Bromley to Wembley
Words: Tom Stanworth
Images: Tom Stanworth
Every Saturday we follow
The boys in black and white
Andy Woodman’s army
We’re fuckin dynamite
FA Trophy winners
In 2022
I know you won’t believe us
But we’re going to League Two
The Bromley faithful have sung it all season and now you’d better believe them, after The Ravens’ thrilling National League Promotion Final victory at Wembley vs. Solihull Moors took them to the Football League for the first time in their 132-year history.
In two recent seasons, Bromley have scraped into the promotion playoffs and been defeated either in an away quarter-final ‘eliminator’ or an away semi-final.
This season’s third placed finish meant they skipped straight to a home semi-final which supposedly made the path to promotion more straightforward. But that was far from the case.
Things looked bleak at half-time in their semi-final vs. Altrincham at a sold-out Hayes Lane with Bromley trailing 1-0, having played poorly and lost Brentford-bound midfield star Ben Krauhaus to injury early on.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC.
But an outstanding second half performance and a three-goal blitz in front of a packed North Terrace saw them through to the final. There were jubilant scenes after the game – billed as the biggest home fixture in the club’s history – with a mass pitch invasion.
The final was the biggest game in the club’s history on any ground and certainly lived up to the occasion. Momentum swung to and fro throughout the 90 minutes against a very good Moors side, ending in a 2-2 draw.
Bromley had the better of extra time and hit the woodwork twice, but with no further score the outcome had to be decided by spot kicks. Bromley’s winning penalty was cooly despatched by veteran defender Byron Webster who appropriately was wearing an EFL captain’s armband.
Bromley’s increasing league crowds on the run-in, plus big attendances for the semi-final and final (the 23,374 Wembley crowd included 16,000+ Bromley supporters) bodes well for their ability to draw bigger crowds on a regular basis in League Two, having averaged 2,637 for the regular league campaign in 2023/24.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
In preparation for the 2024/25 season, work begins immediately to rip up the artificial pitch at Hayes Lane and lay a grass pitch in order to meet Football League regulations. Taking it back to nature seems appropriate given the stadium’s setting, with adjacent fields home to horses, ponies, goats and geese.
Amidst Bromley’s rise, it shouldn’t be forgotten that there were once tough times. The book ‘The Bromley Boys’ by the late Dave Roberts is a true account of supporting Bromley through thin and even thinner in the late 1960s and early 1970s as The Ravens fought for survival in the lowest non-league division.
From “the worst football team in Britain” to the Football League - that is quite the story.
Don’t stop believing.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Wembley arch.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC vs Solihull Moors. Wembley.
©Tom Stanworth/ Terrace Edition. Bromley FC. Hayes Lane Stadium.
You can find Tom on X and Instagram: @tmstanworth
