Bromley FC Season Review - 2014/15
The 2014/15 season would prove to be a significant one in Bromley FC’s 113 year history, for the first time since the Conference’s formation The Ravens won promotion to the top flight of Non-League football and in the process saw several three figure crowds pack into Hayes Lane as they achieved itin style playing some fantastic football. Despite a stuttering start which saw three Saturday home defeats in the first month of the campaign and seven of their nine league defeats come at Hayes Lane, the team pulled together and got over the line with a game to spare securing the title with a stunning display against Weston Super Mare at home on 18 April and all this came while an off the field soap opera played out.
Following defeat in the play off semi finals the previous season Mark Goldberg chose to reshuffle his squad in the summer singing several high profile non-league players with strong records at this level. Strikers Adam Burchall & Jamie Slabber joined, followed by influential midfielders Reece Prestedge & Damien Scannell, right back Sam Long, goalkeeper Seb Brown and forward Moses Ademola who had starred in Dover’s play off success. With most of the singings brought in early the squad had plenty of time to gel and the pre-season performances indicated that it could be another good year at Hayes Lane with the only negative being a season ending injury to Sam Long sustained in an early friendly, but thankfully Ugo Udoji returned to the club to ably deputise.
The club officially changed ownership in the close season with the Redding family taking over, although mercifully they kept Jerry Dolke in a role at the club. There was much hype about the changes that would be made at the club, with the ground having a face lift & name changed to the Fortress Stadium, The Sports Bar the becoming The Raven’s Bar & Grill and new training pitches laid behind the existing ones, the team also looked different sporting an all white kit for the first time since the sixties and going to a game was now called a ‘Match Day Experience’. The MDE saw the introduction of a Pimms tent, barbecue, cheer leaders, Disney characters and face painting, plus a ‘banging’ sound system and various catering initiatives. It was a bit too much to take in at first for those who had been going for a while.
The Conference South campaign began away to Havant & Waterlooville with an impressive 3-1 win quickly followed by a 4-1 midweek home win over Whitehawk. Any thoughts of a decent early run came crashing down though the following Saturday with a 3-0 home defeat to Basingstoke Town, the game playing second fiddle to the various other attractions. Players were told not to enter or leave the field during the warm up while a local stage school put on a performance. A creditable point at Boreham Wood settled the nerves and then the month finished with two great wins 4-2 over Maidenhead Utd on the Bank Holiday and a 4-0 win at Wealdstone playing some lovely attacking football.
Non League Day saw us host Chelmsford City in front of 1,485, but the carnival atmosphere fell flat as a first half goal, an injury to Rob Swaine and a missed penalty saw us fall to a 1-0 defeat. One of the new owners commented he didn’t care what the score was as long as the bars were full! Striker Duncan Culley joined the club from Shortwood to boost the forward line as Birchall and Slabber failed to find their touch in front of goal. A draw at St Albans City and a win at Farnborough kept us in the picture but another home defeat followed.
Things came to a head with the MDE phenomenon in the home game against Gosport Borough, not only did we lose 3-0 with an insipid display, but the Family Fun Day atmosphere extended to music being played during the game at the benches end which to quote my Dad ‘made it like watching football at a fun fare’. Fans discontent spilled over on the forum and social media and despite grumbles from the club they did listen and things were toned down. The crowds had turned up in bigger numbers for the games, but with three home Saturday defeats already, it was clear that something was being lost in all the hype and side shows.
With sanity restored to match days we started to pick up a few results at home too with the FA Cup bringing wins over Uxbridge 5-1, and Grays 5-0 after a draw at their place. Troubled striker Jordan Robertson joined after a spell in prison and then playing abroad. A 1-0 home win over Bath City before we travelled to Evesham Utd for the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round and squeezed through 2-1 to set up a local derby in the First Round V Dartford at Hayes Lane. With the old ground nearly full we were treated to an enthralling game of football that saw us go in front and then come back from 2-1 & 3-2 down, before eventually losing 3-4. All four Darts goals came from crosses into the box and Seb Brown’s short comings as a keeper were really beginning to show.
In the other cups we bowed out at the first time of asking in the Kent & London Senior Cups losing on penalties to Maidstone Utd and then a pathetic 2-0 surrender to Corinthian Casuals. In the FA Trophy we saw off Tonbridge Angels 3-0 in a replay and Leiston 2-0 before heading down to Torquay and getting stuffed 4-0 and being taught a lesson in what life in the Conference Premier is like.
Back in league action November got off to a great start with a 4-1 win at Eastbourne, but Seb Brown was then sent off in a 1-0 home defeat to Hemel Hempstead as he mis-judged a slide tackle charging out of his area, new arrival Mitchell Pinnockbravely deputising between the sticks for over an hour. 2-1wins over Sutton and Hayes & Yeading kept the challengeticking along going into December which saw the side go unbeaten all month only drawing the final game1-1 at home to Wealdstone.
January saw a wobble with two cup defeats and then a 2-1 loss at Whitehawk with Brown again at fault for both goals. This time Mark Goldberg had seen enough and well travelledkeeper Alan Julian joined the side making his debut in the 2-1 win at Basingstoke and putting in a fine display in the 2-0 home win over Havant. With Scannell, Culley & Robertson now on their way out of the club last season’s top scorer Bradley Goldberg returned on loan from Dagenham & Redbridge scoring a hatrick in the 6-0 win at Staines Townand he was joined by Ben May & Anthony Cook from Ebbsfleet. After a home draw with Hayes & Yeading single goal wins at Ebbsfleet & Chelmsford saw us top the league at the end of February and show real intention to go one better than last season.
The win at Ebbsfleet was marred by crowd trouble in and outside the ground caused by a group of young lads claiming to be Bromley fans high on half term and cheap lager and orchestrated by a couple of very shadowy characters who have never been seen at Hayes Lane. Following flares on the pitch and trouble at the Dartford & Basingstoke games the club was now in hot water with the FA, but the HLF as they were know disappeared over night.
A difficult patch in March not helped by injuries and suspension to Cook, Swaine, Dubois, May and Dennis saw points dropped late in games, but on reflection draws at Hemel, Bath and later Maidenhead weren’t the disasters they seemed although the 1-0 home loss to bottom side Staines really felt like one, with another missed penalty to make things worse and a 2-1 reverse to Ebbsfleet. Only a 2-1 win at Sutton and a 5-0 crushing of Farnborough kept us in touchwith Boreham Wood. Jamie Slabber was now in goal scoring form after fully recovering from a double hernia operation in the summer he got both in the derby win at Gander Green Lane.
Off the field things were rumoured not to have been too good for a while, but going into Spring it became clear The Reddings might not have been all they pretended to be, the details are still unknown to all those but the very inner sanctum of the club, but Jerry Dolke became owner again and with a whole lot of debt to boot. One rumour was that the club was one day from administration when a group of local businessmen stepped and got the club back on an even keel.What exactly would have happened if Jerry had not stayed around or these guys come in doesn’t bare thinking about. The Fortress signs disappeared and it felt like the club had got it’ssoul back just in time for the run in.
For two thirds of the season Bromley played their best football away from home, with the pressure off slightly and teams having to come out and play there were many great results, but the final month saw three solid home wins that would secure the Conference South championship, most significantly the 2-1 win over leaders Boreham Wood on Easter Saturday in front of 2,035 fans. A crazy 4-4 at Maidenhead saw us slip to second on the Monday, but a 2-1 win over Eastbourne Borough set up the opportunity to win the title at home to Weston the following week, which we duly did in some style watched by just shy of 3,000 Prestedge, Ademola & Slabber getting the vital goals.
Emotional scenes followed and the celebrations carried on into the following Saturday as Bromley fans travelled in numbers for a 2-1 defeat at Gosport in a party atmosphere with a number of injured players joining the fans for the game on the terrace outside the bar.
In all Bromley fans were treated to a season of great football, with a few wobbles on the way, but they deserved their success and they now head into The Conference Premier and nationwide football against many professional ex-football league teams. Things may never be the same for Bromley fans, but this season will live long in the memory. Moses Ademola finished top scorer despite playing half the season out wide, defender Jack Holland picked up the supporters and committee player of the season awards with Reece Prestedgegetting the manager’s nod, but every player deserved their medals for contributing to a momentous achievement as do all the unsung heroes off the pitch that keep our old club going day to day.
Col.
