EFL boss almost missed son’s Liverpool debut a day after his team were promoted

Andy Woodman has lifted the lid on a historic weekend for his family after his son Freddie made his Premier League debut for Liverpool.

The 54-year-old was already on cloud nine after Bromley sealed League One promotion for the first time in club history a day before.

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Woodman was due to toast his success at Sunday’s EFL Awards, in which he was ultimately named League Two manager of the season.

However, the Bromley boss had cause to celebrate early when his son was thrust into the heart of the Merseyside derby that afternoon.

Prior to Liverpool’s 2-1 win over rivals Everton, Freddie Woodman had only played for Liverpool once – in the Carabao Cup in October.

The Reds’ third-choice goalkeeper – an arrival on a free-transfer last summer – made his Premier League debut for Arne Slot‘s side at Hill Dickinson Stadium following an injury to Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The 29-year-old will now be needed between the sticks with the Georgian sidelined for several weeks, and No.1 stopper Alisson Becker already in the treatment room.

Bromley boss on son Freddie’s Liverpool league debut

Dad Andy joined talkSPORT on Monday and told Ally McCoist that his EFL awards commitments almost kept him from watching.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” the Bromley boss said on Breakfast. “I was at the EFL Awards, just about to get ready to put my suit on. So I must have jumped in the shower.

“I was watching the game. I must have jumped in the shower and come out. And I hadn’t taken a lot of notice.

“Then suddenly the ball went down on his head. And all of a sudden, that was it. I was frozen solid.

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“Super proud,” Soon-to-be League One head coach Woodman continued. “Super proud for Freddie. Anyone who knows him.

“There’s a lot of people who have helped him on his journey. But he’s an ultimate professional. And he works and grafts hard.

“For him to play for Liverpool is fantastic. For him to play in a derby match was brilliant.

“I just spoke to him earlier this morning. And yeah, he’s absolutely made up and delighted with how it went.”

Freddie Woodman made one save during the half-an-hour he was on the pitch, but the one heart-in-mouth moment came with a near mix-up with Virgil van Dijk just outside the Liverpool box.

Fortunately for Liverpool, their homegrown goalkeeper coolly headed away the danger without using his hands.

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‘My heart was in my mouth’

Woodman Sr was jokingly asked by Jeff Stelling whether he would have a word with Bromley No.1 Grant Smith in the same circumstance.

And the ex-Arsenal goalkeeping coach laughed and replied: “Listen, I’ve told Freddie for years. Stay right on your line. Don’t get involved.

“As a goalkeeper, I mean, if you’ve played in goal, you know that that’s that tricky moment. Yours, mine. Yours, mine. What happens here?

“My heart was in my mouth. And I’ve seen Freddie do this so many times. He’s just calm. Whereas I’m like, ‘Oh my God, just put your boot through it.’

“He was fantastic in that moment. It was a horrible moment, that, for a goalkeeper. But thankfully, he dealt with it in the right way.”

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Reaction to Bromley promoted

As mentioned, Andy Woodman had even more cause to celebrate with his own side guaranteeing an automatic promotion place.

The Ravens’ goalless draw at home to Cambridge United had put the League Two leaders on the cusp of a place in the third tier.

Their fate was confirmed after Notts County lost 2-1 to Barnet, leaving them with an unassailable seven-point lead over fourth place.

Three seasons ago, Bromley were playing Oxford City and Kidderminster – next year, they look destined to face Leicester City.

“It’s starting to sink in, especially when I’m hearing the sort of budget I might have against those big boys,” he continued.

“Yeah, it’s great for the football club. The excitement around the place for everyone to start thinking about going to those big clubs is brilliant and a little daunting as well.

“But look, this is why we’re in it. We want to get this club as high as we can, and it is a little bit of a Cinderella story at the moment for Bromley.”

“Ally, I really did [think promotion was possible at the start of the season],” Woodman added.

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“I set out a meeting at the beginning of the season back in July, and I called it Project 73 and broke down every month, every game and what we’ve got to hit every month to hit 73 points to get in the playoffs.

“And the lads really brought into that, and it became our strapline where 73 points would get us in the playoffs.

“We got to Christmas, and the guys just churned through the Christmas month.

“I made a real big thing about the Christmas month, which is where a lot of teams and players and managers lose focus.

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“And these boys didn’t lose focus, and they won all their games over Christmas, and we hit January 1st in first position.

“So then, literally at that point, I called it Project Champions, and the lads just bought into it.

“We’re not champions yet, but we certainly went on a run of games, and we found ourselves where we are.

“And credit to all my staff and major credits to my players, who are an excellent bunch.”