Can Bromley make long-ball football fashionable again?

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Bromley, a club from the edge of south-east London who have been in the English Football League (EFL) for just two seasons, were promoted last weekend and know that four points from their last two league games will guarantee them the league title. Promotion to League One in just their second attempt after taking 132 years to reach the EFL is one thing, but their playing style under former Brentford and Northampton goalkeeper Andy Woodman only adds to the curiosity around them. As many clubs in the lower leagues look to ape the intricate build-up popularised by elite managers such as Pep Guardiola, have Bromley just demonstrated that long-ball football still works? There’s no debating it. Bromley are — by some distance — England’s most direct side. As the chart below shows, they rank first for direct speed (which measures how fast a team moves the ball across the pitch) at 2.4 meters per second. They also rank bottom for number of passes per sequence, with 1.7. “We have to play to our strengths: pace, energy, getting it down the sides and getting crosses in the box,” Woodman said in a 2025 interview. That often means going long, and winning first, second and third balls. A staggering 31 per cent of their passes go long, the most across England’s top four divisions. Fifty-six per cent of their total passes go forward, the most, while their passing accuracy — also 56 per cent — is the lowest. They have competed in 36.7 aerial duels per 90 in the attacking half, ranking first among the 92 teams. Those numbers will not gain them many style points. Bromley rely on chaos and marginal gains but there is a method to their madness, without which sustained excellence over a league season would be impossible. It all begins with goalkeeper Grant Smith. Ninety-six per cent of his total passes go long, the most across the top four divisions. As seen below, he often targets the central zones and right flank. Bromley’s threat, however, comes mostly from the other side. Left winger Mitch Pinnock and left back Idris Odutayo, who are first and third respectively in the squad for minutes among outfielders, average a combined 8.3 open-play crosses per 90 minutes. Right back Marcus Ifill and right winger Corey Whitely average 4.98 per 90 in comparison. A glance at Bromley’s setup from goal kicks helps explain why that is the case. Below against Gillingham in January, Smith launches the ball forward. Bromley have five players bunched together near the halfway line, prepared to win second and third balls. The pass goes towards centre-forward Michael Cheek, who has dropped back, while Pinnock has advanced infield and ahead of him. There are three players in their vicinity too. Cheek guides the header to Pinnock, who can then turn it onto Odutayo, making a delayed run into space before finding his winger in behind. The movement of Pinnock and Cheek drags out Gillingham’s defensive shape. Having multiple players together close to the halfway line allows them to make delayed runs forward while also providing numbers to win second balls and defend turnovers. When they work the ball out wide, Bromley are dangerous. They rank joint first in League Two for back-post chances with 52 (level with Chesterfield), a division-high 12 of which have resulted in goals. Their wingers are the primary source, given Woodman’s preference for formations with a lone striker. But he has played Cheek and Nicke Kabamba together on occasion and the results have been promising. Both strikers demand attention from defenders but are excellent off-the-ball runners too. That was on show for this goal against Barrow in November, which is emblematic of Bromley’s style. They win a second ball in midfield, which comes to winger Brooklyn Ilunga, who heads it forward. Cheek initially runs towards the pass but gambles on the ball bouncing over the defender and runs behind him. He then crosses for Kabamba, who sweeps home. Off-the-ball movement is pivotal to Bromley’s attack. In this example against Bristol Rovers, three players drag defenders away from the middle for Odutayo to find Ben Thompson, who scores. Proficiency from set pieces rounds out Bromley’s attacking arsenal. Their 32 goals from these situations (excluding penalties) ranks first in England’s top four divisions (level with League One champions Lincoln City). “Set pieces are a big part [of the modern game],” Woodman said in that 2025 interview, admitting that Bromley have “looked” at the strategies used by Arsenal, where he worked as a goalkeeping coach under Mikel Arteta, and predecessors Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery across a five-year spell. “We work really hard on every element: throw-ins, goal kicks, free kicks. We don’t just lump it in the box; a lot of work and effort and thought goes into them.” The construction of their squad is a factor, too. Kabamba, centre-backs Omar Sowunmi, Daniel Elerewe and Kyle Cameron are all 6ft 2in (190cm) or taller. But they have used a variety of tactics to maximise every kind of set piece. Across the EFL, only Lincoln (13) have scored more goals from throw-ins than their 10, with Pinnock’s arcing deliveries into the box causing chaos. This was most recently on show against Barnet in April. Down 2-1 in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Pinnock’s pass was flicked on by Sowunmi at the near-post and nodded down by striker Marcus Dinanga for 18-year-old George Evans to score. Some of their goals from throw-ins, with oppositions backing off in anticipation and possibly fear of one of Pinnock’s long throws, have also come from quick restarts and delivering quality crosses into the box. From corners, Bromley pack the six-yard box, with multiple players darting towards its centre. As the ball comes in, two players move towards either post and another is positioned at or peels away to the penalty spot, with the ensuing chaos providing opportunities to score. Bromley have been creative from free kicks too, as evidenced by Kabamba’s goal against Fleetwood Town in August. The striker is initially in a central area but then darts to the right side. That is the signal for Pinnock to find Ben Kranhaus on the left. Kranhaus’ cross is headed in by Kabamba at the far post. One final metric that explains the nature of Bromley’s style is their passing sequences. They average 142.2 sequences per 90 that range between zero and two passes, the most across the four divisions. Woodman’s side has only pieced together 50 total sequences of nine or more passes. What is fascinating is that they have scored twice from those long-passing sequences — more than Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves (both once), Brighton & Hove Albion (zero) and 30 other teams across England’s top four divisions. Kabamba’s goal against Newport County on New Year’s Day was the culmination of a 15-pass, 45-second move. After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right. He flicks it onto midfielder William Hondermarck on the overlap, and his cross is finished — at the back post again — by Kabamba. Liquid football, Bromley style. Bromley are a freight train trampling opponents along their way with physicality, aggression and speed, alongside some occasional sprinkles of finesse. Next stop: League One. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms