Why ex-Lion went to Bromley

Former Millwall defender Byron Webster joined Bromley on September 7 after a frustrating year at Carlisle.

It was a surprise choice.

At The Den, he often talking about yearning to be at home with his family.

But he opted to work with manager Neil Smith at Bromley in the National League, doing one division.

He joined two ex-Lions – former right-back Alan Dunne, who is Smith’s assistant, and midfielder Liam Trotter, who had spent a year in the USA at Orange County after four years at Bolton and two at AFC Wimbledon.

Webster said: “I talked to the manager and the owner and Dunney.

“There were better deals out there – but I liked everything that Bromley said and the chairman [Robin Stanton-Gleaves] has been top draw – he has not gone crazy. He looked after the boys over the course of lockdown – at a time when a lot of clubs were struggling.

“So far it has been exactly what I needed. And it is actually easier to get to Bromley from my family in Yorkshire than it was to get to Carlisle.

“The chairman wants success – there are plenty of teams in the league that are not ambitious. But I wanted to win.

“There are big teams in this division like Notts County, Stockport and Wrexham but that doesn’t mean anything. It is what you do on the pitch.

“It has been a good start. The lads are a close group and they work for each other. I have been at teams that are not the biggest but have success and who scrap together and know when it’s time to work and do the nitty gritty.”

Bromley are known to have invested wisely and some opponents have a negative game plan to nullify them.

Webster said: “You get the feeling there’s a respect towards Bromley. We have to accept that. We need to learn to break teams down.

“We have good players but also have grit and determination and we want to be there challenging at the end of the season.”