Bromley boss not afraid to come clean over season's ambition: The Ravens are good enough for promotion
- By Yann Tear
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Andy Woodman is making no bones about it. He believes his side has what it takes to go up.
Bromley enter the Christmas period in second place in League Two following Saturday's 2-0 victory over Grimsby Town - a brace from Will Hondermack sealing yet another home win for the Ravens, who have yet to lose in the league at Hayes Lane.
"Let's not shy away from it, why shouldn't we be charging for the top spot?, the Bromley boss said. "We should have been in top spot a little while ago and we had a bad decision go against us. I'm going to put it out there - yes we are chasing top spot. We want to be up there. Why should I be embarrassed to say that?
"We're not in the position I expected to be in at the start of the season but very quickly I realised that there's something special about this group of players. I've been promoted with a group of players here before and I can feel there's something special going on here and we've just got to make sure that they keep humble, keep pushing and don't get above their station.
"We've got to keep doing the dirty stuff you have to do in a football match - the horrible stuff that some teams don't want to do - As long as we stick to our mantra, we'll be a force to be reckoned with.
"We've turned our place into a bit of a fortress and it's important that we keep it like that. I want teams to not like coming here and to know that it's going to be a tough day at the office for them."
Woodman should have been totally satisfied with Saturday but that was far from the case. He got himself booked for protesting too vehemently when his side were denied a third goal when officials did not think a Corey Whitely shot had completely crossed the line when the score was already 2-0.
"I can't excuse that decision," he said. "It was so blatantly obvious to four and a half thousand people here - and then I get booked for contesting it, which makes no sense to me. What I meant to do, do just accept that everyone in the ground sees the ball go over the line and we have to somehow bite our lip and say nothing?
"I was annoyed about the third not being given because if they then score from a set piece or a corner, all of a sudden it becomes a frantic five minutes when we've been in control for 93 minutes.
"I'm disappointed with that also because 3-0 sends a message out to everybody a little bit more.
Woodman added: "That aside, we were very good second half. First half we weren't at the races. We were lacklustre and second best but second half we looked a bit more like us and a bit more on the front foot.
"It's satisfying when the boys react to me having a little moan at them at half time. They're a good bunch of boys and they're honest. It makes me very proud to be their manager."
He said of two-goal hero Hondermarck: "I've been onto Will. He's got to score goals. If he's going to become the player I think he can become, then he's got to add goals to his game. Fair play to him. He's got two today. We've got players chomping at the bit to get in the team and they've all got to perform."
