The 'new' signing

Why James Vennings is the one to watch this season.

At the start of each season, my first priority is assessing which Bromley players have re-sell value. This isn’t out of a desire to see Bromley cash in, but it tends to be an indicator of how good Bromley will be in the forthcoming season.

There is no hard science to this other than seeking to identify players 25 or under who would likely command interest from EFL scouts.

One such Bromley player, and perhaps someone who most wouldn’t immediately pick out, is James Vennings.

Having joined Bromley on loan in March 2022, Vennings made thirteen appearances for the Ravens, culminating in an excellent performance at Wembley in the FA Trophy final.

Highly rated at Charlton while part of their U23 set-up, Vennings racked up ten senior appearances for the Addicks before heading out on loan last season. His first stop was a short-term deal at Aldershot Town. Then, Andy Woodman took the opportunity to pick him up for the final three months of the season.

To the untrained eye, Vennings appears to be no more than an auxiliary central midfielder with a good engine. However, closer inspection highlights a player with a multi-disciplinary skillset.

Able to operate as both a 6 or an 8, as comfortable in possession as he is in covering ground, Vennings has upsides that will only improve with more sustained exposure to men’s football. 

In many ways, this represents Vennings’ first full season in competitive football. And, much like Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, another Charlton academy alumnus who excelled at Bromley, he’s found the perfect stage to showcase his ability to work his way back into the football league, with or without Bromley.

James’s FA Trophy final performance is a template for everything he should aim to become this season. That all-action display saw him dovetail perfectly with Billy Bingham to prevent the talented Wrexham midfield of James Jones, Luke Young, and Jordan Davies from getting any foothold in the game. 

The official man of the match, Corey Whitely, was only able to have his impact on the game because of the work rate of Vennings and Bingham. Not only did they not let the Wrexham midfield settle, they also recycled the ball quickly and efficiently.

Consequently, Whitley was constantly receiving the ball in space and on the half turn, which was something Wrexham never quite got to grips with.

Like many young players, Vennings perhaps doesn’t realise how good he is yet, or even what he is yet. But the hope should be that under Andy Woodman’s guidance he fulfils his obvious potential.

I caught up with James earlier this week to get his take on life in the National League and his career so far.

James Vennings interview

He remains ambitious to play at the highest level, as he should, but more crucially he sees Bromley as the pathway to achieve that. 

Hayes Lane has tended to serve talented Charlton academy prospects well, as Alfie Doughty, Brandon Hanlan, Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, and Reeco Hackett-Fairchild would probably testify.

Should James Vennings seize the same opportunity, it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re soon talking about another former Bromley player going on to forge a successful EFL career.

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