Sacked EFL boss feels ‘misled’ after brutal firing despite two promotions in three seasons

Andy Woodman has lifted the lid on his shock Bromley exit after being sacked by the League One club. The promotion-winning manager was dismissed on October 22 after five-and-a-half years in charge of the Ravens. Woodman guided the club from the National League into the third-tier following his appointment in March 2021. He also lifted the FA Trophy in 2022 prior to their play-off final victory at Wembley Stadium two years later. However, he has admitted he was left ‘upset’ at the manner of his exit following a 4-0 defeat to Leicester City last month. It came amid a run of just one win in 10 league matches since their opening weekend victory at Barnsley. Those results had left Bromley 23rd in the table following their promotion as League Two champions last season. Despite Woodman’s historic success in charge, though, he was told his tenure was over in a meeting lasting less than four minutes. Reflecting on his exit, the 55-year-old told the Inside the 72 podcast: “I think there’s loads of ways of speaking to people and trying to sort of toe the line, but I think you’ve just got to speak honestly. “The easiest way I can sum this up is that when I got the job at Bromley, my first game was Wealdstone and my last game in the league was Leicester. “I was pretty disappointed and pretty upset. It felt like I’d been misled, in numerous ways. “To give five-and-a-half years of your life to a club and a fanbase that I really loved and bought into, where I gave everything I had, to then be told in no more than three or four minutes ‘thanks’. That was it really. “There’s no other way of dressing it up. That’s the truth. I’m disappointed, but that’s football as we know it guys. Unfortunately it never, ever surprises us.” Prior to winning promotion under Woodman in 2024, Bromley had never played in the Football League during their 132-year history. They are now into their maiden campaign in the third-tier of English football. Meanwhile, Woodman improved on the previous season’s league finish in his final four full campaigns as manager. talkSPORT verdict Former Premier League boss Alan Pardew was critical of Bromley’s decision to sack Woodman following his departure. The pair previously worked together at West Ham United , Charlton Athletic, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. Woodman had been the goalkeeping coach during Pardew’s tenures in charge of each club. Speaking to talkSPORT Breakfast on October 23, he was asked if he was disappointed to see Bromley part ways with Woodman. Pardew admitted: “Yes, I am. I’m glad you brought it up actually because on my show, The Final Word, he will be our Clown of the Week, that chairman, Robin Stanton-Gleaves. “Ridiculous. They’re a non-league team, and Andy Woodman has taken them not just to an FA Trophy final, which they won by the way, they’ve never done it before. “He takes them through the National League and then into the Football League; he takes them on a National League budget through League Two. They get to League One, they’re still on a League Two budget, really. “And after ten games, he dispenses with his services as if to say, ‘Well, it was all about me and nothing to do with Andy Woodman’. Bromley's league positions under Andy Woodman *Appointed midway through season 2020/21: Seventh in the National League* – Beaten in play-off quarter-final 2021/22: 10th in the National League – Won FA Trophy 2022/23: Seventh in the National League – Beaten in play-off semi-final 2023/24: Third in the National League – Promoted via the play-offs 2024/25: 11th in League Two 2025/26: 1st in League Two – Promoted as champions “It’s ridiculous, and I think that it’s probably the injustice you see sometimes in the game. That hurts, and that hurt me yesterday.”