This was a game which ran along similar lines to many matches this season, but fortunately today it was Rovers who took one of the few chances in the second half to earn the points.
In the first half we were clearly the better side, enjoying more possession and playing the better football. We looked comfortable in the diamond formation and, as in the first half against Wrexham, Jennings, Norwood and Alabi linked well at times playing neat triangles.We had the better opportunities, with their keeper making a couple of decent saves, notably from a near post shot from Norwood. The tactic clearly seemed to be to play balls in behind the Bromley defence for Alabi and Norwood to run on to. In the last fifteen minutes of the half we took this instruction a bit too literally, with the centre halves releasing a long ball too early, but generally we used the tactic well, playing through midfield before dinking a more subtle ball in behind. Unfortunately, there was a lack of conviction in our finishing and at times in our final ball, and we did not get the goal we deserved.
After half time, we lost our way. In the first ten minutes of the second half Bromley put us under sustained pressure and Davies made a couple of decent saves, the only occasions in the game he was tested. Thereafter, possession was more even, but our passing became disjointed and sloppy and confidence visibly drained from the players. We were restricted mostly to long range efforts, the best of which was a good free kick from Buxton. Unlike previous matches, however, we weathered the brief storm from the visitors and stayed in the game and it was a great finish from Norwood for the winner, a shot from an acute angle which was a much more difficult chance than many he has missed this season. Over the ninety minutes, the victory was deserved.
Individually, i thought very few players were at their best. Buxton was poor by his standards and Jeff Hughes even worse. On the positive, the two centre halves were very solid, with Steve McNulty the best player on the pitch over ninety minutes. Mich Duggan looked more comfortable and effective in midfield than as a wing back. However, I would give man of the match to Norwood: he was nowhere near his best today, but kept chasing and working when other players seemed to give up the ghost in the second period, and did the most difficult thing in football, scoring a goal.
I certainly would not get carried away based on this performance, but we did look better tactically in the first half. In addition, the two home games do give us a great opportunity to push on; on Wednesday we will play an Orient side who are actually in much poorer form than we are, and under similar pressure.