Byron Webster has criticised Bromley for “schoolboy errors” in a 4-1 defeat at MK Dons.
Aaron Collins scored twice either side of Mitch Pinnock’s equaliser in a tight encounter in the opening 62 minutes, before Alex Gilbey’s header and Charlie Goode’s strike sealed a ruthless 4-1 win for MK Dons at Stadium MK.
The result left Bromley two points adrift of safety in 22nd position in League One.
Webster post-match explained to BFC TV that he was angry at the lack of characterisations and boldness in his players, as he felt that the team isn’t capable of climbing mountains once they concede despite Pinnock having got an equaliser on the stroke of half-time from a free kick.
“I want to see character, I want to see bravery and I just… I didn’t see that. Yeah I guess the two, one you should stay at two minimum. You should be pride in not letting you get out of reach. There’s one game in it, one goal in it sorry.
“And it’s not just for Bromley, but a lot of teams are getting beat now, four and three and five when it happens throughout the league. But for me as long as I’m here, it has to change up, it has to be…. If we go behind we’re staying in the game. It is a long 96-98 minutes now.
“And we can’t give ourselves a mountain to climb because we’re not going to do it.”
Collins’ second goal came in the 62nd minute after he dispossessed Omar Sowunmi which sparked a defensive implosion, with no marking of Gilbey’s header and Goode’s sweeping strike on the edge of the box, which left Webster deflated at the lack of basic defending.
“Trying to be positive, we’re still from a shape, we’re still banging on about it all the time. All we have, you can break from the shape. Yeah we’re putting attacking players on but everyone knows how to defend and they all do. It’s not through the want or the will of not trying.
“It’s just schoolboy errors. It really is schoolboy errors. And that happens when you’re in a scrap. The mistakes happen when you get punished especially in this league and as you move up the leagues, that happens. Like the strikers don’t need four to five chances. They need one and they’re punishing.
“We’re at the minute giving them four to five chances and they’re taking more than one.”
Webster proceeded to add that he believed his players gave the Dons easy goals which added to the tally of non-spectacular goals that they’ve conceded this season.
“None of the goals. That was none of the goals. I’d say for a lot of the goals we conceded this year, not many teams have, you’re ‘wow what a strike it is.’ It’s easy goals that we have given up, which is a, you’d rather underscore in screamers.
“But you know they’re a good group. You know they hurt. And I’m glad they hurt, you know. I’d be worried if they didn’t hurt. And we’ll look back at it and we’ll keep going. You know, I’ve always said, I mean, if you’re earlier on, I don’t want to be too high and too low.
“You have to stay level because there’s another game to go. And that’s the way we go again. Do you know what I mean? Like it’s just the way it is. And we’ll pick a team that’s going to go to Wigan and put up a Bromley performance with Bromley attitude and hopefully get a win.”
With a must-win trip to rock-bottom Wigan to come on Saturday 31 October at 3pm after the Latics lost 3-0 at Leicester last night (27 October), Webster’s message at full time was that the players must take responsibility as he reflected on his playing career.
“The messages are, the messages are you have to take some ownership. You have to as an individual, as a player. You know, I’ve said to them and I don’t want to keep going back here. Not long ago, I was a player. And I had a career forever long because I took ownership and I worked hard.
“I wasn’t the best but I worked hard. And I knew what I was good at. And I got people around me to do more work for me. And that’s all the team used to do. Just work hard and get to be together. And from that, you build from that.
“The number of times you do training sessions where you’re a man down, so for instance, there’s seven defenders against 10 attackers for instance and they don’t score. There’s that where’s that togetherness to, we ain’t conceding. And guess what? When you enjoy it?
“If you’re guaranteed in this league, you’re going to defend. They’re going to get into wide areas. You know the teams in this league and the league below and the National League. They don’t think they’re not watching us and trying to find our weaknesses. They are.
“So we are doing the same for them. They’re doing the same for us. So we’re going to defend. We’re going to be under the cosh. And if you’re not happy to do that, you’re in big trouble.”
Webster now wants to see his players stick their heads in the real world and be brutally honest in their opinions and show personality, especially at this stage of the season where a win at Wigan could lift them out of the relegation zone if results elsewhere go in their favour.
“I want people who, as my dad says, put the head above the canopy, be there to be shot at. I can’t take shrinking violence. I want people to have an opinion. I don’t want people to go off of the point of what we want, but have an opinion, speak. Sure. Character. So there’s your character.
“And because it’s still early, it really is still early and it’s a long season and it just takes a couple of results to turn it around. And then everyone’s got a smile on their face and they’re bouncing, which is what I don’t want as well, because I don’t want us to get too high and too low.
“But that has to be, that has to be that burning desire from within.”
Over 200 Bromley supporters made the midweek trip and Webster feels that they deserved more than the performance that they witnessed despite their noise, as he spoke of the need to ensure that they keep coming to enjoy the football rather than just for a day out at new places.
“They did yeah, but we have to give them more. We have to give them something to come to the games. You know I don’t want them to come to MK because of the stadium for instance. I want them to come because they enjoy watching Bromley.
“They’ve enjoyed watching Bromley for a long time and we need to keep doing that, setting standards, so they, like I said, are not just coming for a day out.
“It’s because they like what they see. And as players and staff, we have to do that.”