Bromage Harry Image 1 Leeds City 1908

Description

Derby born goalkeeper Harry Bromage joined hometown club First Division Derby County from Derby Constitutional in July 1898 making his Football League debut against Glossop that Boxing Day. During his three seasons at The Baseball Ground he was understudy to Jack Fryer and made just 5 appearances before a transfer to Burton United in July 1903. At Burton he was the first choice goalkeeper making 76 appearances over two seasons before joining newly elected Second Division club Leeds City in July 1905, playing in their inaugural League fixture at Bradford City that September.

After Tom Naisby was signed from Sunderland Bromage ceded the gloves after 10 appearances in the 1907-08 season and spent the following season as Naisby’s understudy before regaining the gloves the start of the 1909-1910 season, and he remained the regular choice until he left the club at the end of the 1910-1911 season.

While a good and brave goalkeeper, he was often left exposed by a City defence, which leaked goals at an alarming rate. The papers of the day often told of his heroics between the posts, either saving the day, or keeping the score to a respectable level. “Bromage gave a really fine exhibition, and but for his clever goalkeeping the home team would have won by a larger margin,” was just one of many typical quotes from a local newspaper after a 2-0 defeat at Bradford Park Avenue on 27th April 1909.

After making 152 appearances over six seasons for Leeds, at the time being their record appearance maker, he joined Doncaster Rovers in the summer of 1911.At Doncaster he joined his younger brother Billy, who was the Rovers’ Captain and played for them in the Midland League until joining Bentley Colliery in 1913, where he played until he retired.

There are a number of Bromage family footballers with Derby County connections. His younger brother Billy Bromage was an outside left who played for Derby County reserves, Gainsborough Trinity, Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers. Billy’s son Sidney Bromage played for Derby’s reserves in the mid 1930’s, as well as for Sheffield United reserves. Another younger brother, George Bromage, also had five years’ professional experience as an outside left. While his total League appearances were just five, with Sheffield United between 1923 and 1924, he also was on the books of Derby County, Doncaster Rovers and Buxton. Enos Bromage was the youngest of four footballing brothers and played for Derby County, Gillingham, West Bromwich Albion and Nottingham Forest.

Also related were his uncle Enos Bromage (Sr) who played most of his career with Derby Junction, but did played 17 League games for Derby County in the early 1890’s, and probably George Edward Bromage was a cousin, he played three games with Doncaster Rovers as a goalkeeper in 1925 but had already played with Bentley Colliery and Barnsley, but not at senior level, and later saw service with Frickley Colliery and Scunthorpe United.