Columnists

John Lyons: Bromley boss Andy Woodman is writing his own headlines now

John Lyons reflects on Andy Woodman’s remarkable Bromley journey, from taking a gamble on management to guiding the Ravens into League One.

by
John Lyons
30 August 2026

Bromley manager Andy Woodman, centre, celebrates promotion into the EFL in 2024

It was a while ago that I first encountered Andy Woodman – the end of the last century in fact.

Following a successful stint between the sticks for Northampton, ‘Woody’ joined Brentford in 1999.
I was working on the local paper, the Hounslow Chronicle, at the time and soon after we were looking for a player to do a regular column in the paper.
Who better than Andy, a happy-go-lucky, extrovert character? I’d ring him up every other week, have a chat and put his words into print.
Gamble
He was as good as gold talking about the issues of the day and taking the mickey out of his teammates.
Did I ...

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