Bromley v Rovers

[Boz]

So after a two-week break, in which there has been little progress in player recruitment, Rovers head to Hayes Lane for the game with Bromley. The hosts midweek game was called off with a frozen pitch, but seem fairly confident this one will go ahead.

Bromley after a slide down the table, which started with their defeat at Prenton Park, have steadied in their last few games. While NL top scorer Moses Emmanuel is tipped to move on during the transfer window, he hasn't left yet. Ex-Rover, Ben Chorley also plays for them.

Norwood is fit and presumably will start instead of the departed Tomlinson. Otherwise wouldn't anticipate many changes from the side who came back from the dead against Barrow. I'd like to see Jake Kirby feature at some point in the game, but he's unlikely to start.

It's a hard game to call. A draw seems the most likely outcome.

 

[Ian]

I agree Boz, a draw seems most likely. Having a week off isn't ideal even with all that hard work on the training pitch. I wasn't that impressed with Bromley but you just don't know what side will come out so a draw for me is a safe bet.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Bromley's form has been pretty poor ever since their heavy defeat at Prenton Park and this is a game we have to win if we want to challenge for the play-offs. I am hopeful of a Rovers victory in front of a healthy away turnout of around 400.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

We now have a run of another four matches against teams in the bottom half. This is a match we need to win to keep the momentum going and give us any chance of moving up the table. Draws are not much use at this stage. Although we seem to be well placed at eighth, a few teams below us have games in hand. Even if we start winning every game, it would be a while before we got back into the play-off zone.

A combination of my optimistic nature and a gut feel says we might sneak it by the odd goal.

 

[Sparky]

Who knows how we'll do. Sadly both Mangan and Margetts who scored at home v Bromley (the latter with a poachers double if I remember rightly), won't be playing....

 

[bigmart]

Im hoping for a win but think more likely a draw 1 1

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

By the way, are Liverpool the new Tranmere?

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Another win and our first double of the season. It seemed like a hard fought, well earned win with enough chances to have settled it well before the end, but I look forward to the reports. Macclesfield lost and Woking drew, so although we are still eighth, we are slightly better placed.

 

[Sparky]

A very important win. From seeing the stats afte 70 mins I was disappointed we were only 1-0 up. Especially when a certain Andy mangan scored again for the shrews.

But a win is a win and credit to the side for a clean sheet. The system we have does I think suits us more away from home. Just need to follow it up next week at home.

 

[Boz]

Listened to the last 15 minutes or so on Wirral radio. It sounded like that we were doing the old Rovers trick and sitting back too deeply, also a slightly odd substition replacing Mekki with GTF, when for once a like-for-like replacement of Kirby would have made more sense.

As Sparky says, the win is the main thing. Our play-off place rivals didn't have good days. Also it sounds like an excellent turnout from the SWA of around 400, they were in good voice during the radio commentary.

 

[bigmart]

A very good turn out of 401 today and another win making it 4 out of the last 5, we are catching up on the play off places and will put pressure on other teams around us. Two winnable home games coming up now so chance to make up more points un the top 5

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Delighted with the performance today, the best we have played in some time. Completely outplayed a poor Bromley side for seventy five minutes. The only concern is we again could not convert our dominance into goals. But confidence is clearly growing.

 

[Cowshed Kid]

Terrific result.
If we followed any other team we'd be looking forward to two very winnable home games to come.
But....we don't...we follow Rovers.
Keeping my expectations low helps to limit my misery when it all goes t*** up.
Surely though, this time, I'm entitled to feel confident?

 

[Boz]

Cowshed Kid, while I'm fairly hopeful we'll beat Torquay, less confident about the local derby with Southport who have been in decent form since changing their manager.

 

[Cowshed Kid]

Boz, like many others I was pointing the finger at Southport as an example of what can happen when you change manager.
Fair do's to them. Good run of form.
Just hope their bubble bursts before Brabins's does!
Great for both teams and supporters that it's shifted to the Saturday.
Lived in Southport for a short while, some time ago. There was a major fire to main stand. Not guilty!

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Just to elaborate, it was an excellent display and everybody played well. We started the game very brightly, getting Bromley on the back foot, and did not really relinquish our grip until the final twenty minutes.

The key to the victory was the performance of the midfield. Some of our passing moves and interplay were excellent and Bromley could not match us in possession of the ball: in truth, we looked at least a couple of divisions better than them. Harris was at his best and Jennings did ok, but I think Jeff Hughes has been crucial to our recent improvement. His quality on the ball and awareness of others around him was really noticeable today. Man of the match, however, was Lee Vaughan, who put in his best performance for us, constantly raiding down the right hand side and scoring a great goal.

As I said earlier, all that was missing was further goals, and our profligacy still concerns me. I don't want to harp on, but a 'fox in the box' like Mangan would have scored two or three today. There were numerous occasions when the ball was pinging around in the eighteen yard box but we could not apply a finish. We can't hope to win every game one nil and if we don't bring in another goalscorer I think we may still struggle to make the play-offs. In the closing stages of the game today we did sit too deep, but we should have been out of sight by that stage. I am certainly not convinced that a strapping number nine is what we need, as all our best displays this season have come when we have played through midfield.

The travelling SWA gave great vocal support throughout and there was much more of a rapport with the players than in previous games. It was good to see GB celebrating the victory with the Rovers fans at the end, but I think he would do well to acknowledge the away supporters after disappointing defeats as well.

We just need to turn round our home form now and six points from the next two games are certainly required: starting with a similar tempo to today's game will certainly help. Onwards and upwards.

 

[Ian]

We just need to turn round our home form now and six points from the next two games are certainly required: starting with a similar tempo to today's game will certainly help. Onwards and upwards.

This is crucial to how our season pans out now. Great win today and we know it's our awful home form that is letting us down. Should be interesting to see how the next two games work out.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Has anyone else noticed that after Lee Vaughan's goal every outfield player yesterday has scored this season - including the subs? In fact, 18 players have hit the target since August of whom only two (Mangan and Blissett) are not still on the books. Although we may be short of firepower upfront, at least the whole team is willing to have a go.

 

[drwhoman]

Fair comment BBTC and long may it continue! I know I only see the highlights but it would appear that Mekki is really important when it comes to our offensive efforts. To have him until the end of the season is good but longer might have been preferable? Those who go to the games might have a view on this?

 

[Boz]

RLC makes a valid point about lacking a clinical striker to gives us the victory margin the performance probably merited. Looking at our possible rivals for a play-off place, we are all fairly close in terms of goal difference, a few more comfortable wins could make all the difference. While it is good that we're getting goals from all over, it would still be better if we get another forward in.

In response to drwhoman's question, Mekki has been getting better over the course of this season, he offers something different. There is an option to extend his contact too,