The former Palace man who has made history at Bromley

First-team

24 Jul 2026

There will be a familiar face in the dugout when Crystal Palace travel to Bromley for our second pre-season fixture of the summer on Saturday afternoon (15:00 BST).

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Played for both: Palace and Bromley

Andy Woodman not only spent the first five years of his football career in South London, but was also the goalkeeping coach at Palace from 2015 to 2017.

His formative footballing years were in SE25 at the start of a 17-year playing career. But now he is a successful manager, having taken Bromley from the National League to League One.

Before Woodman arrived, the Ravens had never played in the Football League - now they are in the third tier.

The former ‘keeper won the FA Trophy, led them to the FA Cup third round in 2025 – as well as steering Bromley to two promotions in three seasons.

During his time in South London, Woodman also met close friend Gareth Southgate, with the pair later best men at each other’s weddings and Southgate also being godfather to Woodman’s son Freddie.

When speaking to the Palace matchday programme earlier this year, ahead of the Conference League semi-final with Shakhtar Donetsk, Southgate was quick to point out that Woodman didn’t need any guidance.

“In actual fact, I’ve not had to give him that much advice at all,” Southgate said. “I actually think Andy learned a lot from his time at Palace.

“Working with Pards [Alan Pardew] at both Newcastle and Palace really helped him.

“I think Bromley are pretty direct and the way they play reminds me of how we played at Palace.

“We played to our strengths back then and I think he’s not afraid to do that. Sometimes coaching is just about getting the best out of the players you’ve got.

“A lot of coaches think these days that you’ve got to be seen to be playing a certain way, a certain style. But the reality is you’ve got to win matches.

“Andy’s done that. He’s done an amazing job and deserves every bit of credit.”

Woodman has managed to build a team in his own image. Resilient and capable of overcoming setbacks – a side that never knows when they are beaten.

His achievements are even more remarkable considering his only sole managerial role prior to taking over at Hayes Lane was a short stint in charge of Whitehawk in the National League South.

Woodman’s next challenge will be the biggest yet, as he aims to keep Bromley in League One.

Their form at Hayes Lane will be vital, as it was last season when they went unbeaten on home soil in the league.

It means the Eagles can expect a tough workout in their second pre-season friendly of the summer – which will be live on Palace TV+.

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