Russell Bromage

Russell Bromage (born 9 November 1959) is an English former footballer who played as a wing-back. In a 14-year career in the Football League he made 467 league and cup appearances, scoring 16 goals.

Bromage spent ten years with Port Vale from 1977 to 1987, winning the club's Player of the Year award in 1980–81, and being named on the PFA Team of the Year (Fourth Division) in 1982–83 and 1984–85, as the club were promoted out of the Fourth Division in 1982–83 and 1985–86. He played 402 games for the club in all competitions, scoring 15 goals. He also spent a brief part of 1983 on loan at Oldham Athletic. He was sold to Bristol City for £25,000 in August 1987, helping the club to win promotion out of the Third Division in 1989–90. He moved on to Brighton & Hove Albion for a one-season spell in 1990–91, in which he was loaned out to Maidstone United. He later entered Sussex non-League football with Southwick, Littlehampton Town, Shoreham and Whitehawk.

Career Port Vale Bromage joined the Port Vale youth team on account of his father, who supported the club. He joined as an apprentice after leaving school and was named as the club's most promising youngster of the 1975–76 season. He was named on the substitute's bench in the Debenhams Cup of the 1976–77 season, but was not played by manager Roy Sproson. He used the £300 prize money to take himself and teammates Phil Sproson, Neville Chamberlain, Mark Chamberlain and Andy Higgins on holiday to Corfu. He served as club captain and was rated as an excellent captain by teammate Robbie Earle.

However, he refused to sign a new contract for the 1983–84 season, as did teammates Geoff Hunter, Barry Siddall, and Terry Armstrong.

Bristol City Bromage was sold to Terry Cooper's Bristol City for £25,000 (and Lawrie Pearson) in August 1987. City reached the Third Division play-offs in 1987–88, however, lost out to Walsall in the final. An eleventh-place finish followed in 1988–89, before promotion was finally won under Joe Jordan in 1989–90, as City finished in second place, two points behind rivals Bristol Rovers. However, Bromage was sidelined for 13 months after undergoing surgery on both of his Achilles heels. In all he played 46 league games for the club, scoring one goal.

Later career Bromage joined Barry Lloyd's Second Division Brighton & Hove Albion for the 1990–91 season, having been offered a two-year contract despite his long lay-off with injury.

Bromage later served Southwick as a player-manager and Littlehampton Town as player-manager. He also played for Shoreham, before being appointed joint manager with John Byrne in August 1997. The pair managed the Sussex County League side for two seasons. Bromage was appointed player-manager of Whitehawk for the 2007–08 season and oversaw a second-place finish in the Sussex County League.

Style of play Bromage was a left-footed attacking wing-back.

Later life After retiring from football, Bromage moved to Shoreham-by-Sea and briefly worked as a financial adviser before he set up a window cleaning business.

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

1977–78 Third Division

1978–79 Fourth Division

1979–80 Fourth Division

1980–81 Fourth Division

1981–82 Fourth Division

1982–83 Fourth Division

1983–84 Third Division

1984–85 Third Division

1985–86 Fourth Division

1986–87 Third Division

347!!13!!20!!1!!32!!1!!399!!15 Oldham Athletic (loan) 1983–84 Second Division

1987–88 Third Division

1988–89 Third Division

1989–90 Third Division

46!!1!!2!!0!!8!!0!!56!!1 Brighton & Hove Albion 1990–91 Second Division

Maidstone United (loan) 1990–91 Fourth Division

Whitehawk 2007–08 Sussex County LeagueDivision One

407!!14!!22!!1!!41!!1!!470!!16

Honours Individual PFA Fourth Division Team of the Year: 1982–83 & 1984–85 Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year: 1980–81

Port Vale Football League Fourth Division 3rd-place finish (promoted): 1982–83 Football League Fourth Division 4th-place finish (promoted): 1985–86

Bristol City Football League Third Division 2nd-place finish (promoted): 1989–90