Andy Woodman – Bromley executed game-plan perfectly

Andy Woodman felt that his Bromley side executed their game-plan “perfectly” as they sank Harrogate to make the perfect start to life in League Two.

Second-half goals from Michael Cheek and Kamarl Grant earned last season’s National League play-off winners a comfortable 2-0 success on the opening day of 2024/25.

And the Ravens boss was thrilled to see his charges pick up where they left off last term.

“I was really conscious that we didn’t go away from what we are about,” Woodman said. “Just because we’ve gone up a league, everyone suddenly thinks that we have got to do something different.

“We know what we are, we are a hard-grafting, high-energy team that will work its socks off, and are dangerous at set-pieces

“The game-plan was the game-plan and that was our game-plan all last season, and we executed it perfectly today.”

Saturday saw Bromley take to the field as a Football League club for the first time in their 132-year history, and although happy to mark such a huge occasion with three points, Woodman insisted that there is no danger of him or his players getting too far ahead of themselves off the back of one result.

“We’ve got to park all the history, all the first win, first clean-sheet and all of that, it has just got to be business now,” he added.

“I’ve just said to the lads in the dressing room that, last season, Sutton won 5-0 in their first game and got relegated, so this counts for nothing today.

“It’s just the first block of the building process for this season.”

Long-serving striker Cheek broke the deadlock just after the hour-mark, with Grant nodding home from a corner to double Bromey’s advantage in the 70th minute.

And Woodman said that it was entirely fitting that talisman Cheek grabbed the club’s maiden Football League goal.

“If there’s anyone that really deserves to be the history-maker then it’s that man – he’s been a stalwart for this football club,” he continued.

“I was delighted that he got the first goal, and I said that to him.”

Meanwhile, Harrogate chief Simon Weaver was left to rue his team’s lack of attacking intent on a day that saw them carry very little threat going forwards.

“I’m not going to be in denial and say that we were absolutely fantastic as an attacking force, because we were powder-puff,” he said.

“We have to challenge the players, it’s not about sugar-coating it, we have to be better.

“We have to create more because it’s a waste of money doing the pitch up like this if we’re not going to get on the front foot.”