INSIDE THE EFL: The secrets of Bromley’s non-stop success including the three criteria that every new player must meet, a dominant academy and the power of a pre-match Nando’s!

When Bromley captain Byron Webster stepped up to the penalty spot at Wembley last May, history beckoned.

Score and Bromley’s place in the EFL for the first time in their 132-year history would be secured. Miss and another season in the National League after a third play-off defeat in four seasons potentially awaited.

Webster smirked, raised his eyebrows and sent Solihull Moors keeper Nick Hayes the wrong way to write himself into legend.

The fact he did it while wearing an EFL armband – in the National League play-off final – only added to a supreme sense of confidence and fate.

‘There was something about the energy that you just felt we were going to win,’ Ravens chief executive Mark Hammond recalls to Mail Sport.

‘I can’t write or describe it, but it just felt like it was meant to be, that this was our time, this was our moment.

Andy Woodman’s side are in the Football League for the first time in the club’s 132-year history

Bromley CEO Mark Hammond (right) lifted the lid on the club’s astonishing rise to Mail Sport

‘When I saw Webby (Webster) walk out, my first thought was he was going to have a John Terry moment, but he always delivers.’

Webster had actually been wearing the EFL armband for the final few months of the season, as if to manifest promotion, with the 37-year-old later admitting he is superstitious; even if it was a move that often riled up opponents.

Nevertheless, the defender’s decisive intervention was the pinnacle of Bromley’s rise through the South London, Southern, London, Kent, Spartan, Isthmian, Athenian and National Leagues all the way to the EFL.

‘That moment captured years of hard work and belief,’ Hammond adds. ‘I didn’t even cheer or celebrate, I just sat there and had a deep sigh of relief and went “f***ing hell”.’

Hammond is perfectly placed to give insight on Bromley’s rise. Having played for the club, he returned in 2013 as first-team coach. He has since built and ran the club’s academy, served as assistant manager and was then appointed CEO in 2022.

At the start, Hammond balanced his work as a PE teacher and deputy head with impacting a National League South outfit that had flirted with administration for several years.

‘The club that it is now is not the one that it was then,’ he adds. ‘But it always had the potential, because of where we were based in a community that is quite affluent in the biggest borough in London.’

Throughout Bromley’s astonishing ascent, there has been a focus of making sure the club – who only went full-time in 2015 – are at the heart of that community, with the education-focused youth setup Hammond launched growing from 30 to 326 kids.

Byron Webster had an EFL armband on when he scored the winning penalty in the play-off final

Throughout their rise, Bromley have focused on making sure their stadium is a community hub

The Ravens have enjoyed an impressive start to life in League Two as they sit in 12th place

There have been plenty of success stories. Ben Krauhaus (Brentford), Kellen Fisher (Norwich) and Ollie Tanner (Cardiff) are just a few of the footballing alumni, while academy products regularly feature in matchday squads.

Chairman Robin Stanton-Gleaves, who became sole owner in 2020, has also been integral, with Hammond hailing him as a ‘father figure’.

The entrepreneur, who is Bromley born-and-bred, focused on investing in staff and infrastructure, which has helped the club’s Hayes Lane ground become a community hub with top-level facilities – and EFL figures have been left impressed by the environment.

This has helped Bromley’s attendances rise from 1,380 in their first National League season to 3,561 in 2023-24 – a 258 per cent increase – and there is a renewed focus on attracting a younger generation of fans.

In fact, the agent of one Bromley player commented to Mail Sport how well-run the club is, with the facilities viewed as very impressive for the level.

They similarly remarked on the positive atmosphere, and highlighted how their client is thoroughly enjoying their time at Hayes Lane.

Astute recruitment is something that has been crucial in helping the Ravens to compete with larger clubs. ‘It’s key to get the right person with the right mindset and work ethic,’ adds Hammond, who admits Bromley began operating like an EFL club way before promotion.

In fact, Bromley have three rules when it comes to signing players: 1) They must not have a significant injury record; 2) They should live locally; 3) Outfield additions need to be able to play in more than one position.

Owner and chairman Robin Stanton-Gleaves (centre with trophy) has been integral in the rise

The Bromley born-and-bred entrepreneur was hailed as a ‘father figure’ by Hammond

But perhaps the most important figure of all is boss Andy Woodman, who was identified in 2021 as someone to take the club forwards, despite having just 18 games of managerial experience at National League South side Whitehawk in 2017.

Woodman was a long-serving goalkeeper coach under Alan Pardew at Newcastle, West Ham and Crystal Palace, while he was once head of goalkeeping at Arsenal.

The 53-year-old, who is now the sixth longest serving manager in the top four divisions in England, has won 90 of his 209 games – along with the FA Trophy in 2022 – and his man-management skills have been widely hailed.

This includes a unique tradition of Bromley’s squad going for a team Nando’s the night before away games.

‘Woody just wants everybody together,’ Hammond explains. ‘When you’re at hotels you end up going to your room, not thinking about bonding, but the Nando’s brings people together. It’s a bit of light-hearted fun and creates a connection.’

This custom even saw new signing Harry McKirdy go viral last week after he undertook his initiation song to a less than impressed branch of the popular restaurant.

Sources told Mail Sport how highly the Bromley boss is viewed within the game, while he is also recognised as a coach who is willing to give younger stars a chance.

There have been admiring glances, with Woodman regularly linked to clubs higher up the pyramid after leading Bromley to the play-offs in 2020-21 and 2022-23 before they finally got over the line last season.

Woodman (left) was a long-serving goalkeeper coach to Alan Pardew at a variety of clubs

The 53-year-old has gained rave reviews for his work in outperforming much bigger sides

That promotion was celebrated well, but there was no time to dwell as the club underwent the busiest summer of their lives preparing for the EFL. This included being forced to replace their artificial surface at Hayes Lane due to EFL regulations. The pitch, which raked in £500,000 annually given its community use, has since been relocated to next to the stadium.

‘It was possibly the most intense period in my career,’ Hammond adds. ‘We had 10 weeks to rip up the pitch, upgrade the stadium, upgrade the staff, train them up and pass all the EFL regulations… plus there was the transfer window.’

There was an adaptation period and Bromley have been streaky – a run of nine league games without a win left them 22nd in October, before a 12-game unbeaten run to close out 2024, then going six without a win in January and early February. But they have definitely taken to this level, aided as ever by the 15 league goals of top scorer Michael Cheek – only Wimbledon’s Matty Stevens, with 16, has more.

Cheek is a club legend who scored Bromley’s first ever Football League goal and now has 122 in all in the best part of six seasons in south London.

Bromley sit 12th, just seven points off the play-offs, and added to an already historic season with their first ever foray into the FA Cup third round, which earned them a trip to Newcastle. It culminated in a 3-1 defeat after Cameron Congreve’s stunning strike had put Bromley 1-0 up.

Yet, despite what’s already been achieved, Bromley aren’t planning on stopping just yet. Moves are already underway to upgrade the academy from Category Four to Category Three, something that will increase the funding they receive and enable the club to register players from the Under 9s age group.

There are also proposals to improve the stadium, including the building of a new East Stand that will hold 2,000 supporters, plus a desire to strengthen the squad further come the summer.

‘I’m honoured and humbled for what I’ve built and what I’ve been allowed to build by the chairman,’ Hammond says. ‘Without him I wouldn’t have been able to fulfil a dream. Sometimes you’re in your own bubble and don’t realise quite what you’re doing and what you’ve achieved.’

Pre-match Nandos are a tradition before away games for Woodman and Bromley and new signing Harry McKirdy sang his initiation song  inside one of the restaurant’s branches 

Bromley’s rise has been astonishing, but there are plans to take the club even further

Blackburn bounce back 

It’s been a tough few years for Blackburn Rovers amid off-field problems, ownership concerns, budget cuts and a general sense of drift.

The situation hit a new low last week when John Eustace made the shock decision to join Derby and switch a play-off push for a relegation battle, making it the second successive campaign that a manager has chosen to leave Ewood Park on their own accord.

But, a new hero has arisen in the long-serving David Lowe after he gave fans a reason to be cheerful again.

The 59-year-old interim boss, who joined the club back in 2011 as head of youth coaching, oversaw back-to-back 2-0 wins over West Brom and Plymouth across the past seven days.

The victory over the Pilgrims, which was watched on by Blackburn’s Premier League-winning boss Sir Kenny Dalglish, left Rovers in fifth place in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Eustace’s first game at Derby ended in a 4-0 thrashing by QPR, something that would no doubt have drawn a wry smile up in the north west.

Blackburn Rovers bounced back from John Eustace’s departure with back-to-back 2-0 wins

Long-serving staff member David Lowe has taken interim charge after Eustace joined the Rams

Burnley close in on history 

Burnley’s remarkable defensive record was highlighted in this column a few weeks ago when we pointed to their 22 clean sheets and 820-minute streak without conceding a goal in the Championship.

The Clarets’ part-owner and former NFL legend JJ Watt even joked to goalkeeper James Trafford that he would come out of retirement to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, who Trafford supporters, if he does not concede again this season. 

Well, Burnley are showing no signs of slowing down after two more shutouts since then – plus one in their FA Cup win over Southampton – and Trafford has now racked up 24 in total, with the last goal Scott Parker’s side shipped in the league coming 1,000 minutes ago.

The most ever clean sheets in a single season in English football was in 1953-54 when Port Vale kept 30 in the Third Division, while the highest in a second tier campaign is 26 by Sunderland in 1995-96.

Elsewhere, QPR’s 25 in their promotion-winning campaign of 2010-11 is a record since the division was rebranded to the Championship in 2004.

With 13 games still to play, Burnley look on course to smash these achievements and more, although they have fallen five points off the pace in the race for automatic promotion.