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.
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