Bromley complete amazing journey from inspiring a film as Britain’s worst team to the Football League after Wembley glory, writes MATT BARLOW

Bromley was once so bad they inspired a feature film. It was based on a wonderful book by Dave Roberts called ‘The Bromley Boys: The True Story of Supporting the Worst Team in Britain’.

Published in 2008, the story revolves around the 1969/70 campaign when they were relegated from the Isthmian League and the simple charms of following a club generally mired in misery and flirting with extinction as the public under the hundred dropped as they grew up.

Yesterday Bromley defeated Solihull Moors on penalties in front of more than 23,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium to secure promotion from the National League. Next season they will compete in the EFL for the first time in their 132-year history.

“Bromley will bring freshness to the club with a burning desire to get going,” said boss Andy Woodman. ‘A stadium is starting to take shape and there are plans. The work starts in the field. I think it will be refreshing.

“You can see the crowd, what it means to them. I am very happy for everyone involved in the club. It will be a huge boost for the city. We have had some difficult days and above all it is a relief to leave this competition.’

Bromley is the largest borough in London by area with a population of 335,000, so there is no reason why they should establish themselves among the top 92 clubs in the country.

They have a fine heritage and won the first Amateur Cup in 1949 when they beat Romford in front of 90,000 at Wembley.

More pertinently, today they are well-managed and ambitious, and have made steady progress over the past decade to become one of the strongest teams in non-league, winning the FA Trophy in 2022 and regularly in promotional play -offs won.

That he is the man who ultimately takes them on gives Woodman a sense of pride.

He has been Gareth Southgate’s best friend since their days together as an apprentice at Crystal Palace, but while the inquisitive Southgate was always tipped for management, not so many expected Woodman to take the role so naturally.

As a player and goalkeeping coach he had a reputation as a bit of a joker, but since his appointment in 2021 he has turned Bromley into serious contenders, turning down opportunities to move to Gillingham and other EFL clubs because he wanted to repay the transfer fee. confidence from owner Robin Stanton-Gleaves.

“I got a chip on my shoulder because of one or two comments from people I shouldn’t have listened to,” Woodman said after his win. ‘Why don’t they think that an ex-goalkeeper coach can’t be a good manager? That hurt me, but I am grateful to them for that.’

To win the final on penalties there is one advantage over Southgate.

Michael Cheek put Bromley ahead twice. His first goal, just before half-time, was controversial when he sent Alex Whitmore tumbling before finding the net.

Referee James Durkin, son of former Premier League referee Paul, ruled there was no foul. Joe Sbarra leveled shortly after the break, Cheek’s second was a penalty and the second equalizer was scored by Jamey Osborne.

For the fourth consecutive year, the National League promotion final went into extra time.

Bromley substitute Alex Kirk hit the woodwork twice but it was destined for a shootout, with goalkeeper Grant Smith making two saves and captain Byron Webster scoring the winning penalty.

No longer Britain’s worst team. Far from it, in fact. They are flying high and are destined for the EFL next season and Roberts, who passed away in 2021 aged 66, will certainly be looking down on them with a smile.

Managers are often not the only victims

Omer Riza is part of the collateral damage during Watford’s latest management reset. Riza dedicated six years to developing young players across different age groups in the club’s academy, while also coaching the England youth teams for four of those years.

Previously he was youth coach at Leyton Orient, where he acted as caretaker manager and preserved what little was left of the club’s dignity as they crashed out of the EFL in crisis.

This was preceded by a long playing career. He graduated from Arsenal’s academy, moved to West Ham, played in the Netherlands and the EFL before spending six years in Turkish football and returning to England where he began a coaching career in non-league.

Riza has a wealth of experience at all levels of football. He is fully qualified and obtained his UEFA Pro License in 2022 in the company of Steven Schumacher, John Mousinho and Richie Wellens, who are all now in charge of the EFL.

At Orient he worked on the development of young players such as Steven Alzate and Josh Koroma. At Watford with Ryan Andrews and James Morris. In England with Kobbie Mainoo and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens.

When he accepted a first-team role last year as part of Valerien Ismael’s backroom staff, it seemed like the opportunity he had been waiting for, but managers have never seemed more available at Championship level.

Ismael was sacked in March and his coaches left with him, allowing Tom Cleverley to make the move. It can take years of hard work and dedication to climb the coaching ladder. From one day to the next, you can be knocked to the bottom on a whim.

At 44 years old, with more than a decade of solid coaching experience under his belt, Riza knows the score is patiently waiting for the next opportunity.

Ipswich Town’s positive atmosphere has spread far beyond the borders of Suffolk this season. Jim Magilton, a former midfielder and manager at Portman Road, guided Cliftonville to their first Irish Cup win since 1979 on Saturday by beating Linfield. And Jamie Clapham, who was part of the last Ipswich team to gain promotion to the top level with Magilton in 2000, has guided Loughborough Students to promotion through the United Counties North play-offs.

Remeao Hutton topped the EFL minutes among outfield players this season after clocking every minute in 47 league games, which is 90 minutes more than an entire season. This is an oddity of his move in January from Swindon, where he played 27, to Gillingham, where he played 20. Full-back Hutton played 4,230 minutes in League Two. Next in line were Curtis Nelson from Derby and Matt Grimes from Swansea with 4,140 minutes.

Jens Lehmann’s attempt to buy the Invincibles trademark from Arsenal is a transaction with a familiar hint of Premier League arrogance in a year in which Falkirk became the fourth club to complete an unbeaten league campaign in Scotland. The Scottish League One champions came from two down to draw 2-2 with Alloa in front of more than 7,000 spectators on Saturday, thanks to a late penalty from Brad Spencer, son of former Chelsea and Scotland striker John Spencer. Falkirk will join Celtic, Rangers and Kilmarnock as Invincibles north of the border, if Lehmann sees fit.