'It's dreamland' - Former Newcastle United man opens up ahead of unexpected St James Park return

Bromley manager Andy Woodman has described his side’s FA Cup third round draw against former club Newcastle United as ‘dreamland’.

The League Two club have enjoyed a remarkable year after securing promotion into the EFL for the first time in their history with a National League promotion final win against Solihull Moors in May and they have enjoyed a solid start to life in English football’s fourth tier. After claiming a consecutive 2-1 wins against Gillingham and Accrington Stanley, Woodman’s side has sat in mid-table and could move to within four points of the play-off places with a third consecutive league victory against Port Vale on Saturday afternoon.

However, much of the talk surrounding the Ravens has revolved around their FA Cup run after wins against former National League rivals Rochdale and Solihull set up their third round trip to St James Park. For manager Woodman, the draw proved to be an emotional one as the former Magpies goalkeeper coach returns to Tyneside nine years after leaving the club. The 53-year-old was part of Alan Pardew’s coaching staff as United qualified for the Europa League in 2012 and worked with the likes of Tim Krul, Steve Harper and Rob Elliot before following Pardew to Crystal Palace in July 2015.

Woodman has always spoken of his admiration for Newcastle and has reflected fondly on his time on Tyneside - but the prospect of returning to St James Park for the first time as a manager next month has already provided a somewhat ‘bizarre’ experience for the Bromley boss.

He told the South London Press: “I didn’t have time to react, my phone went mental. It was bizarre. I didn’t have time to jump around. I had this weird feeling we were going to get Newcastle all along, I kept saying it. As the balls were going down, I thought to myself: ‘This is getting more and more realistic.’ I got messages from all the staff still there at Newcastle – it was great.

“It’s going to be nice to go back to a club where I have so many fond memories. I look at Newcastle as working for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. People will argue that they haven’t won much but it’s such a brilliant club. The passion that runs through the place and the whole city is brilliant. I have a real deep affection for Newcastle, it means everything to me. To get a draw like Newcastle, it’s dreamland, isn’t it?”