After a midweek Vertu Trophy victory, the Valiants are back in League action as we make our first-ever trip to Bromley on Saturday.
On Tuesday night, Darren Moore’s side progressed into the last 16 of the Vertu Trophy after a 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers. Half time substitute, Rekeem Harper, scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute to earn his side a place in the next round.
In the league, the Vale start the weekend in 2nd place and will be looking to continue our positive away record this season.
Gaffer's Thoughts
Darren Moore spoke to the press ahead of Saturday’s trip to Hayes Lane:
“They have done extremely well, and their manager is very experienced as are his backroom team. They have worked at a higher level than we are playing at.”
“They have not lost in the league since October so are on a great run. We are going down to Bromley to play an in-form team that hasn’t lost many. They are really awkward to play against, they know what they are about, they have a wonderful team spirit and desire and a manager who has set them up, so they play effective football.”
“We are going to have to be at our best. We are looking forward to the game."
Player's Thoughts
After scoring the winning goal in midweek, Rekeem Harper also spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s fixture:
“Every team deserves respect in their own right, no matter how they play, no matter the philosophy they have. I feel like for us we’re focused on what we need to do to win the game, we’re focused on getting back to the top.”
“Bromley’s our next opponent and the next team we’ve got to conquer. We’re going to approach them with respect but we’re going there to take three points in their back yard.”
The Opposition
This is Bromley’s first season in the EFL following their promotion from the National League last season. They have had a steady start to their debut campaign and they sit in 14th position with 23 points from 19 games played.
The Ravens come into the game on a three-game winning run which includes two league wins and one FA Cup victory. In their last outing they won 2-1 at Accrington Stanley thanks to Idris Odutayo’s winner just after the hour mark.
Bromley’s record at Hayes Lane hasn’t been great this season. In their nine games played they have only won two games. In the other seven games they have drawn four and lost three.
Who’s in Charge
Former Premier League Goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman is the manager of Bromley. The former Arsenal head of goalkeeping joined Bromley back in 2021 and has enjoyed a successful stint to date.
After taking over as manager in March 2021, Woodman guided his side to the Play Offs where they would event ally be defeated. In the 2021/22 season, Woodman turned down a move to Gillingham before guiding Bromley to FA Trophy triumph at Wembley Stadium.
The success didn’t end there as Woodman helped Bromley to promotion to the EFL after winning the Play Offs in the 2023/24 season.
In Woodman’s 195 games for Bromley, he has won 85, drawn 62 and lost 48.
Player to Watch - Michael Cheek
The Bromley striker is the joint leading scorer in Sky Bet League Two with ten goals so far this season. Cheek has played over 200 games for Bromley, scoring 99 goals.
He first joined the club back in 2019 and has helped the Ravens to FA Trophy victory and promotion to the EFL for the first time in the club's history. Cheek wrote his name in the club's history books when he scored Bromley’s first-ever EFL goal in their opening game of the season.
Another player to keep an eye out for is FA Cup winner, Carl Jenkinson. The former Arsenal and England full back joined Bromley in the summer after spending three years playing in Australia. Jenkinson has only played four league games for the Ravens this season but provides a wealth of knowledge which can only be beneficial for his teammates.
