Wonder Woody and the Ravens fly high

Andy Woodman

Sports Ground Development Manager of the Year

ECSTASY: Bromley boss Andy Woodman and his players celebrate promotion after their penalty shoot-out success, bottom

PICTURE: Alamy

BROMLEY’s Andy Woodman admitted he can’t wait for next season after being named Sports Ground Development Manager of the Year at The Non-League Paper’s National Game Awards in association with Isuzu.

The former Arsenal and Newcastle United coach led Bromley to the Football League for the first time in their 132-year history, doing so in dramatic fashion as they dispatched Solihull Moors, the side who had knocked them out in the FA Trophy semi-finals, 4-3 on penalties after a pulsating 2-2 draw.

Earning promotion at Wembley was an achievement that stood above anything else in Woodman’s career, and the Ravens boss voiced his anticipation at guiding the club through their first campaign in the EFL next season.

He said: ‘’I’m really excited for the season ahead.

“We wanted to get promoted, to get out of this notoriously tough league.

“It’s tough to get out of for anyone and we’re now in League football and that’s a really important milestone for Bromley.

“I’m going to enjoy all the games really and all the matches, places we’re going to go to.

“It’s a really exciting time for the football club. We know what’s ahead of us to some degree.

“We know it’s going to be tougher but if the fans show the same level of commitment to us, we’ll get through it together.

“They’ve been right behind us, like most supporters up and down the country, and I think most Non-League supporters of football clubs are a unique bunch of people.

“They travel the length and breadth of the country, and they don’t get the rewards or pat on the back.

“Thankfully, we’ve been able to give them the reward of promotion and hopefully we can give them something to cheer about next season as well.”

For Woodman, guiding Bromley into the EFL had become ‘a bit of an unhealthy obsession’, the impetus behind rejecting some attractive offers that came his way while at Hayes Lane, and having caught his white whale, the 52-year-old is loving life at the club.

He added: “This is the first National League managerial post I’ve taken and to be the man at the helm has been a different experience for me.

“I think there were one or two doubters when I got the job, one or two eyebrows raised.

“That surprised me because I’ve been in this game 37 years – I’ve done a 37-year apprenticeship to this day. I would like to think I know one or two things about foot- ball!

“As a manager, you’re non- stop committing to answers and decisions that you have to live and die by, but I don’t mind that, because you have to be brave and to trust your gut and beliefs.

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve had three play-offs, an FA Trophy win and now promotion. To date, it’s gone quite well!

“I know management doesn’t necessarily stay like that for a long period but at the moment we’ve been on an upward curve and hopefully that can continue.

“Without the players and the staff, I don’t stand here. I’m eternally grateful to them.

“The efforts, energy, commitment and the professionalism they’ve all displayed is why I’m here.

“Now I am going to dedicate a bit of time to my family.

TOP BOSS: Andy Woodman, right, receives his award from Matt Evans

“My daughter is pregnant, my son is getting married and this obsession has overtaken all of that so, now, the the obsession is complete.”