The Fourth Qualifying Round: A misty-eyed reflection on the magic of the cup.

My first memory of Bromley reaching this round of the FA Cup was back in 1985. Dave Cooke’s team were drawn at home to Maidstone United, who were riding high in the Alliance Premier League (now the National League). Bromley, on the other hand, were playing their football in the Isthmian Premier Division. The crowd was huge for the time, and I’d even convinced several school friends to come to the prestigious cup tie. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. The Stones ran out comfortable 2-0 winners and most of my mates didn’t come back for another Bromley game.