What it Means: Bromley’s rise through a long-standing fan’s eyes

While watching Bromley’s monumental feat on Saturday, I couldn’t help but cast my mind back over the various eras the club has passed through while I’ve been watching, along with the important people who have stewarded it along the way. For me, it all began with George Wakeling.

After the disappointment of 1989, the Ravens bounced back under new manager George Wakeling and remained in the Isthmian Premier League for nearly a decade. Their high point during that period was a sixth-place finish, achieved thanks to the infamous kick-in experiment season, where throw-ins could be taken as kick-ins instead. Wakeling adapted his squad to suit the new rule, building a big, industrious side with a couple of set-piece experts who upset the rest of the league with their physical style. Ring any bells?

The Bromley Football Club of this era had no money and very few true supporters. In my early teens, I used to walk around the perimeter of Hayes Lane on match days, looking at relics of days gone by. There were old turnstiles near what is now the away section, but they were boarded up and hadn’t been used in decades. There was no need for them; the main turnstiles were more than enough for the crowds of around 300 that had become commonplace. I remember wondering if that old entrance would ever be used again. 

Back then, the East Terrace was often empty on match days, with most people either watching from behind the goals or in the main stand. I’d often walk up and down that terrace, wondering how segregation could be implemented if Bromley’s glory days ever returned. It was a big if.

When I went off to university, the need for segregation or additional turnstiles couldn’t have been further away from the club’s reality. As soon as George Wakeling left, Bromley were relegated again, then suffered a further demotion when the non-league pyramid was restructured to create the Conference South. At our lowest point, Bromley were attracting crowds of barely 100 and were on the brink of playing Kent League football. Local newspapers paid no interest, and Bromley borough and its council acted as though we didn’t exist. In truth, they probably would have preferred it if we didn’t. 

While at university in Exeter, I went to a few of their games. Exeter were largely in League Two during my years there, although I once saw them relegated to the Conference. I often thought about what it would be like to see Bromley play in League Two one day. It seemed so far-fetched. Yet today, I’m struggling to get my mind around the fact that we will be playing a level above next season.

A new era began at the turn of the century with the arrival of Jerry Dolke. The former Bromley player turned owner balanced the club’s finances and worked wonders to bring Hayes Lane back into the club’s hands. Even so, he didn’t have an easy ride of it as the Ravens continued to struggle on the pitch, particularly during his first years at the helm. Manager Stuart McIntyre began to turn things around, but it was the return of George Wakeling, with the assistance of the late Billy Smith, that finally saw Bromley return to the Isthmian Premier. 

Mark Goldberg was the next man to step into the dugout, and he supposedly brought a cash injection with him. Goldberg took Bromley to the promised land of the Conference South, which felt like the club's realistic ceiling at the time. He built a great team that played with real swagger, and they probably should have won the league rather than achieving promotion via the play-offs. Then again, if that were the case, we wouldn’t have had that famous semi-final win over Wimbledon, nor Peter Adeniyi’s promotion-clinching penalty.

The Conference South era was a real mixed bag. The club’s ownership changed, there were several managerial upheavals and some last-gasp relegation scraps, and my lowest point supporting the club came courtesy of Moses Swaibu and his posse of match-fixers. Even when things began to peak on the pitch, the club plunged into financial insecurity off of it. Jerry Dolke took ownership again just before Bromley’s promotion to the National League, and while the club had reached a historic high, behind the scenes, Jerry had a gigantic mess to clear up.

Reaching the top tier of non-league football had been beyond the wildest dreams of many old-school supporters, who mostly took the view that we should enjoy it whilst it lasted. Then Robin Stanton-Gleaves arrived and a new era began. When Robin became the owner of Bromley Football Club, he introduced the kind of ambition that outstripped even Neil Smith’s steady leadership of the club. When Robin appointed the as-yet-untested Andy Woodman as manager, no one knew what to expect. We certainly couldn’t have predicted what has come. Full credit must go to Robin for identifying the leader he wanted and taking an educated risk on an unknown managerial entity. Andy professionalised the club and instilled a hard-grafting mentality that had lain dormant since George Wakeling’s era. Something was echoing through the decades.

When Bromley and Walsall walked onto the pitch ahead of Saturday’s title decider, I scanned the ground. The away turnstile had been made good use of, and the neatly segregated all-new East Terrace, like the rest of the ground, was packed. This was the stuff of my childhood dreams and then some. My daughter is a big Bromley fan and is roughly the same age I was when I walked around a largely empty Hayes Lane. She has had the joy of seeing two Wembley victories, two promotions, and can proudly tell people she supports Bromley because that’s not an unusual thing to do these days. 

I’m so thankful to everyone who has made that possible, and for the work that was done to maintain and build the club before my time. I think not only of the managers, players, and owners, but of volunteers like John Fiorini, Ron Coombes, Roy Oliver, John Self, Jim Brown, and the many others who gave up their time to keep the wheels turning. Then there are the supporters who made me feel part of a rather motley crew in the early days, like Maureen Paffet, Jack and Claire Freeman, Mick Francis, and Mick the coach driver, along with the many friends and fellow supporters who have made the journey so special over the years. Chiefly, of course, I’m thankful to my dad for taking me to Hayes Lane that first time and for driving us all over the South East for many years, watching games and being alongside me for the five promotions that came before this one. 

Saturday’s game against Walsall came with a few little reminders that Bromley is still Bromley, no matter how much it has changed over the years. Faces in the stands and small movements and moments around the ground remind me that, for all of the pomp and bluster, Bromley are still a small, family club. “This is your Chairman speaking: Get off the pitch NOW!” You won’t hear that phrase blasting through the PA system at a Premier League ground. It was among the highlights of a highlight-filled day. 

League One is a bold new adventure, but one that Bromley have unquestionably earned by winning League Two. This is without doubt the greatest honour in the club’s history, but in footballing terms, it also represents the biggest step up this club has ever undertaken. As a result, there will be challenges and tough days ahead, and at times we will need to take a step back and remember who we are and the journey we’ve been on. 

First and foremost, my hope for next season is that we continue to give our all and do ourselves proud. I also hope that fans old and new stick with Bromley, even if they lose more than they win. Being in the same league as Sheffield Wednesday, Reading, and Leicester, among others, is something I thought would be limited to the world of Football Manager. In reality, however, it will present Bromley with a lot of uphill struggles, but I’m sure we won’t just make up the numbers in League One. 

As my daughter said to me on Saturday, we’re only two promotions away from the Premier League now. When I replied that kind of thing was still a long, long way away, she reminded me that Bromley will now be playing five levels higher than the lowest level I saw them play at. I had no answer to that other than a smile. Maybe one day, her dreams for the club will come true, just like mine have.