Andy Woodman believes that Bromley’s 2-1 comeback win over Shrewsbury is “a pivotal moment” in their promotion challenge.
Kyle Cameron netted a 49th-minute winner albeit via a deflection from Shrewsbury’s Tom Anderson to settle a competitive encounter, in which Anderson had set up the Shrews’ opening goal from Bradley Ihionvien which was cancelled out by Marcus Ifill’s equaliser for the Ravens.
The result left Bromley sat seven points clear of MK Dons and Notts County at the top of League Two and just four points away from mathematically securing promotion.
Woodman consequently felt that the comeback victory marked a key point in Bromley’s campaign as he spoke to the club’s YouTube channel post-match, but iterated that there needs to be continued composure with promotion not yet secured.
“Very important three points to be honest. And then even more so that point away at Saturday becomes a really good point, you know, and um with the results going as they went, you know, on uh, Monday, I felt this was a pivotal moment for us today. We’re not mathematically there.
“Uh and we’re never there until we’re there because I’ve been around football for a very long time, but that was a real big moment today because if I’m one of those other clubs watching us, I know how I’d be feeling, you know, particularly after they had gone 1-0 up.
“So, uh, yeah, that’s a good victory for us and credit to my team.”
Woodman however felt that Ihionvien’s opener was “sloppy” and exposed “naivety” within his defence but was pleased with how his team responded to get the win from behind, as he vowed to take heart from the positive points of the performance.
“If anything, I’m going to take the positives out of that. And it just showed everyone keeps saying about we’re nervous, we’re this, for that. I’ve always showed that we’ve got a bit of uh a bit of belief and a bit of character that we have to just remind everyone about here, you know.
“Um this team never gives up, never shies away from any challenge, never gets down when things ain’t going well. And credit to every one of those players in there.”
Woodman pre-match confirmed to Sky Sports that Michael Cheek is ruled out for the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury, but praised Ifill and Cameron for stepping up to chip in with goals whilst Nicke Kabamba has to fill Cheek’s role in the team’s tactics.
“Absolutely. You know we’ve lost our talisman, Cheeky, Nicke is doing unbelievable up there. He’s holding the line working the line and doing so much craft up there for us. And it’s then tough for Nicke you know because he’s up on his own to then get the moment to score.
“It’s very tough but the other boys are chipping in and this is what we got to do and this smells of promotion.
“You know, I’ve been around teams that have done this. Hard to beat. Clean sheets. Not tonight, but clean sheets we’ve had and I’ve been around this for a long time and I’ve got a group of players in there. There’s no celebrations in there, by the way. That the guys are just sitting in there and like, right, let’s get ready for Saturday.
“They’re a unique bunch of boys and I am so proud and everyone in Bromley should be absolutely banging the drum for those lads in there.”
Bromley limited Shrewsbury’s opportunities in the second half although Grant Smith did have to make a late save to deny Isaac England, with Woodman pleased at their off-the-ball defensive craft and game management to see out the win.
“Yeah, I think so. I think, you know, you have to do that side of the game. We’ve done that side of the game really well for many years. Um, I think that’s probably been our strength. Um, but I thought there were other moments in the game today. You know, our set pieces were good, which everyone thinks that’s all we are.
“I thought there was some good management of the game towards the end. So there was a lot of bits of the game that I thought were positive that people might not have always seen. You know, we managed the game in certain areas and then kept the ball at the right times.
“Um, but all of that aside, it’s just about the points at this stage, you know, so I’m glad we got the three points and on the back of the weekend.
Bromley now face a huge top-of-table showdown away at MK Dons on Saturday 11 April in a 12:30pm BST kick-off at Stadium MK, and the 54-year-old manager is relishing that clash as he vowed that his team will stay focused on themselves as they close in on promotion.
“Yeah, I mean, look, we’re top of the table. So um we’re looking forward to it and we’ll go there ready to go and we’ve got a bit of breathing space, haven’t we? You know, I think we just got to keep concentrating on us. MK Dons, Salford, Cambridge United and Walsall, you know, we just got to keep worrying about us and that’s all we’ve done all year.”
4,780 spectators were in attendance at the Copperjax Stadium with Woodman excited to see the continuous growth in the stands, as he quipped that he would be buying his season ticket for next season when they go on sale in the coming weeks.
“Look, this place is growing every game. This place is growing away from home. This place is growing away at home. It’s feeling like a proper football club now. And um if I was a prominently person, I’d be buying my season ticket ready for next year because this place is going to be packed.”
Leave a Reply