Following Tuesday evening’s 3-1 defeat against Eastleigh, The Shots stage their final home match of the season on Saturday against Bromley FC. Home supporters are allowed into the game, but must purchase tickets by midday on Friday.
In association with LV BET, Rob Worrall previews the game:
Shots Squad:
Shots’ boss Danny Searle is likely to be without the services of top scorer Josh Rees, Alex Finney and Ross McCormack who are at varying stages of recovery from their injuries.
Opposition:
Name: Bromley FC
Founded: 1892
Nickname: The Ravens
Manager: Andy Woodman
Stadium: Hayes Lane
2019/20 National League position: 13th
Current National League Position: 8th
Brief History:
Bromley Football Club was founded in 1892, switching between the Kent, London, Spartan, Athenian and Isthmian League before settling in the latter in 1952. They’ve won three FA Amateur Cups and were Isthmian League winners on four occasions, whilst their promotion via the Play-Offs in 2007 started a run of eight seasons in Conference South. On six consecutive occasions, they ended the season between 11th and 17th before a third-place finish in 2013-14 (losing to Ebbsfleet United in the Play-Off semi-final) and the National League South title twelve months later. The Ravens finished 14th with sixty points in their first campaign at a national level and have never finished lower than 13th since.
The Gaffer:
Following the surprise sacking of former Ravens Manager Neil Smith two months ago, with the Ravens sat in the final play-off spot, Andy Woodman was appointed Bromley FC Manager on 31st March 2021. 49-year-old Woodman has 15 years of coaching experience, mainly in the Premier League. A former player, Woodman appeared for the likes of Crystal Palace, Brentford, Southend United and Colchester United. His Coaching journey began in 2006 with Rushden & Diamonds, where he was Assistant Manager. Re-uniting with former teammate Alan Pardew, he then became a Coach at Crystal Palace. Most recently, Woodman has been head of Goalkeeping at Arsenal, a position he had held since 2018.
Playing Squad:
Woodman inherited a strong squad that was already pushing for the play-offs under Smith. They boast the National League’s top scorer in Michael Cheek – who is the only current player at this level to have scored double figures in goals for his club across the last four seasons, with spells at Ebbsfleet United, Dagenham & Redbridge and at Hayes Lane. Other key players include former Barnet Goalkeeper Mark Cousins, free-scoring Right Back Joe Kizzi (six goals this season to date). Other familiar names still at Bromley include; Chris Bush, Jack Holland, Frankie Raymond and Luke Coulson. More recent signings include Alex Mitchell, a 19-year old Defender from Millwall and midfielder Tate Campbell (Birmingham), both in on loan deals to the end of this season.
Referee:
Saturday’s referee is Scott Jackson, who refereed 17 National League matches last season, showing 65 Yellow Cards and 2 Red Cards. Jackson last refereed Aldershot Town in April’s 2-1 home defeat to Stockport County.
Match Coverage:
The match will be ‘live-streamed’ and available on ‘Shots TV Live’ HERE with Presenter Mark Butler and Special Guests, with commentary from Rob Worrall and Steve Gibbs. BBC Radio Surrey Sport will also broadcast the game live ‘online’ on Saturday afternoon. Tune in to the BBC Sport website (or the BBC Sport App) from 2:50pm for full match commentary. To interact, tweet @RobShot66
