The play-off target is 75 points, says Bromley boss Hayden Bird

The Lillywhites suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Dover Athletic in midweek and as a result slipped down one place to third after Ebbsfleet United took second spot following their 4-2 win at Hampton & Richmond Borough on the same night.

With Eastleigh involved in the FA Carlsberg Trophy, Bird says his players will be out on the training ground on Saturday to prepare for next Tuesday’s crunch game away to arch-rivals Welling United.

“We’re really looking forward to that one and that now becomes the ideal game to bounce back and I think it’s important to recognise we’re upset to have lost (to Dover) but we’ve won two of the last three,” said Bird.

“If we can go to Welling and win that’s three in the last four.  

“It’s really going to be a very similar game to Dover.  I think it will be two good sides out there.  I think Jamie Day has done a great job over in Welling and we have to really concentrate, work hard and take our chances.”

Bromley have a much better away league record than the one that they have at Hayes Lane.

They have secured seven league wins on their travels and only five wins on home soil and when asked to explain why this is the case the former Carshalton Athletic boss said: “It’s a really difficult one. There’s no question our home form has got to improve.

“We’re very compact, we can be difficult to break down.  Sometimes when you play away from home you just get a little bit more time to play in key areas of the pitch.  

“Because of that, ourselves and Dover have probably suffered the same fate where as when you play at home teams come here to cancel us out.  

“When we play away from home the expectations is on the home side to attack us and in attacking us the pitch becomes a little bit bigger and when you have played like Tony Finn, Warren McBean and Leon McKenzie there is that cutting edge in the last third to create opportunities.”

With Braintree Town six points clear at the top, Bromley are one of seven clubs all within five points of each other in the top eight in the table.

“I think teams are going to have to hold their nerve,” said Bird.  “For me, the downside is teams do have games in hand on us so we just have to concentrate on doing our jobs well in the second half of the season.

“I personally think you get to hit 75 points. If you get the target of 75 points I think you’ll get that top five so interior of the games in hand on what other clubs are doing the target with Bromley is to hit the target of 75 points.”

Meanwhile, left-back, Harrison Dunk (ankle) is expected to be fit enough to be available for selection for the Kent derby clash at Park View Road.

www.kentishfootball.co.uk  will be covering this game

Visit Bromley’s website: www.bromleyfc.net