From San Starko to Hayes Lane

One fans tale of his connection between Raith Rovers and Bromley

Standing on the sun-soaked platform at Kirkcaldy railway station, I stared at my one-way ticket into the unknown. The distance from Kirkcaldy to London Kings Cross was 444 miles; not quite 500 miles but close enough, I quietly proclaimed. 

I’d decided to move away from my home in Fife to see what else life had to offer. But standing on the platform that day, I had one overriding thought: How would I survive not being able to see my beloved Raith Rovers play? 

Some might consider that a ludicrous thought at a time of such upheaval, but watching the Rovers and being around football every weekend was my outlet in life. 

My dad took me to my first games when Raith were flying high in the Scottish Premier League. They were also still glowing from a historic cup final win over Celtic in the 1994 Coca-Cola League Cup, which led to their first and only appearance in the UEFA Cup. In case you’re wondering, they were knocked out by the eventual winners, Bayern Munich. 

While my formative moments with Raith Rovers are a hazy memory, they were clearly important as I became hooked. I can remember leaning on the hoardings of the south stand at Stark’s Park, affectionately known as San Starko, and shouting to the players to come and sign my notebook.

That squad included a young Nacho Novo and Las Palmas veteran Paquito Ortiz. Those classy Spaniards were my heroes in the early Noughties. You might assume they’d be the heroes of every kid growing up in coastal Kirkcaldy at that time, but they weren’t. 

Most kids in my primary school supported the Old Firm teams, Celtic or Rangers, and were begging to trade my Henrik Larsson or Tore André Flo shiny Panini stickers for their SPL sticker book. For Scottish kids who follow their hometown club, this is an all too familiar story. 

My dad had supported Raith Rovers all his life, just like his dad before him, so it was the natural choice for me. When Rovers weren’t playing at home, my grandfather also supported East Fife along the coast in Methil. This was a bizarre concept to me as I could only ever imagine supporting Raith Rovers. It wasn’t until I attended my first Bromley fixture as a volunteer photographer that I realised this wasn’t such a strange concept.  

Observing the Hayes Lane crowd that day, I saw a lot of Crystal Palace replica shirts and accessories. It suddenly occurred to me that you can have affection for another club, even if they’re in a different quality strata or geographical location. Arguably, lower-league clubs need this kind of support in order to survive. 

Rewinding to my arrival in London, or Croydon to be exact, I dutifully watched Raith Rovers through their live streaming platform. Eventually though, despite Raith TV’s stellar coverage, I realised that it just didn’t feel the same. I was mourning the loss of my Saturday ritual. But, from the ashes of this loss, my football photography journey began.

I’d always been interested in photography as a hobby, so I started bringing my camera along to the training sessions of my Sunday League team, Thornton Heath Rangers. As I began to get a feel for it, one of the most gifted players I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with, Nigerian-born Innocent Waziri, asked me to shoot some games for Balham FC, his Saturday team in the Combined Counties Premier Division. 

Below, in the red of Thornton Heath Rangers, Innocent is scoring a would-be contender for the Puskas Award. It was an overhead kick from just inside the box that sailed over a ruck of players and left the keeper stranded. The third shot captures him celebrating another of the many goals he scored during his brief spell with us.

This match was a eureka moment for me as the sheer joy of shooting the moment was unlike anything I’d felt before. It was different to celebrating a goal as I had to focus on the moment and capture it, but it felt just as good as I was creating a tangible reminder and not leaving it to the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia (I could’ve sworn the overhead kick was outside the box until I pulled up the archive pictures!).

Balham FC were established in 2011 by filmmaker and Fulham fanatic Greg Cruttwell (pictured below) and they’ve come a long way since. It was fascinating to see how a club can thrive with limited resources and a strong band of volunteers.

Photographing for them was also an absolute joy. Not only did I feel appreciated by the club and its people, I felt like I was back where I belonged on a Saturday afternoon. I had also found a way to couple my love for photography with my love for football, which was a revelation.

My time with Balham inspired me to try and shoot higher up the leagues. I obtained my National League Photography License in early 2022 and attended games in and around the M25 for the remainder of the season; ticking off stadiums and loving every minute of it. 

When the season ended and I reflected on my experience, I realised one club had rubbed off on me far more than any of the others. Bromley and their media team had been very appreciative of their volunteers and made me feel a lot more valued than the other clubs I’d visited. 

There was a real feel-good vibe about the place, too. It had a strikingly similar energy to watching Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park. I quickly realised that, as well as a sense of belonging, I’d been missing the pulse of the Stark’s Park crowd as they shifted with the tides of the game. I felt that again at Hayes Lane.

My first Bromley game was a dull 0-0 draw against Hollywood’s Wrexham, but then came a very memorable game against York City in the semi-final of the FA Trophy. Some of my favourite shots came from that game and take pride of place in my portfolio website, including the one of James Alabi below. 

I find the Hayes Lane crowd acts as a second pair of eyes. Their reactions tell me where to focus my lens, particularly if something unusual is happening. They also tell me if a goal has gone in. Believe it or not, this isn’t easy to establish when you’re looking through an electronic viewfinder.

While I hope to maintain the upward trajectory of my football photography journey, having supported Raith Rovers all my life, I’m really enjoying shooting at Bromley. The community feel and the beauty of the lower-league struggle is evident at every game.

In time, I’d love to shoot an EFL fixture or a Premier League game under the lights of Selhurst Park (I shot a charity match there and it gave me a taste). But until I’m ready to make the leap, I’ll be very happy capturing the highs and lows at Hayes Lane.

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Thanks for taking the time to read the article by Martin. Martin has provided the large majority of the photos you have seen on ‘From Bromley with Love’. You can follow him on Twitter here and if you would like to contact him re: his work or to purchase some prints please visit his website here

All articles are edited by Peter Etherington you can link to him here

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