The Three Thousand

 

The Three Thousand

Not long after my cousin Mike and myself started watching football on a regular basis in the late 1970’s he came up with the genius idea of keeping a record of all the games he’d watched and I decided to do the same thing. It’s something I’ve kept doing ever since, which is how I now know that I am fast approaching the 3,000^th  game mark, possibly even before the end of 2021 if all goes well.

Given that I was six when I attended my first match and I started the recording of them a couple of years later, details may be a little sketchy of the early games, but I’m pretty sure my first match was Bromley V Folkestone & Shepway in the FA Trophy in October 1977. My Dad took me to the game on a rare Saturday off for him and the moment I walked through the turnstile and saw Hayes Lane in all it’s glory I was hooked.

My Mum was good enough to take me to Bromley home games on Saturday’s from then on and then also the reserve team matches when the first team were away until I was old enough to go on my own and my Dad took me to the Tuesday night games. Without doubt the majority of the matches I have watched have been at Hayes Lane and Bromley will be the team I have seen the most with Cray Wanderers second having first gone to Oxford Road back in the spring of 1980.  

Since my son was born in 2010, I started taking him to games and I have marked each match he has come to with me, so that if he inherits the anorak gene and is ever interested I can give him a record of the matches he has watched. Although to be fair, this doesn’t seem to interest him at all right now!

My peak football watching came when I was in my late teens, clocking up over 100 games a season, following Bromley home and away, while also going to Monday night games at Fisher, Carshalton or Dulwich Hamlet and Wednesday nights at Welling Utd. Charlton Athletic Reserves also played at Hayes Lane on Thursday afternoons and at the start and end of the seasons Cray Wands and other local Kent League teams like Alma Swanley, Darenth Heathside & Crockenhill would have plenty of early midweek kick offs with the lighter evenings. Some of my happiest football memories are of going to Cray games with my Dad at Oxford Road for a 6:15pm kick off, hoping the light would hold for two more hours. Seeing Tony Cascarino playing against The Wands for Crockenhill and a particularly brilliant 6-0 destruction of Kent Police.

From then on, there was an average of two and sometimes three games a week with Cray Wands moving to Hayes Lane in 1998 and playing midweek games on Wednesdays, which also meant precious time watching games with my Dad.   

From 2008 onwards I have been lucky enough to report on games for Kent Sports News, combining my love for football with writing and it also meant I was in the privileged position of being able to see the behind closed doors Bromley home games during lockdown last season. Work and family commitments aside I am still lucky enough to see one and often two games a week now, usually with my son Mikey, mostly Bromley or Cray Wands home games, with a few visits to Holmesdale every season and the occasional other local game. Having an amazing wife certainly helps and she used to go games with me back before parenthood.  

The enjoyment of watching a game of football is still as great as it was when I first started going, although the experience has changed a lot. From going with my parents, to hanging out with mates, travelling to games on coaches & trains, catching up with friends and now to taking my own son. Watching a good game of football in nice surroundings with good people is something very special and I don’t ever wany to stop.    

I’ve been lucky enough to see football matches in Ireland (Rep of Ireland, Cork City, Galway Utd, Finn Harps, Bohemians, Castlebar Celtic, Crossmolina, Shelbourne, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers & Dublin City), Scotland (Celtic & Partick Thistle), Wales (Newport & Wrexham), Portugal (Imortal DC), Italy (Inter & AC Milan), Sweden (Hammarby & AIK) and USA (San Jose Earthquakes). I’d love to add to these one day, but it’s great to have done this and have so many good memories to look back on. Genoa, Juventus, St Pauli & Boca Juniors would be on my bucket list.       

It’s hard to make a list of favourites, there’s always something I remember later, but right now it would be as follows:  

 

Top 5 Favourite Grounds:

Hayes Lane (Bromley)

San Siro (Inter & AC Milan)

Celtic Park (Celtic)

Landsdowne Road (Ireland)

Green Pond Road (Walthamstow Avenue)

  

Five Most Memorable matches:

Ireland 0 Brazil 0 – 2003 (International Friendly)

Bromley 1 AFC Wimbledon 0 – 2007 (Play Off Semi Final)

Bromley 2 Leyton Wingate 1 – 1986 (Promotion winning game)

Gateshead 1 Bromley 1 – 2018 (FA Trophy Semi Final 2^nd leg)

Horsham 1 Bromley 3 – 2005 (Promotion Play Off Final)

 

Landmarks

Game No1 – Bromley 1 Folkestone & Shepway 1 – 1977

Game 100 – Bromley Reserves 1 Welling Utd Res 0 – 1982

Game 1,000 – Leyton 1 Bromley 2 – 1994

Game 2,000 – Bromley 1 Cray Wanderers 1 – 2005

Most recent match: 2,996 - Cray Wanderers 1 Folkestone Invicta 1 - 2021

Game 3,000 - ??????

 

Col

           

       

 

Bromley FC Season 2020/21 Part 2

 

This article originally appeared on Kent Sports News

Bromley FC Season 2020/21 Part 2 – January to June 2021

After the FA Trophy victory over Hemel Hemsptead just before Christmas Bromley had to take an enforced break due to a Covid 19 case in the squad. Former Ireland Under 12 International forward Courtney Duffus signed from Yeovil Town, but it wasn’t until mid-January that The Ravens played again when they lost on penalties in the FA Trophy to Woking after a 1-1 draw and then suffered another loss 2-1 at home to Halifax Town. This was followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Woking in the league three days later, having lead 2-0 at one stage. January ended on a positive note though when Neil Smith’s side defeated Aldershot at home live on BT Sport 2-0, with goals from Jack Bridge & Michael Cheek lifting the spirits.

The effects of teams having to survive with no financial income from fans came to the fore when grants from the National League ended and clubs had to apply for loans to continue their seasons. Some teams furloughed staff and brought in cheaper loan players, others carried on regardless and Dover Athletic stopped playing completely, eventually having their record expunged with all points won in games against them removed. Bromley losing three points and four goals scored having beaten them 4-1 at home in October. By the end of the season the league table would reflect the haves, have nots and those just getting by.   

February started with a very disappointing 2-1 defeat at Weymouth both Chris Bush & Charlie Wakefield sent off on an afternoon to forget. Smith condemning his players indiscipline in the post match interview and promised changes. A 2-0 home win over Kings Lynn Town followed before snow saw the away game at Wealdstone postponed. The following Tuesday The Ravens fell to a 1-0 loss away at Dagenham & Redbridge as the struggled to get any form together to keep in touch with the top seven, losing Harry Forster to a hamstring injury. Creditable draws away at Boreham Wood and at home to Maidenhead Utd followed, before February ended with a 3-1 home win over Altrincham, goals coming from a Cheek double & Kizzi, Bush was again sent off late on though, his third of the season. His suspensions meaning that Frankie Raymond had to be deployed as an emergency left back in several games. 

March began with a trip to the league leaders Sutton Utd and in a dramatic game The Ravens lead twice through Cheek & Duffus before eventually losing 3-2 conceding two goals in the final four minutes. A rare win at Eastleigh followed, but again progress was frustrated by a 2-2 home draw with bottom side Barnet. A midweek 2-1 win away at Yeovil Town followed, Bromley’s first ever win there courtesy of a Michael Cheek strike and an injury time own goal, and that was followed up by a hard fought 1-0 home win over Solihull Moors thanks to another Joe Kizzi header in the second half. With The Ravens in seventh place, March came to an end with a home game against leaders Sutton Utd with all to play for, but they were very much second best losing 3-1, barely laying a glove on Matt Gray’s side.

Two days later the club announced that Manager Neil Smith had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect, owner Robin Stanton-Gleaves stating that he did not believe Smith would be able to fulfil the goal of making the play offs. Reaction to the sacking was split down the middle with some fans saying it was long overdue and others hugely disappointed by the move, ending Smith’s six year spell as manager.      

With Roger Johnson & Alan Dunne taking temporary charge of the team, Bromley travelled up to North Wales to face fellow play off challengers Wrexham and they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 to end the month sitting in ninth.

On the following Monday the club announced it’s new first team manager in Andy Woodman. Woodman became a coach after a long career in the professional game and he would work with Alan Dunne & Roger Johnson as the management team.

Woodman’s fist game in charge saw Bromley fall 2-0 down to Wealdstone before they rallied and pulled back to secure a 2-2 draw on Good Friday. Left back Charlie Fox joined the club after a spell at Walton Casuals, he’d previously had a spell with the club in pre-season before picking up an injury. A 0-0 draw away to Stockport County on Easter Monday followed, but they lost Byron Webster to a serious hand injury, which would rule him out for the remaining league fixtures. The first win under the new manager came on the Saturday with a 1-0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge courtesy of another Michael Cheek goal and three more wins away from home followed. A dramatic 4-3 victory at Woking saw Bromley score three goals in the final eleven minutes to come from behind and pick up the three points. Woodman then brought in two players on loan in the shape of defender Alex Mitchell from Millwall and midfielder Tate Campbell from Birmingham City, prior to the 2-1 wins at play off challengers Chesterfield & Halifax Town. April ended with the teams first loss under Woodman as they were edged out 2-1 at home to Chesterfield, but over all it had been an impressive first month for the new manager winning four and drawing two.

There was still no luck with injuries though as Taylor Maloney and Courtney Duffus both picked up injuries that would end their seasons & Liam Trotter was having to limit his games and play through the pain, although Jack Holland & Billy Bingham both returned after lengthy spells out and fit again Watford loanee Harry Forster came back for another spell. Kory Roberts and Charlie Wakefield both found themselves not included in the match day squad for the rest of the campaign and Luke Coulson barely featured.         

The May Day Bank Holiday saw Jeff Stelling visit Hayes Lane with his Hartlepool Utd side and in an enthralling tight game The Ravens came out on top with a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Jude Arthurs.  Four away games followed, a 0-0 draw away at second place Torquay Utd in front of the BT Sport cameras, a hard fought 1-0 win at Wealdstone thanks to another Joe Kizzi goal, converting a corner from close range and then a very impressive 2-2 at Notts County. Another dramatic late winner away at Aldershot saw Bromley win 3-2, Michael Cheek & James Alabi putting Bromley in front twice before Kizzi popped up with the later winner again. The game at Aldershot was the first to see the return of a limited number of home fans to attend matches in the ground since December and Bromley fans would have the opportunity to see their side at Hayes Lane for the last league game.     

The win set Bromley up requiring a final day victory at home to Notts County, and hope for other results to go their way, in order to make it into the promotion play offs. And so it happened, a second half goal from Ben Williamson in front of the fans on the North Terrace was enough to secure the three points and with Wrexham dropping points at Dagenham, Bromley moved into seventh place and the final play off birth. The Ravens would travel to fourth placed Hartlepool Utd the following Sunday for the first elimination game.

Live on TV for the fifth time this season The Ravens travelled up to Hartlepool Utd on the first Sunday in June. With 1,700 home fans in Victoria Park, but no away support. Sadly, within the first 24 minutes the game was over as Bromley trailed 3-0, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable in defence and unable to control the midfield. Second half sub James Alabi pulled one back just after the break, but there was no further way through for Andy Woodman’s team until deep into injury time when Alex Mitchell made it 3-2, but it was just too late in the day for another memorable comeback and the season was over for Bromley.

Michael Cheek netted 23 league goals, James Alabi scored 8 on limited game time & Joe Kizzi contributed 7 vital goals from right back, while January signing Courtney Duffus got 5 before injury ended the striker’s campaign early.

Bromley only played five games in from of supporters all season, winning two and losing three, but they achieved their highest ever National League finish and sampled the promotion play offs for the first time at this level. Suspensions were a major problem with 9 red cards show to Bromley players.          

Colin Head.                           

                        

Bromley FC Season Review 2020/21 - Part 1

 

This article originally appeared on Kent Sports News

Bromley FC – The Season so Far – December 2020

With the National League season finally getting underway in October it’s been a hectic and eventful campaign so far for Bromley manager Neil Smith and his team.

After a mixed pre-season, which included one game in front of 600 fans ‘away’ to Cray Wanderers at Hayes Lane the team went into their first match at home to Dover Athletic behind closed doors. The Ravens started their fixtures a few days later than the rest of the league when their opening game away to Macclesfield Town was postponed after Macc folded. Despite the strange nature to the preparations Bromley won their opening game 4-1 with loanee Harry Forster having an impressive debut. The club set up an excellent live streaming service for supporters to watch the home games while there were either no fans allowed in or just a limited number and it was widely praised by supporters from other clubs who purchased the broadcasts when their club’s visited Hayes Lane.  

Forster had signed from Watford on loan until January and was joined by Reeco Hackett-Fairchild from Portsmouth. Reeco had been picked up by Pompey that January from Bromley, but was now back at Hayes Lane on loan for the rest of 2020. Coming in on a permanent basis were young midfielders Taylor Maloney and Tom Purrington, striker James Alabi, experienced midfielder Liam Trotter and centre backs Byron Webster & Kory Roberts from Football League clubs. Smith looking to freshen up his options in attack and solidify his defence from last season, adding some vital experience to his team as he set the target of making the play offs for the season.       

The following Saturday saw The Ravens fall to their first defeat though when leaders Torquay Utd came to Hayes Lane and won 2-1. The following Tuesday saw The Ravens travel up to high flying Hartlepool Utd with the game being beamed back to Hayes Lane for supporters to watch in the bar. A hard fought performance earned Bromley a point from a 0-0 draw with new signing Nassim L’Ghoul making his debut at wing back. After the away game at Altrincham was called off due to a positive Covid 19 test in the Alty squad next up was the start of their FA Cup campaign.

A 1-0 win at Sutton Utd saw Bromley progress to the first round of the cup thanks to a Michael Cheek penalty and set up a home tie with fellow National League side Yeovil Town in November. A midweek home win 3-2 over Weymouth was followed by a 2-1 defeat to bogey side Eastleigh four days later as October came to an end with The Ravens sitting in eleventh with 7 points from 5 matches played.

November began with FA Cup heartbreak as Yeovil came to Hayes Lane and after dominating the game eventually won it 1-0 scoring in the last minute of extra time. Bromley playing with then men for over an hour after Harry Forster had been sent off. Smith’s men would come up with the perfect response though, winning 3-1 at Barnet before picking up points at home to Boreham Wood and away at Maidenhead Utd. A hard fought 1-0 win at Altrincham thanks to an early James Alabi goal, quickly followed by a home point against Wrexham in 1-1 draw ended the month with the team looking solid and well placed for a play off challenge in eighth with 16 points from 10 National League matches.

December began in style with a 4-1 win at newly promoted Kings Lynn Town, before two home games in front of fans against Stockport County and Yeovil Town, with crowds capped at 1,200. With London in Tier 2 of Covid 19 restrictions the club were able to welcome back supporters for the first time since February, but unfortunately both games would end in defeat losing 2-0 against County and 2-1 to The Glovers, Michael Cheek scoring the only goal for The Ravens. Bromley have only beaten Yeovil once in twelve meetings, a 2-1 win back in 1987 thanks to two Alan Scotting goals and despite The Glovers being bottom of the table the hex continued. Another Michael Cheek goal saw Bromley win 1-0 away at Solihull Moors live on BT Sport, taking The Ravens up to third in the table and then the year came to a premature end with a 2-0 home win over Hemel Hempstead Town in the FA Trophy thanks to two goals from Harry Forster, setting up a fourth round tie at home to Woking. By this time London was now in Tier 4 and games were again behind closed doors.

As Neil Smith’s team looked set for a busy festive period of games, a positive Covid 19 test in the squad meant that the next three games were postponed with the staff in self isolation. With December coming to a close, The Ravens sit in eighth place with 22 points from 14 league games, one place under the play off spots. The side are undefeated away from home, but have lost five games at Hayes Lane across two competitions, making any talk of an advantage in having a 3G pitch look like nonsense. Michael Cheek has continued his goal scoring form with 9 goals so far and James Alabi on 4. The squad looks the strongest it has been in the six years Bromley have been in the National League, exemplified by the fact that captain Jack Holland is no longer guaranteed a start in the back four with Webster and Roberts in impressive form flanked by Joe Kizzi and Chris Bush at full back. The midfield looks stronger for the experience of Trotter whose performances have improved game on game, while keeper Mark Cousins now looks fully fit again and in commanding form.    

There is a positive feeling around the club that the challenge to make the play offs will be successful come May 2021, as long as Covid doesn’t keep intervening and the squad stays fit and healthy.

Here’s to a good 2021 ay Hayes Lane.

Colin Head.                                      

Hibernian Egg Chasing

 With Covid 19 lockdown restrictions slowly being lifted across the UK fans are now being let back into sports stadia in limited numbers, not only for football, but also for other sports such as Rugby Union. My mate Nige let me know he was able to get some cut price tickets for the London Irish game against Exeter at the new Brentford Stadium which they share with Brentford FC. I know nothing about Rugby, but the Irish connection and the chance to visit a new ground was enough for me to say yes.

I hadn’t been to a sporting even with a crowd since the two Bromley games in December and I hadn’t been on a train or tube for well over a year, so this was a bit of an adventure. I headed in to London Victoria from Bromley South, noticing that even though it was fairly busy, passenger numbers were nothing compared to what they used to be. I found a seat on my own on a rush hour train and started listening to Amon Amarth. The tube to Gunnersbury was the same, although the atmosphere was one of caution, everybody keeping their distance and looking even more solemn than usual.

Once I’d met Nige at the station we initially headed off in the wrong direction as there was no sign posting for the new ground at all and just to add to it the rain started pouring down. Once we found the right way the ground wasn’t too far at all, but despite a large number of stewards milling about it was very difficult to find out where to go. We went to the wrong entrance first, which involved walking through a construction site, the standard response from any steward was ‘you have to walk all the way round’! Around the ground there is loads of building work going on with flats and other developments.  

Soaked to the skin we finally found Entrance P and scanned our E-tickets on the electronic turnstile. Disappointingly there was no club shop open and only an on-line programme available. Inside the stadium you have to wear a mask and keep a 2metre distance, but this all got forgotten about in the queues at the bar, which are all cashless. A pint of Guinness and a Chicken Balti pie came in at just under a tenner and were both excellent quality. You have to specifically ask for napkins or a fork, neither were handed over willingly. Looking round at the punters there were a few wax jackets and people wearing jeans with shoes and a jacket, but there were also a lot of people who wouldn’t have looked out of place at football. It was also nice to hear a few different Irish accents.  

We headed up to our seats just before kick off an as it was a Rugby game we were allowed to take our drinks with us, which was nice. The stadium was very impressive, a large main stand where the players came out of, with the other three sides of covered seating that all gave an excellent view. Multi coloured seats gave the illusion that there was more than the 4,000 fans in attendance, which is 25% of the total capacity. Although games are supposed to be only open to home fans at the moment, there were a number of Exeter fans there and all wearing club colours. We were near the back of the stand behind the goal and just behind us were lots of Brentford flags that have been left up for the behind closed doors matches during the season.

I didn’t have much of a clue as to what was going on once the match started, the only previous Rugby Union game I had been to was back in 2000 when I saw Ireland play Japan at Landsdowne Road, but Nige provided expert commentary, explaining that Exeter were near the top of the table and ruthlessly efficient at what they do. Whenever Irish got close to the try line the noise in the stadium sounded like far more than 4,000 and Exeter fans also made some noise, including the Native American war chant inspired by their Chiefs nick name, which annoyed Nige immensely. Exactly what the link is between a city in Devon and Native Americans I have no idea, it did seem a bit inappropriate. The action was pretty ferocious at times, the tackles were hard and when there were breaks, some of the players showed real pace and skill, but I was still a little puzzled by it all. There was a bunch of teenage kids behind us who were Brentford fans and were trying to wind people up by cheering for Exeter and making snide comments about the Irish, but no one rose to the bait and they got bored.    

The use of TMO put the farcical implementation of VAR in football to shame, decisions were made quickly with clear information on why the Ref had given his verdict and the action was played back on the big screens in the stadium.  

By half time all of the drink and food had sold out in our section, although I did manage to get a last coffee, which was nice although a bit steep at £2.50. I guess with only this game and Brentford’s up coming play off semi final as the two games they are hosting with fans before the summer it would have been difficult to judge demand.  

Exeter won the game comfortably in the end 31-12, playing with an intensity and professionalism that you need to be right near the top of the game. The fans applauded both sides off the field at the end of the match before heading off to the exits. I would definitely go again, hopefully when the fans are back in bigger umbers and the facilities are all open.

To be honest the best bit was getting to catch up with an old mate, chatting nonsense, having a drink and actually being out. 

We got back to Gunnersbury very quickly and at least it was dry, but my ticket got stuck in the machine as it was still wet! Luckily the lady working there sorted it out for me and I got back to Victoria ok. Sadly a real reminder of the financial impact of Covid came with the fact that just about every food and drink outlet had closed down, no upper crust baguette or Cornish pasty for the journey home. With my clothes still soaked I picked up a cab for last bit of the journey home from Bromley South,

‘You been to Chelsea mate?’ the Cabbie asked, ‘No, London Irish Rugby’, ‘Oh, I’m a football man me’, ‘Yeah me too mate, me too.’

 

Col.        

The Raven That Rose from The Ashes

The original version of this article appeared in the Farnborough & Orpington Local magazines in Match 2021.  

The Raven That Rose from The Ashes

October 1992 was the start of a very difficult period for Bromley FC, having just started their centenary year it should have been a time of celebration, but instead it was marred by the loss of the main stand to two separate fires.

The first destroyed most of the old wooden and the bar, the second a few weeks later put paid to what was left. The club had to play their home games at Croydon FC’s Arena, Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill and on one occasion Walton & Hersham’s Stompond Lane. All cup matches were played away from home that season and the club had to keep going on virtually no income, with players going unpaid for months.

Despite this George Wakeling’s side manged to avoid relegation on the final day of the season with a 2-2 draw at Marlow and also reached the Kent Senior Cup Final against Ashford Town at Priestfield, Gillingham.

The spirit that the team, the club and the supporters showed that season saw Bromley through and it was needed in abundance over the next decade. The Ravens returned to Hayes Lane the following year, but the main aim every season was survival on and off the pitch.

After long serving manager George Wakeling departed for Ashford in January 1999 things on the pitch took a dip for the worse. The season ended in relegation to the Isthmian League Division One where The Ravens would stay for six years. Attendances dipped to below 150 and most season were spent with the club near the bottom of the table, but when former player Jerry Dolke took the club over in 2001/02 things slowly started to improve.

Under manager Stuart McIntyre the club won the London Senior Cup in 2003 with a 1-0 win over Ford Utd at Dagenham, their first trophy in 7 years, and they began to look up rather than down the table. In December 2004 George Wakeling & Billy Smith returned as managers and by May Bromley were promoted back to the Isthmian League Premier Division via the play offs with a 3-1 win at Horsham. A phenomenal achievement given they were fifteenth when the new managers took over. The following year saw consolidation in the Premier Division and they also won the Kent Senior Cup with a 3-2 extra time win over Gravesend & Northfleet.

By now the club had regained ownership of Hayes Lane and were making a series of improvements to the ground and facilities under the guidance of Jerry Dolke. When Mark Goldberg took over as first team manager in 2006/07 the club were eyeing promotion into the Conference South with some high profile singings and this was achieved in dramatic fashion as Bromley beat Billericay Town on penalties in the Play Off Final of May 2007.

Bromley had seemed to have found their natural level in the Conference South with the occasional success in cup competitions, but after a brush with a relegation battle in 2013, the club then started to compete at the top end of the table eyeing promotion to the National League. In 2013/14 they lead the league for a long time before eventually losing in the play offs, but a year later they won automatic promotion as champions.

In their first season in Non League Footballs top division The Ravens finished ninth, with Neil Smith taking over as manager from Mark Goldberg in the February. Smith remained in charge until March this year, with regular mid-table finishes in the league he also took his home town club to Wembley Stadium for the 2018 FA Trophy Final, which they lost on penalties to Brackley Town having lead 1-0 with 21 seconds of injury time remaining. Andy Woodman took over the reins in md-March and has started his term in some style with five wins, two draws and only one loss thus far.

Robin Stanton-Gleaves took over as the club’s owner in 2019, with Jerry Dolke still involved as Director of Football. Major improvements have been made to the Hayes Lane ground with a new stand behind the goal and an extension to the main stand. The players are now full time, with 3G training pitches between the ground and Norman Park, along with an Academy set up and Ladies Teams, plus a superb Community Scheme.    

Due to Covid Restrictions the club have only been able to have two home games with fans in attendance so far this season, screening games live via their website for £9.99, but hopefully they will be back for the next campaign. With the average pre-Covid 19 home attendance up around 2,000 the club are now looking to progress on to the next level again and compete for a place in the Football League. Given how far Bromley FC have come in the last twenty years, you wouldn’t bet against them doing just that. 

Col

Holmesdale Putting Down Roots

 

This article originally appeared in the Farnborough & Orpington Local Magazines.  

Along with Bromley & Cray Wanderers, BR2 also boasts another senior football club in the shape of Holmesdale FC. Based in Oakley Road, Bromley Common, ‘The Dalers’ currently play in the Southern Counties East Football League Division One (level six), although they may be due for promotion if restructuring proposals go ahead across non league football in May.

In the last two seasons under manager Lee Roots, Holmesdale have competed near to top of the SCEFL Division One, before both campaigns were cut short by Covid 19, picking up an impressive points per game average of 2.2, which sees them occupy second in the table over all. Dale play some really attractive attacking football, which was starting to pull in larger attendances before things came to an abrupt halt in November 2020 with the team on an impressive unbeaten run.   

Holmesdale began their current existence in1956 at The Oaks in the Shirley area of Croydon, picking up the history of the original club which had folded in the 1920s, before making the move over the border to Bromley Common in 2000. As well as moving up the football pyramid, all the way to the Kent League Premier Division at one stage (level 5), the club have also steadily improved facilities at their Oakley Road ground with a nice bar, excellent playing surface, floodlights and a new main stand built two years ago that replaced the iconic scaffolding structure which had been put up just over a decade earlier.

The club also has an extensive youth set up and an Under 23s side to provide a pathway into the first team for up and coming local football talent. With many players in the current squad having progressed this way.

Last season admission for games was only £7 for adults and £4 for concessions and prior to the campaign being cut short Holmesdale had progressed to the third round of the FA Vase, which is the furthest the club had ever progressed in the national cup competition that has it’s final held at Wembley Stadium.

The club is run by a friendly band of hard working volunteers and a warm welcome is guaranteed for supporters who make the journey to the ground, which is set back from the main road in a very green and pleasant part of the borough. The ground is surrounded by fields, just down the road from Bromley Common Cricket Club. Dale recently appointed Keith Bird as Chairman who had previously been involved on the coaching side at Bromley & Cray Wanderers.

Hopefully by the start of next season in August 2021 things will be back to some kind of normal, at least to an extent that see fans return to watching football at this level and Holmesdale FC can continue to progress on and off the field whether that’s in the SCEFL Division One or Premier.

Col      

 https://www.holmesdalefc.com/     

London Oldest Club Looking to the Future

 

This article appeared in the Farnborough, Orpington & Petts Wood Local Magazines in March 2021.

London Oldest Club Looking to the Future

 

Cray Wanderers FC were formed in 1860 by workers on the rail line from London to Kent, who were constructing the impressive viaduct that still towers over St Mary Cray village today. Their affiliation with the London FA means they are London’s Oldest surviving football team. The club have lived a somewhat nomadic existence over their 160 year history, which has seen them play at eight different home grounds in the area, the most recent being Bromley FC’s Hayes Lane stadium which The Wands have called home since 1998, having moved there from Oxford Road in Sidcup, which had been their base since 1973.

 

The wandering is due to end within the next couple of years though, as club Owner Gary Hillman has secured a new home ground they can call their own at Flamingo Park on the A20 between Sidcup and Eltham. Along with plans for a main stadium with a 3G pitch, there will also be a number of other pitches and facilities available for the whole community. Although building work has yet to begin on the main stadium the club is already using the pitches on site for pre-season games and their impressive youth set up which runs from Under 7s to Under 18s. The youth system has already produced a number of players who have stepped up into the first team squad and some have moved on to the Football League. 

 

A number of former  professional footballers have graced the Cray ranks including Simon Osborn who played for Crystal Palace, Wolves & QPR, plus ex-Charlton Athletic men Grant Basey, Danny Haynes and currently Bradley Pritchard who  has regularly put in impressive performances in midfield over the last couple of seasons.    

 

Since The Wands move to Bromley, 5 miles form the area they take their name from, Cray have gone from strength to strength on the pitch, rising from the Kent League and now playing in the Isthmian League Premier Division, the highest level in the club’s history (two divisions below the Football League). Last season, first team manager Tony Russell’s side were challenging for promotion to National League South, sitting in second place, when Covid 19 saw the season halted in March with eight games to go and all results declared null and void. They had started this season in similar fashion and had good runs in the FA Cup & Trophy also, only for the campaign to be stopped in it’s tracks again by the virus. With no decision on the rest of the season yet made, it looks likely that again they will see the results wiped from the history books and The Wands won’t be back in action until at least the late summer, when fans are hopefully allowed back in to Hayes Lane for the 2021/22 season.

 

Manager Russell and his coach Joe Vines both played for Cray Wands during their careers and alongside coach Nathan White and physio Ally Maloney they have formed a strong back room team. Widley praised for their attacking and possession based style of play, Cray’s brand of football has many admirers and the entrance fee of only £10 for adults and £5 for concessions means it’s an affordable afternoon’s entertainment for the family, with a friendly welcome from the club’s loyal band of volunteers who keep everything running. The club also issue an excellent programme for every home game priced at just £2 and full of interesting stats and articles. Club historians Jerry Dowlen and Peter Gorringe have also produced several books on Cray Wanderers extensive history and links with the Cray area.             

 

Not deterred by the Covid set backs, which has also understandably seen vital sponsorship form local businesses hit, the club’s CEO Sam Wright recently announced a partnership with V Bet that will help The Wands grow their community links with the area they are set to move to and revamp the club’s merchandise, which should hopefully see their famous amber & black colours being worn by many more locals. Cray Wanderers already has a superb Community Scheme for children in the Cray area, which has been running for over 10 years and engages with youngsters through sport & education.    

 

With so much positive work going on and promising plans for the future, despite these difficult times, Cray Wanderers look set to be on the path to even bigger things on and off the pitch as they head towards their 161^st anniversary this summer eyeing National League football and a home ground of their own.      

 Home Grounds – Star Lane, Fordcroft, St Mary Cray Rec, Foots Cray, Fordcroft, Grassmeade, Oxford Road, Hayes Lane. 

   

https://www.cray-wanderers.com/

 

Just for Kicks – Season 1994/95

It’s probably hard for anyone who wasn’t watching Isthmian League Football in the 1994/95 season to believe that this actually happened, but I assure you that it did. For one season the league agreed with the FA to trial the use of ‘kick ins’. The law change basically meaning that a player could choose to ether throw the ball in as normal or kick it instead. The kick would be treated as a throw in, meaning players could not be offside when receiving the ball, but also you could not score direct with a kick in. The idea being that it would provide more goal mouth incident and encourage more attacking play.

The consequence of the new initiative was that teams quickly worked out if you filled your team with 6ft plus, well built giants, you could use any restart from within 70yards of the opposition goal as a set piece and pump the ball into their box. Most Isthmian League games became a 90 minute series of set pieces and goal mouth scrambles. There were a few teams who refused to use them initially, sticking to the principles of football, but the majority embraced the route one nature encouraged by the rule.

Bromley manager George Wakeling saw his team challenge near the top of the table for the majority of the season, helped by the superb set piece delivery of Joe Francis and the aerial prowess of strikers Carl Richards, Micky Brown, Trevor Aylott and Richard Cherry.

There was one game at home to Molesey where Francis scored, or was directly involved in, three goals within a space of five minutes as Bromley won 4-3. One of the goals saw Francis drive the ball from a kick in directly towards goal, if The Moles keeper had left the ball it wouldn’t have counted, but in attempting to tip the ball over the bar he only got his finger tips to it and pushed the ball into the roof of the net for an own goal! Another incident that is carved into Bromley folklore happened away at local rivals Sutton Utd. With the game tied at 1-1 in the final few minutes, Bromley were awarded a penalty. Richard Cherry saw his spot kicked saved and cleared over the touch line by a home defender. Francis quickly returned the ball into play via a perfectly weighted kick in, which found Cherry still stood on the penalty spot distraught, the striker looked up just in time and headed the ball over the stranded Sutton keeper into the net to make it 2-1 to Bromley and win the game, heralding chaotic scenes behind the goal as the Bromley support went crazy.   

It wasn’t easy for teams to adapt to not using kick ins when playing in other cup competitions and teams selections had to change to allow for different types of players. Bromley entered six cup competitions along with a 42 game league campaign, they exited the FA Trophy, Kent Senior Cup, Club Call Cup and Diadora League Cup at the first time of asking, going one round further in the London Challenge Cup before losing 6-4 away at St Albans City. In the FA Cup The Ravens did beat Bognor Regis Town 3-2 at home before losing in a second replay 1-0 to Gravesend & Northfleet Utd, the home game being watched by 805. The biggest home gate of the season came on Boxing Day when 916 watched second place Bromley lose 2-0 at home to Dulwich Hamlet. The lowest home league attendance being the 253 hardy souls who turned up in the pouring rain for a midweek 6-0 home loss to bottom of the league Marlow at the end of March. The game should never really have been played with standing water all over the pitch, but the Ref insisted it went ahead and the visitors adapted better to the conditions.      

The traditional post Christmas slump saw The Ravens challenge for the top fade, slipping to seventh by the Spring before securing a sixth place finish with a decent run in, including a 5-0 win over Walton & Hersham thanks to goals from Mickey Brown (2), Pat Gordon, Keith Sharman & Frank Coles. Club Legend Coles along with Carl Richards, Andy Salako, Dean Francis, Ollie Adedji and Keith Sharman all played over 40 matches in the 52 game season. Joe Francis finished the season as top scorer.                

Unsurprisingly the Kick Ins experiment only lasted one season before being scrapped. For the football purist it was an anathema, it stifled any creative midfield play at all. For the likes of myself, who like the rough and tumble of lower league football, it was a lot of fun, but we knew it wouldn’t last.                

PREMIER DIVISION

 Pos  Name                            Pld    W    D    L   GF   GA  Pts

   1  Enfield                          42   28    9    5  106   43   93

   2  Slough Town                      42   22   13    7   82   56   79

   3  Hayes                            42   20   14    8   66   47   74

   4  Aylesbury United                 42   21    6   15   86   59   69

   5  Hitchin Town                     42   18   12   12   68   59   66

   6  Bromley                          42   18   11   13   76   67   65

   7  St Albans City                   42   17   13   12   96   81   64

   8  Molesey                          42   18    8   16   65   61   62

   9  Yeading                          42   14   15   13   60   59   57

  10  Harrow Borough                   42   17    6   19   64   67   57

  11  Dulwich Hamlet                   42   16    9   17   70   82   57

  12  Carshalton Athletic              42   16    9   17   69   84   57

  13  Kingstonian                      42   16    8   18   62   57   56

  14  Walton & Hersham                 42   14   11   17   75   73   53

  15  Sutton United                    42   13   12   17   74   69   51

  16  Purfleet                         42   13   12   17   76   90   51

  17  Hendon                           42   12   14   16   57   65   50

  18  Grays Athletic                   42   11   16   15   57   61   49

  19  Bishop's Stortford               42   12   11   19   53   76   47

  20  Chesham United                   42   12    9   21   60   87   45

  21  Marlow                           42   10    9   23   52   84   39

  22  Wokingham Town                   42    6    9   27   39   86   27

 

Enfield won the league, but turned down promotion with Slough taking their place in the Conference. Chesham, Marlow & Wokingham were relegated to Division One.

Twenty six years on Bromley & Sutton Utd are highest placed, competing in the National League. Only Dulwich Hamlet & St Albans compete at the equivalent level. Hayes & Yeading merged in 2009, Enfield split into two clubs, the fan run Town in the Isthmian League with the other in the Essex Senior League.

Wokingham (now merged with Embrook) along with Walton & Hesham have slipped the furthest down the pyramid to county league division one level, while Purfleet changed their name to Thurrock before eventually folding in 2017.      

Col