226. The Bromley Boys; movie review

THE BROMLEY BOYS
Cert PG
106 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

I have loved football since I can remember and, on September 7, I mark 50 years of watching my first live game with my mum and dad.
Last Monday, I sat next to them at Wembley to see a team which we watched in England's top division for more than 30 years, win promotion from Division 4.
Yes, we have fallen a heck of a long way and this season the team visited grounds in Accrington, Yeovil and Wycombe.
That is the same Wycombe which played in the Isthmian League back in 1969-70 against Bromley FC.
Back in the 1980s I reported on many non-league football matches and was fascinated by the loyalty of fans who, after the match, would share a beer with their team in their social clubs.
Therefore, I am at one with the intoxication of Dave Roberts, the author of The Bromley Boys.
Steve Kelly's movie is an adaptation of Roberts' book, set in his teenage years when he became and ardent fan of the team from south-east London.
It portrays Dave, played with deadpan humour by Brenock O'Connor, as a geek with no school friends who finds his calling (and friends) at Bromley's Hayes Lane ground.
There are some wonderful footy flashbacks during the film, including the Shoot! soccer ladder which I used to create every summer, only giving up when it became clear within a month that Coventry City were not going to challenge for honours.
The movie is packed with nostalgia from the set up of Dave's home and the old-fashioned ways of his parents (Martine McCutcheon and Alan Davies) to the three-piece suit of Bromley's glamorous striker (Ross Anderson).
Meanwhile, alongside the travails of his football team, Dave makes a clumsy discovery of girls in the shape of the daughter (Savannah Baker) of the club's dodgy chairman (Jamie Foreman).
The Bromley Boys isn't just for football fans - Mrs W enjoyed its whimsy.
Indeed, pernickety fans might point out a few of its failings (eg Bromley are never seen to win a game and yet their battle against relegation lasts until the final game) and its central plotlines are a bit daft.
But it resonated so heavily with me that it left me with beaming smile and a desire to watch some more old footy videos.

Reasons to watch: It took me back to a wonderful age of football
Reasons to avoid: Its plot is a bit daft

Laughs: Three and plenty of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Director quote - Steve Kelly: "It is a lovely story, set in the 1970s, of a little kid with a big dream - to be manager of Bromley FC."

The big question - Did Dave ever find love outside of Bromley FC?

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