RAVENS STILL HAD A DREAM

Smith left wondering what might’ve been

- Chris Dunlavy

BROMLEY boss Neil Smith believes his team would have gatecrashed the play-offs had the season been played to a close.

The Ravens sat 13th when Covid-19 curtailed the campaign, six points off seventh-placed Stockport with one game in hand.

“Our objective before the season was to finish in or around the play-offs,” said Smith. “And I genuinely believe we would have.

“Last game of the season, we got a draw away at Harrogate. It felt like a turning point, and we went into those last eight games thinking of them as cup finals. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”

Briefly, it appeared Smith had set his sights too low. Beaten only once in their opening 17 games, Bromley went four points clear at the National League summit after a 1-0 win at home to Woking on September 24.

But a 3-1 reverse at Yeovil the following week sparked a dismal run that culminated in a sequence of seven defeats from eight games before that restorative stalemate at Harrogate.

“The start was more than we could ever have dreamed of,” concedes Smith. “Unfortunately, we lost key players at vital times.