As a new chapter dawns for Bromley, they need their fans more than ever with unity and togetherness as they fight for League One survival.
Bromley players, staff and fans alike will be waking up to a first matchday without Andy Woodman in charge for the first time since March 2021, as Byron Webster takes interim charge for a crunch clash against Peterborough at 3pm BST at the CopperJax Community Stadium following Woodman’s exit on Thursday (22 October).
His shock departure after just 10 league matches in the Ravens’ first season in League One as the club sat in 23rd position with two games in hand and one point from safety sent shockwaves around the sport, with supporters feeling a mixture of “gutted”, “disgrace”, “shocked” and crucially pride at their successful journey under him.
In just five-and-a-half years, Woodman led Bromley from National League to League Two in 2024, then into League One at the end of last season as League Two champions.
He also guided them to the 2021-22 FA Trophy title and also oversaw their best-ever FA Cup run in the 2024-25 season, as they reached the third round where their run was ended by Newcastle.
That success was also achieved on a tight budget which left supporters naturally anticipating a relegation battle which was made harder by a turnover of player incomings and departures in the summer, which left Woodman with a tricky task of gelling a virtually new squad together.
Throw in injuries to various players and an unfortunate season-ending cruciate injury to key midfielder, Ashley Charles and you had to sympathise with the obstacles stacked against Woodman, yet very few will know the true circumstances of his departure amidst new – yet to be officially announced – investments.
In a recent interview that Bromley’s online streaming channel, BFC TV conducted with Owner and Chairman, Robin Stanton-Gleaves, he admitted that he has “realised that there is a level,” in the difference between League One to that of League Two and National League.
Stanton-Gleaves nevertheless ran out of patience after a lacklustre 4-0 loss at home to Leicester on Tuesday (20 October) evening, with Woodman paying the price even after he admitted in his post-match interview to BFC that the team were “not good enough” performance wise.
It is however worth acknowledging that the club were two years ahead of their ambition to reach the third tier after he stated in a fan forum in 2021 that the initial target was 2028 to achieve League One status, which naturally left a justified mixed reaction as Woodman deserved more time.
Yet football is a “ruthless” game as Webster said in his pre-match preview ahead of today’s showdown against Peterborough, with the Posh sat in 21st position and just one point above Bromley which makes this an absolute must-win for both teams in their quests to survive.
Bromley fans therefore have a dilemma because they can easily go to the match and create a raucous volatile atmosphere protesting the decision to let Woodman leave such is the anger, or they can park that fury aside and create an electric atmosphere to motivate their team.
Having passionately followed Bromley’s journey from afar since the final stages of their EFL promotion-winning campaign in the 2023-24 season, I honestly think that the best option is to just get behind the team for this match at least and Webster wisely addressed those emotions head on in a plea.
“The message is simple, obviously a big figurehead of the club has left. And there’ll be a lot of people talking and having opinions and that is football. Everyone has an opinion and you’re allowed an opinion.
“You know, people pay the money to come to the football. And the gaffer is a great guy who has progressed this club and has had a smile on his face every single time. And has brought the best times to Bromley Football Club.
“The fans will be hurting. The players are hurting, the staff are hurting, the chairman’s hurting, everyone’s hurting. But I’m going to say for me, I need the fans. I need the fans to get behind me. I need the fans to get behind the players. And for I’ll say to be a twelfth man, I need them to be there to benefit the players.
“So selfishly for me please get behind the players.”
One of the biggest elements of Woodman’s reign was the unity and togetherness in his playing squad and now that he is gone, there is no more appropriate fitting tribute that supporters can give him by displaying those two ethics to roar the team on.
I also admired Woodman’s honesty, humility and grounded nature in his interviews because it felt refreshing and no-nonsense unlike many modern managers, and his “not good enough” remark hopefully will fire the players up but they need the fans’ energy too in a massive home game.
Webster though made a valid point about the need “to enjoy the tough times” because football is never simple and those periods test loyalty, so this is a chance for fans to show where their loyalty lies because the reality is that managers of varying success do come and go.
It is therefore appropriate that he called for the club to show their personality from fans’ support through unity and the spirit which summarises the club’s character across their 134-year history.
“Let see the characters now. Let see the people get together, let see the team get together. let see the fans, you know, get behind us and support us as they have.
“But as I’ve said, when you’re winning, everyone’s happy and everything’s easy. Now we need to show our togetherness and the Bromley spirit.”
In summary, it is ok to feel shocked, sad and proud about the success under Woodman but this is a chance for supporters to get behind the team and begin the new era on a positive note, even if it is just an improvement in performance if not result and pay the perfect tribute to Woodman’s legacy through unity and togetherness.
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