Chairman’s Chat

A warm welcome to Arnall Drive to the players,

spectators, and management team of this afternoon’s visitors Bromley Heath United for our first home game of the 2025/26 season.

As we at H&RFC enter our second season since the merger we look forward to further progress on and off the pitch with future plans for works to the clubhouse, fencing and spectator facilities to enhance player and spectator enjoyment.

Last Saturday saw us begin our Gloucestershire County League season with a battling 0-0 draw away at Filton Athletic, the lads played well on a difficult pitch and dug in at the right times to gain a deserved point.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish all managers and players from our four Saturday teams and three Sunday sides an enjoyable and successful season.

Please come and search me out or contact me through our website if you can help with sponsoring a match, player, or pitch side advertising board, or would just like to help and get involved with the running of the club. We are always looking for more help with match days, pitch works, fundraising or just being part of an active committee.

Finally, please remember ‘we win together, we lose together but most importantly we stick together’. #UTHR

Andrew

                 GLOUCESTER COUNTY LEAGUE

Today's Other Matches

Bishops Cleeve Dev. v Wick

Cribbs Reserves v Tytherington Rocks

Filton Athletic v Chalford

Hanham Athletic v Broadwell Amateurs

Stoke Gifford SGS Utd v Sharpness

Tewkesbury Town v Frampton United

HISTORY

Established back in the World Cup winning year of 1966, Bromley Heath United Junior Football Club is the oldest youth football club in the Bristol area. Throughout its 60 year history it has provided football for thousands of children preparing them for the senior game. Some of the more famous ex Bromley Youth players include Louis Carey and Gary Mabbutt.

It wasn't until 2014 that the club decided to introduce a Senior Section to provide a progression for at least some of the youngsters when they finished playing under 16 or under 18 football. Initially there was one senior side playing in the Bristol and District League.

In 2015 Winford PH FC amalgamated with Bromley Heath United FC to triple the size of its senior section and provide the impetus for successive promotions through the divisions of the Bristol and Suburban League. The 2018/19 season saw the 1st team became Champions of the Bristol & Suburban League. A tremendous achievement in such a relatively short period of time. They were promoted to the Gloucestershire County League. However, the first couple of seasons at this higher level were not all plain sailing with players and management having to adjust to a more physical and competitive type of football that required a much higher level of fitness. The disruption caused to football and life in general by the Covid pandemic over this period also made it difficult to maintain any form of progress or consistency. It was not until the 2021-22 season really that the Club started to look at home in the County League, especially in the second half of the season. 

County League, especially in the second half of the season. Team restructuring and creating a blend of young players and experienced players started to pay dividends. This all came to fruition during the 2022-23 season when a very successful County League campaign saw us finishing runners-up in the League not far behind the winners Cribbs and 8 points clear of the third placed team. This was followed up by a 4th place finish the following season and last season we went all the way to the Senior Amateur County Cup Final, only to lose on penalties.

Bromley Heath United Junior and Senior sections now operate as one football club with the same ambitions and hopes for the future. The Junior Section which was the first local club to open a Development Centre as an initial introduction to football for very young children is thriving. They now offer football for every Junior/Youth age group right up to under 18 level. The Senior Section offer a progression into adult football either into the ‘A’ team or the Reserves playing in the 3rd and Senior divisions of the Bristol & Suburban League respectively. The aim is of course to produce players who will eventually become 1st team players.

Bromley Heath United Football Club is based at Pomphrey Hill Community Sports complex in Mangotsfield where all its teams play. The Pavilion offers fantastic modern facilities and includes a Club Sports Bar showing live football and function rooms.

Will Ferguson: Glos County golden glove winner 22-23 & 23-24. Excellent shot stopper with great hands.

Dan Adamson: Reserve team player manager who fills in capably as a defender or goalkeeper.

Fenn Willoughby: Tough tackling full back who likes to bomb up and down.

Joel Mitchelmore: Quick defender with a great engine who is a consistent and reliable performer

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Fletcher Cripps: Great left foot and consistently strong defender. Has real quality and can be a great attacking asset for the team.

Cam Gardiner: Winner of both player of the year awards last season. Physically strong and pacey centre back who loves defending. He has become a real leader in the team.

Nathan Rose: Vocal player with great technical ability and vision. Another strong leader who is a regular goal scorer.

Declan Mannion: New signing from Almondsbury this season. Dominant centre half who can play.

Ben O’Brien: New signing from Longwell Green this season. Centre back who rarely loses a physical battle and has good distribution.

Jake Millward: Another new signing this season. Strong player with a cultured left foot and great striker of the ball.

Charlie Snell: Vocal centre back who enjoys defending. Hoping to put injury problems behind him this season and push on.

Mason Lewis: Great new signing from Longwell Green. Play making midfielder who also wins the ball back from the opposition.

Cam Ford: Central midfield player with a great range of passing. Regularly pops up with goals and assists.

Aidan Noble: 23-24 golden boot for the club. Pacey front man who is comfortable through the middle or out wide. Improving all the time.

Ted Willoughby: Full back or wide player with great energy and will to win.

Ben Ackerman: Physical centre forward who relishes a battle and is a nightmare for opposition centre backs.

Olly Hanham: Pacey wide player who added goals to his game last season. On his day can be a match winner.

Cam Taylor: Young attacker who joins this season. Skilful with a real eye for goal.

Harry Cole: Left footed midfield player who is a good passer of the ball.

Tommy Andrews-Britton: Solid full back with great technical ability.

By Mark Simpson

Here we go again, summer still with us, stiflingly hot, and grassroots football underway. Some interesting matches to start with none of the new Clubs able to win, showing the strength of the League. Wick started looking ominously good as did most of last seasons’ challengers.

At Northway Playing Fields Tewkesbury Town met the challenge of Bromley Heath United. It was a close game with few chances at either end for the first 40 minutes. It was Bromley Heath who took the lead with Mason Lewis given a bit too much space and shot over Isaac Parry’s head. The equaliser wasn’t long coming when a Lee Llewelyn corner picked out Tony Hosking to head in at the back post. Shortly after the interval a mix-up in the Tewkesbury box saw Mitch Greenaway put the visitors in front. From then on Bromley stifled Tewkesbury’s play and held on for a good first win by 2-1.

At the Bellfield Frampton United hosted Stoke Gifford SGS United in a rematch of last weeks Ron Holpin Trophy game, and it looked like it was going to be a similar result as well, with Stoke Gifford starting brightly and they were in the lead within five minutes through Patryk Kosciolek. Frampton slowly got into the game and equalised on 32 minutes, Theo Brown chasing a through ball down, beating the keeper to the ball and crossing for Manolo Marquez to tap home. After a good spell of play from the hosts a Freddie Porter shot was cleared out to Harry Churchley who fired home for 2-1. On 77 minutes Tyler Jagger was brought down outside the box and from the resulting free-kick Marquez sealed a 3-1 Frampton win.

At Hardwicke Playing Fields Tytherington Rocks played their first game back in the County League against Hanham Athletic. Both teams started slowly looking not to concede early on. Hanham created the first chance but were denied by a good save by the home keeper Billy Pullin. Tytherington made chances but strong Hanham defending kept chances to a minimum. Rocks were denied two goals from Toby Waterman firstly for a foul on the keeper and the second for offside. Hanham thought they had scored but were denied by a Jack Pullin goal-line clearance, but overall neither side did enough to win the game and a 0-0 draw was a fair result.

Filton Athletic’s first game back at Elm Park against Henbury and Rockleaze was arguably the match of the day. The first big chance of the day fell to Filton, Fraser Venables winning a header in midfield finding Kieran Cooper who fired wide of Harry Trett’s goal. Shortly after Venables’ free kick caused Trett a few problems but he cleared for a corner. In the 24^th minute H&R’s Kai Elliott cut in from the right and shot over Tom Bradley’s goal, then Cameron Tarr had an effort from distance narrowly over. The home side finished the half strongly with Cooper playing Dan Payne in who tried to lob Trett who made the save and the same two combined again but Payne couldn’t finish. The second half had both teams cancelling each other out. H&R had a couple of chances Elliott’s shot saved by Bradley and the Tasman Rook was denied by the keeper. On 71 minutes Fraser Venables had a free kick in a good position but Trett saved well, and then Kyle Thomas came on to try and win it, and in the last few minutes Venables found him but he shot straight at Trett. A good game ended 0-0.

The seasons opener saw Wick welcome Cribbs Reserves to the Nest. Wick started brightly with their passing game, keeping Cribbs on the back foot for long periods. Despite having a lot of the ball it wasn’t until the 15th minute that Wick had a shot on goal which was well saved by Corey Weir, and a minute later Weir was lobbed and a great clearance kept the scores level. On 30 minutes Keeper Kai Wilson punted long for Cory Langdon who laid back to Louis Short to shot over. Just after Wick got their reward for their possession when George Lloyd fired in from an acute angle for 1-0. Cribbs were still very in touch with things at the break but Wick started the second half as they had done in the first pushing forward and two minutes in Short was away down the middle but shot wide. A minute later the goal machine Langdon latched on to a loose ball to put Wick two in front. On 65 minutes Langdon made no mistake in front of goal for Wick’s third. Wick were now full of energy and a great ball pit Freddie Mogg through on 75 minutes but his effort was well saved. Wick got their fourth when Kai Shellard scored on his debut. Cribbs never gave up and forced Wilson into two fine saves to keep the score 4-0 to Wick.

Totterdown United welcomed Bishops Cleeve Development to Norton Lane for the League opener. Both teams started in a positive manner but it was Totts who took an early lead when George Saunders made a run in behind and cut the ball back to Ollie Lovell who danced through a few Cleeve defenders before slotting home. Shortly after Totterdown doubled their lead with a well worked short corner and Lovell’s shot was directed in by Aaron Thorn. Cleeve hit back ten minutes later with a scuffed shot falling at Dan Beasley’s feet who dispatched it well. Two minutes later Cleeve were awarded a penalty for a challenge by Frazer Clarke. Kian Gardiner dispatched the spot kick for 2-2. cont >

The second half saw both sides huff and puff in the heat on a very dry pitch. Totts edged it missing three great chances and 2-2 it finished and Cleeve happy with their point on the road.

In yesterdays other match at The Hawthorns Broadwell Amateurs slipped up against Quedgeley Wanderers by 2-1. Dan Brain scored for Broadwell with Henry Miles and Finlay Jenner on target for Quedgeley.

LES JAMES LEAGUE CUP DRAW

Preliminary Round

Tuesday 12th August

Tewksbury Town 2 Bishops Cleeve Dev. 1

First Round

Saturday 6th September

 Sharpness v Hanham Athletic

Tewkesbury Town v Filton Athletic

Tytherington Rocks v Cribbs Reserves

Quedgeley Wanderers v Chalford

Totterdown United v Broadwell Amateurs

Bromley Heath United v Wick

Henbury & Rockleaze v Frampton United

Stoke Gifford SGS Utd v Ruardean Hill Rangers

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