results aren’t particularly important at this stage. The main focus is on building fitness and integrating the club’s raft of new signings.

With the two teams being so geographically close to one another, many players and staff have represented both clubs in one way or another, Andy Woodman among them. 

Perhaps the biggest success story in recent years was loanee Danny Imray, who won Bromley’s 24/25 Young Player of the Season award after setting League Two alight with his tenacity and unpredictable dribbling. Imray is still spoken of in glowing terms in BR2, with even Andy Woodman reflecting on his performances during a Q&A session at the club’s recent open training session.

Now 22 years old, Imray may well feature for Crystal Palace this weekend at right wing-back, although it isn’t clear how many minutes he can expect. In Palace’s 5-1 win over Swindon Town last week, Imray played for 20 minutes as he rotated with Rio Cardines and Tayo Adaramola. In that game, Eddie Nketiah scored the opening two goals, while Brazilian forward Matheus Franca racked up a second-half hat-trick.

It will feel strange to see Danny back in red and blue, but should he grace the field once more and perform his trademark drives down the wing, cherished memories will inevitably come flooding back for Bromley fans. 

The Eagles’ domestic and European successes have begun to translate to international football. Twelve Palace players participated in this summer’s World Cup, including winger Yeremy Pino, who lifted the trophy with Spain, becoming the club’s first active player to win international football’s biggest prize. 

Pino wasn’t alone in his success. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was part of an England team that finished third, making his sole appearance in the third-place play-off, while Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta helped France reach the semi-final. 

None of the above will feature in this weekend’s friendly, as FIFA have a mandatory three-week post-tournament rest period to support player welfare. That guideline also means quarter-finalists Chadi Riad (Morocco) and Jorgen Strand-Larsen (Norway) are unlikely to be available.

Internationals aside, a Palace talent to watch is 17-year-old academy star Joel Drakes-Thomas, whose quick feet and ability to weave past opponents will pose a tricky challenge for Bromley’s defence.

Another one to watch is 26-year-old Cheick Doucouré. Signed from Lens in 2022, the ball-winning midfielder is primed to play regular football again after a horrible sequence of injuries. The Malian international has spent 18 months on the sideline after first rupturing his Achilles tendon, then tearing his meniscus, and finally snapping his ACL. Surely his luck has to change?

In addition, assuming he is selected, it will be interesting to see how new signing Oscar Mingueza fares. The ex-Barcelona and Celta Vigo man is new to English football, and a trip to Hayes Lane may come as something of a culture shock.

Bromley fans, meanwhile, will have their eyes firmly fixed on Andy Woodman’s seven summer signings, most of whom were announced during a frantic 72-hour period. 

Victor Adeboyejo is the most recent name on the squad list, and he tucked away a penalty against West Brom in the Ravens’ final friendly in Portugal.

It will also be interesting to see whether Grant Smith has recovered from the injury that forced him off the field against West Brom. If not, new goalkeeper Shamal George could be in line to replace him. There is similar uncertainty at Crystal Palace, with star midfielder Adam Wharton suffering an ankle knock that ruled him out against Swindon. Will he return on Saturday?

Oliver Glasner departed this summer to join Nottingham Forest, a move that many Palace fans consider legacy-tarnishing, so the Eagles have a new gaffer in Frenchman Pierre Sage.

Sage guided RC Lens to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season and claimed the Coupe De France, so he arrives with Gallic pedigree. His tactical outlook is also similar to Glasner’s, favouring a 3-4-2-1 formation that encourages aggressive counter-pressing and direct (yet slightly wider) attacks. 

It is assumed that both teams will field two separate ‘XIs’ in each half, but the Ravens may also blood some trialists in the fixture. Former Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Fulham midfielder Joshua Onomah was spotted at the recent open training session, alongside former Crystal Palace left-back Nathan Ferguson. If they are still training with Bromley, they may get some minutes.

It will also be interesting to see if Woodman also experiments with introducing some of his younger players in this game. He recently spoke very highly of the youngsters who joined Bromley on their pre-season training camp in Portugal. Have they done enough to earn themselves a place in this fixture?

We’ll find out this Saturday at an un-segregated Hayes Lane.