As the 2023-24 National League Play-Off Final between Bromley and Solihull Moors draws near, here are three reasons to tune in.
Bromley will meet Solihull Moors at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 5 May at 3pm to earn the right to play in League 2 next season, with the match broadcast live on TNT Sports 2 in the UK.
You therefore can be forgiven for thinking that there isn’t really much to this showpiece match but there is plenty of exciting talking points attached to this game, so here are three reasons to tune in for the 2023-24 National League Play-Off Final.
History Beckons
Come full-time at Wembley on Sunday, history will of been made for either Bromley or Solihull Moors as both teams chase a first promotion to League 2 – the fourth tier of English football.
Since their promotion to the fifth-tier nine years ago, Bromley established themselves as a club who steadily rose from mid-table fodder to a promotion-challenging team and fell short of reaching this stage for the first time last season in a heart-breaking semi-final epic at Chesterfield.
Solihull Moors fell short of achieving promotion to the EFL in 2022 after they lost the 2021-22 Play-Off Final to Grimsby at the London Stadium, following a 2-1 defeat upon completion of extra time so will have motivation to avoid a second heart-break in three seasons.
James Clarke, Callum Maycock and Joe Sbarra all started in that loss so those three in particular will know what this match means for Moors fans.
Tactical Balance
This Play-Off Final is finely poised in a tactical balance with no clear favourite which should make for an edgy but enjoyable contest for neutral fans, yet a nervy affair for supporters of both clubs.
Out of the five teams who featured in the play-offs following Gateshead’s omission, Bromley and Solihull Moors had the third and second-lowest number goals at the end of the regular season – with Bromley managing 73 goals to Moors’ 71 goals.
Those numbers clearly show that there isn’t a lot in it between both clubs from an attacking perspective, meaning that the game could well boil down to those fine end product margins on the day in terms of attack.
Bromley however had the second-best defence in the division with just 49 goals conceded and a goal difference of +24, suggesting that they could well be the tougher to break down compared to Solihull Moors – who have conceded 62 goals which gave them a +9 goal difference.
Tactics therefore are surely bound to play a part especially in a showpiece involving two teams who met twice last month at Bromley’s ground – in which Moors won 2-1 in the FA Trophy before Bromley extracted revenge with a 3-0 league win a week later.
Experience vs Inexperience
This Play-Off Final also has the additional spice on the dugout of experience vs inexperience as Bromley’s Andy Woodman look to outclass Moors’ Andy Whing.
Woodman became Bromley manager in March 2021 after quitting as Arsenal’s Head of Goalkeeping and led the Ravens to the play-offs barely a month later, before he went on to guide them to FA Trophy success at Wembley the following season.
Bromley has since gone from strength to strength under his watch and with a now solid blend of youth and experience in his squad, there has to be a feeling that Woodman has the tactical nous to get his Ravens to promotion after three full seasons in charge.
The 52 year-old also is close friends with England manager – Gareth Southgate and has also learned under other top managers like Arsene Wenger and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal which could give him a edge for this sort of grand occasion.
Whing meanwhile has only just been appointed Moors manager at the start of this season and has already guided his team to two Wembley appearances in his first campaign in charge – with the FA Trophy to come next weekend.
The 39 year-old however has never went to Wembley as a player meaning that this will be his first time at the national stadium as part of a team, which will add a psychological edge as he looks to take Moors to promotion in his maiden appearance at Wembley.
Either way, this play-off final has the hallmarks to be an epic encounter with plenty of talking points before kick-off.
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