A Trip to see The Gills

 Saturday 27^th October 1984 was my first ever visit to Priestfield, on a rare Saturday off work for my Dad he took me and my cousin Mike to the Third Division match against Bradford City, we caught the train up from Bromley South and walked through the roads of tightly packed terraced houses until we saw the floodlights and eventually found our way to pay at the turnstile and sit in the old wooden Gordon Road stand.

I was 13 and it was all very exciting, although I’d been regularly watching Bromley for a few years play in the Isthmian League, this was back in the days when they got a few hundred at Hayes Lane and The Ravens were nowhere near the Football League. In fact the only professional game I had seen before this was a friendly between Portsmouth & Chelsea when we were on holiday at Southsea back in 1978. There was so much crowd trouble that day that we had to leave before the end on police advice! It was a million miles away from the match day experience at Hayes Lane.

I’d been fascinated by the massive floodlights you could see from the train at Gillingham when going to the coast and my Dad had promised we could go to a game there when we got the chance. I don’t remember too much of the game other than that it ended 2-2, Tony Cascarino scored, we’d seen him play for Crockenhill against Cray Wands not that long before, and although the crowd was 3,896 it seemed much bigger to a kid who was used to attendances of around 250/300.     

 

Almost thirty nine years later (blimey!) history repeated itself, as I took my 13 year old son to his first Football League match at Priestfield to see The Gills play MK Dons. His interest in Gillingham had come from playing as them on FIFA, finding out at the time they had two ex-Bromley players in the team in Brandon Hanlon & Josh Rees and also that it was only half an hour away by train.    

                

I’d promised to take him to Gillingham a while back, but reporting on Bromley & Cray Wands games for KSN  leaves little scope for free Saturdays, until this week when Cray were drawn away in the FA Trophy and Bromley travelled to York City in the National League. A quick look at The Gills website confirmed they were at home and tickets were available, so it was game on.

Fair play to Gillingham the process of buying tickets off the website was very smooth and it actually worked out the same cost as Bromley! £22 for me and only £7 for Mikey to sit in the main stand, I even got to pick our seats in the main stand, (although it turned out I didn't choose very well!). We followed the same route as I did back in 1984, getting the train from Bromley South to Gillingham and walking up to the stadium. I knew he’d want to visit the club shop, so I allowed a bit of extra time and money in my wallet!

We made our way up from the station, noting that the Southern Bell pub where Bromley fans had gathered back in 1992 for the pre-match meet prior to the Kent Senior Cup Final was still open. Going past the Sainsbury's Local that seems to do very well out of Gills games and round the corner to the main stand, but on arrival at the ground we found that the 'Mega Store' was shut. We hung about til 2pm just in case it opened then, but the shutters stayed down, slightly disappointed we headed inside. Being a dinosaur it's still strange for me to have the tickets for a game on my phone, but it all went very smoothly and with plenty of time on our hands we decided to pick up the excellent programme and check out the catering options. The headline news was no chips, or burgers for that matter, but the sausage roll was nice and Mikey enjoyed his footlong hot dog a lot, the prices weren't too bad either, this plus two bottles of drink was £12.50. 

We were in Block A at the end of Row G, close to where the players come out, which was a great spot apart from the fact we had to look through a barrier to see the Rainham End goal, but if you moved around in your seat you could see everything just about. The wee man was very impressed with the stadium as a whole, it occurred to me that none of the ground was the same as when I had first visited, or when Bromley had won the Kent Senior Cup here in 1992 and Cray Wands the Kent Senior Trophy a year later, all four sides had been re-built during the mid to late 90s.

With the sacking of Neil Harris in the week prior to the game there was extra interest in how things would be and also the strange coincidence that Bromley's manager Andy Woodman was currently 6/1 in the betting to be the new Gills boss, having previously been linked with the job before Harris' appointment. 

I was interested in getting Mikey's perspective on how the standard of League Two football compared to the National League, with Gillingham and MK Dons both towards the top of the table we knew it would be a decent game. 

By the time the game kicked off with 6,119 punters in attendance the atmosphere was really good, on an unseasonably hot October day. MK Dons fans, housed partly in the 'temporary' stand behind the goal and also in two blocks of the Gordon Road stand, did their best to be heard, while home fans in the Rainham End made a healthy racket. 

The match got off to a frantic start and the intensity of the play didn't really let up all afternoon. Ethan Coleman was the only ex-Bromley player on show today and having impressed at Hayes Lane on loan last season from Orient, he looked a very decent player in the Gills team. Interim manager Keith Millen had obviously told the players to be a bit more attacking and The Gills had the best of the early play. After Ashley Nadeson had gone off injured the introduction of Macualey Bonne proved to be pivotal to the home team making their dominance count as he scored the opening goal on 26minutes with a great finish after winning the ball in midfield. I'd seen Bonne play for Orient in the National League and knew he was a very decent forward, but he looks to have got even better. Gillingham could have had more, but for some good goalkeeping from Craig MacGillvray in The Dons goal.

1-0 at half time and Grahm Alexander the MK Dons manager made two attacking changes introducing Jonathan Leko and Ellis Harrison, I remembered Leko from his time as a teenager at West Brom in the Premier League. The away side now attacking the end we were closest to began to look danergous, but Jake Turner and his defence looked pretty solid. Ten minutes into the second half and The Gills were 2-0 up, Tom Nicholls dispossessed Leko in midfield and took the ball to the edge of the area before drawing the keeper and squaring it to Scott Malone to finish just inside the area and take the plaudits from the fans behind the goal. The game then took a turn just after the hour as the home side sat back and MK Dons began to press. Turner made a couple of really good saves, before their visitors' pressure paid off on 82minutes when Leko broke down the right and crossed for his fellow sub Harrison to powerfully head home and make it 2-1. This made for a tense finish to the game, but after some more resolute defending and a bit of time wasting in the corner Gillingham held on for the win with The Dons' Daniel Harvie getting a second yellow card in the six minutes of injury time as their frustration boiled over.

As the full time whistle went and we clapped the players off, Mikey said he's really enjoyed the match and would like to come again one day.

When I asked him about the standard of football he said 'intense' and that Bromley would need some new players if they went up this season!  

A quick walk back to the station saw us on the 5:30 back to Bromley, the MK Dons fans on there were dancing up and down the train doing a drunken conga, much to the confusion of non football going passengers and Mikey who didn't understand why they were so happy as they'd lost!

All in all a really enjoyable afternoon's football and one we'll probably do again if we get the chance, I'll just choose better seats next time!   

Col.          

                         

       

Jerry Dolke Departs

 

When Bromley have announced that Director of Football Jerry Dolke would be stepping down from his role at the end of the season it heralded the end of a very special era at the club.

Dolke played for Bromley from 1987 to 1990 and was a very popular figure with the supporters, he then returned to take over ownership of the club in 2001 and steered Bromley from the bottom of the Isthmian League Division One South all the way to the National League in 2015, winning several cups and promotions along on the way.

Not only did things improve significantly on the pitch, but the club also re-secured ownership of the Hayes Lane ground and made huge improvements to the facilities. The upstairs bar and the five a side pitches behind the benches end were massive strides forward at the time and the ground looked like it had bene given a much needed face lift. In 2019 Jerry passed over the ownership to Robin Stanton-Gleaves and took up his current role with The Ravens.

Jerry and his wife Julia have been part of the fabric of the club since 2001 and their hard work and dedication has been at the core of the rise up the pyramid and establishing it’s place in the local community, while maintaining a superb relationship with the club’s fans. Jerry played for the Hayes Lane Ultras FC supporters team on occasions and also donated a full first team kit to the team, which they wore with pride. He also organised an annual game on the pitch at the end of the season for HLUFC against his veterans team.

The announcement that Jerry would be leaving was greeted with an out pouring of gratitude from supporters on social media and also sadness at the end of a very special era at Hayes Lane.

Hopefully Jerry will be recognised in some form by having part of the new buildings/stands at the ground named after him. To be honest he actually deserves a statue!   

 

Colin Head                  

It’s Not Just a Cat

 

When rumours started to circulate last week than Gareth the Stadium cat at Bromley FC’s Hayes Lane ground was going to be moved on to pastures new there was a general wave of disappointment and concern for the old moggy, but it wasn’t just the animal’s welfare that was the cause for annoyance it was what he stood for. 

Bromley FC are in a great position at the moment, sitting fourth in the National League at the highest level they have ever played at, with eyes on a promotion to the Football League. The old Hayes Lane ground has had a remarkable make over including new stands, floodlights and ongoing work on hospitality facilities. They run successful Ladies, Under 23, Academy & children's teams, plus a superb Community programme that reaches out to people across the whole borough. There is so much to be positive about and attendances have gone from a few hundred to around 2,000 for a home game in a decade.   

With progress comes change though and that’s not always easy for long standing fans like myself to go along with. In recent times the club has changed the badge, the kit (no more black shorts) and club colours (now incorporating gold). The old photos of teams past that used to hang in the bar were left in a pile in the club shop and eventually sold off to fans just before the pandemic. Spectators can no longer pay cash on the gate to see a game, tickets are purchased in advance from the website, there’s no more deciding at 2pm ‘I fancy seeing Bromley play this afternoon’. The board carrying names of supporters who sponsored seats in the old benches end back in 2014 to ensure the club could compete in the play offs has disappeared and the pictures of cup winning teams that adorned the walls of the entrance to the hospitality venues have been painted over for a more corporate neutral feel. 

Little things really, but it felt like the past was being air brushed out. Then came the news of Gareth’s intended relocation, a uniquely non-league quirk of a cat living in the ground and generally being part of the fabric of the club. The cat has been living at Hayes Lane for years and was named after former player Gareth Williams who was a red headed striker from the 2007 promotion winning side. 

At times it’s felt like when you get into a band who plays in small club venues and then they move up to playing in front of a few thousand in arenas and you find yourself sharing the experience with a whole lot of people you don’t know and have a very different take on what the band stand for. You still love the band and their music, but it’s not going to be the same.                         

Gareth’s impending fate felt like a bridge too far in the club’s move to a more professional feel and within hours of the rumours reaching social media #savegareth was a thing. Within days of the impromptu campaign the club had changed it’s mind and the cat was staying put. It was good news, not only for Gareth himself, but for the fact that it proves the club still listens to it’s fans old and new with their concerns. The club are in the process of setting up a fans group to liaise with them and discuss issues like this. It has also since emerged the name of fans who sponsored seats will be recorded in the new facilities at the back of the Glyn Beverly stand when work in complete.

So although things have change beyond recognition at Bromley as it’s moved forward in the last few years, the spirit and a soul is still there.    

Col.  

PS. 

Less than a month after I wrote this Gareth was evicted from Hayes Lane and moved to Beckenham Town FC, where he is reported to be very happy. Maybe that soul i referred to is in more trouble of being lost than I thought.     

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.