We want to play a winning brand of football, says Bromley coach Neil Smith

BROMLEY coach Neil Smith says the club are giving their boomerang players the benefit of the doubt.



The Ravens opened their pre-season campaign with a 3-2 defeat at home to League One side Crawley Town at the weekend, but they came away from Kent League side Beckenham Town with a comfortable 5-1 win last night.

Welsh striker Gareth Williams gave the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South side an early lead, before Albert Jarrett was forced off with an injury to his right knee and substitute Aaron Rhule came on and scored with his first touch, a header from a corner.

Manager Mark Goldberg made five changes at the interval and substitute striker Warren McBean, who is bidding to return to Hayes Lane for the fourth time, hence the term boomerang, netted two and fellow substitute Pierre Joseph-Dubois also scored.

Beckenham Town scored a late consolation goal through their summer signing from Chipstead, midfielder Alex Wilks, to take the shine of Bromley’s highest victory since they beat Thurrock 6-3 on the final day of the 2009-2010 Conference South campaign.

Bromley took a seventeen-man squad to Eden Park Avenue last night and apart from goalkeeper George Howard, who has been released by Charlton Athletic, and right-back Sanchez Ming, who has signed a one-year contract following his move from Dulwich Hamlet, Tony Finn, Ali Chaaban, McBean and Bradley Goldberg, have all played for the club before.

Smith, 40, said: “We’ve highlighted where we need to strengthen or where we need cover. We’ve given people a chance again.  Nothing’s guaranteed at the moment on these players.  We’ve given them the benefit of the doubt to prove themselves but if it’s not the right thing then there’s other players’ that we’ll be looking at.

“There could be new faces that could be faces coming in, faces not being here, but that’s something that we’ll talk to the boys nearer the time. 

“We’re giving everybody a chance and I think you can see in the last two games that everybody wants to be here.”

Bromley continue their pre-season preparation with a game against tenants Cray Wanderers to contest the Bert Durling Trophy at Hayes Lane on Saturday.

Ian Jenkins’ side began pre-season with a 3-2 defeat at Beckenham Town and last night a goal from Williams Peauroux scraped a 1-0 win over Kent Invicta League side Seven Acre & Sidcup, whose home ground is Oxford Road, Sidcup – the Wands former home.

When asked how pre-season has gone so far, Smith replied, “Touch wood (the Beckenham clubhouse), it’s gone ok. We’ve only had one problem with Albert Jarrett’s (knee injury).  Hopefully we can get him sorted out.

“We’ve still got a long, long way to go.  We’re not going to take this result and say we’re there.  We’re going to come in on Thursday.  We’ve got to work hard again.

“We’ve got a game on Saturday.  We’ve got a hard week the following week in terms of training, putting them through it.”

Cray Wanderers have two more years left on their lease at Hayes Lane and according to sources it will not be renewed.

Smith, though, is looking forward to the spicy game.

He said: “Again, we’ll look at it on both sides. They’re sharing the ground so a bit of pride’s there so we do want to win obviously.  They want to win and put one over the landlords as such.

“We’ve got to go in with the same attitude, the same desire. It’s only a pre-season game in terms of we don’t want to come off with any injuries. That’s a plus for us. Obviously we want that win as well.”

Howard, Ming, Moses Swaibu, Liam Harwood and Danny Waldren got through the entire 90 minutes last night and Smith will up the fitness levels of other players ahead of their Blue Square Bet South opener against Staines Town at Hayes Lane on 18 August.

“The last three games (against Margate, Hastings and Gillingham) we’ll be looking at players playing the full 90 minutes), he said.

“The good thing is out of the 17 today, five of them have played 90 minutes now so there’s only a few more to go.

“What we will do we’ll come in on Thursday and the ones that played (the whole 90 minutes) will have an easier session than the ones who didn’t so they’re getting their fitness levels up.”

Smith would like a performance like the one against Beckenham against the Wands to lift the supporters’ gloom from last season.

Bromley finished a miserable campaign in seventeenth-place last season, just beating the drop by two points in the penultimate game of the season.

“It does help if you can get some results and get some performances and know you want to get everything right leading up to that Staines game,” said Smith.

“We know what we’re looking for in pre-season. We’re getting it at the moment but we’ve got a long, long way to go and our sole target is Staines on the first game of the season.”

Smith added: “We’re looking to play a brand of football but obviously a brand of football that’s all about winning.  If we can do it by passing and moving then so be it.

“It’s all about the League I’m afraid.  We want to give them (our fans) expectations. We want to give them that optimism because we believe in ourselves as coaches and as players and hope long may it continue.

“It was a very down season last year. A lot of people were very unhappy and hopefully we can turn that round and get that support behind us and really give us a cheer and push us on for the new season.”

Admission charges for this game have been reduced to £10 (adults) and £5 (concessions).

Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.net

Bromley  v  Cray Wanderers
Pre-Season Friendly
Saturday 21^st July 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF